The Food Forward Garden: A Complete Guide to Designing and Growing Edible Landscapes

by Christian Douglas, Tyler Florence (foreword)

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 29, 2024

Reviews

[Noorilhuda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Douglas, a landscape designer with a regular gardening column in Marin Living, transforms eight outdoor spaces, mostly front yards, into culinary gardens, while maintaining their ornamental beauty. These include front-yard of a suburban house of a family of four [21-29], a wine-country cottage's backyard [33-43], an upper-deck of a townhouse [48-57], chef Tyler Florence's steep terraced backyard [60-69], open garden 'rooms' of a large-sized property [74-85], L-shaped plot surrounding a modern raised ranch on a busy street [88-95], front-yard of a shingled house [99-109], and 700 sq.ft of his own 0.4 hectare hill-top land [112-124]. He believes that edible landscapes can be created in any location, (whether suburban or metropolitan, country, hillside or forest), size (upper-deck or large front yard) and style (terraced, vertical, French-formal) [18].

He does so, by strategically placing vegetables, fruit shrubs and trees, herbs and edible flowers around 'heavy traffic' areas such as entrances, walkaways, spas and pools, grill barbeque, and dine and lounge seats. He suggests planting flavor enhancers and garnishes near an outdoor cooktop for easy access [58], alpine strawberries and huckleberries near rocky stream and rustic plank bridges for playful kids [24], 'Mission' fig and 'Eureka' lemon trees with euphorbia and olives near pool for summer shade [42] and vines of grapes, passion fruits and kiwi instead of non-edible jasmine, wisteria and bougainvillea [96].

He writes: “With a purposeful shift in thinking, you can see that hedges, statement trees, evergreen shrubs, and ground covers all offer tasty opportunities for food production. The trick is to find an edible match with similar characteristics that can fulfill the same role in the landscape.” [p. 96, ‘Edible Swaps’, 1st para, 4th line] .

He gives ideas on how to manage and protect a forest garden from wildlife [142-147] by putting cool-season or early-spring crops in wire-meshed cages. His tips on design elements [161-170], successful gardening and harvesting [172-196], tool kit and potting bench work station [205-215] are generic and often-quoted by well-seasoned experts.

However, an entire chapter is devoted to sixty-plus varieties of plants that are easy to grow in a range of climates [216-245] which are sure to encourage readers to move towards flexible integration of beauty and bounty.

This is a guide that will grow on you with each passing season.


Link to Video Review:
Pt.1: https://youtu.be/E5_u5dGRbTU
Pt.2: https://youtu.be/ySm10YXJSDE
Pt.3: https://youtu.be/yHnbaV3ZGVE
Pt.4: https://youtu.be/fvcNjaUBggU
Pt.5: https://youtu.be/LPBNoopNzRA
Pt.6: https://youtu.be/ul7t29ICzKw
Pt.7: https://youtu.be/pjhBMfSKelE

[Chatti · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the book and its photos were undeniably aesthetically pleasing, I have to take off one star for its lack of inclusivity. The content felt very specific to warmer climates, with a clear focus on gardens reminiscent of California or similar regions. As someone from California, I can appreciate the beauty and inspiration offered, but it would have been nice to see broader considerations for colder climates as well. I live in Colorado now. There were few, if any, practical tips or designs tailored to those dealing with harsher weather conditions or shorter growing seasons. This made the book feel somewhat limited in scope, leaving readers in colder regions without relevant guidance or ideas to implement in their own gardens. While it’s not a deal-breaker, a more balanced approach would have made this a truly comprehensive resource for gardeners everywhere.

[R.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it might be most appreciated by wealthy homeowners in the California landscape, this book is nonetheless a gorgeous and inspiring guide for anyone wishing to build a truly beautiful garden around edible plants. I would use this book in tandem with Christina Chung's The Layered Edible Garden, letting this title motivate you aesthetically while taking practical teachings from Chung's much more budget- and zone-friendly work.

[Devin Kinsella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures, universally applicable concepts, and a gray pig in a terrace garden.

Admittedly, this book presents the aesthetic ideal in optimal climates for those who dress like aristocratic vineyard owners with obscene amounts of inherited disposable income… I have six garden beds within a fenced-in grassy area once regularly defecated upon and abused by the large dogs of our home’s previous owner…

However! I found most of the resources to be widely applicable. The plant guide in the back was detailed and full of useful information, and I will consider getting a gray pig to elegantly dawdle upon my future terrace steps and eat my Kohlrabi scraps.

[LeiLei · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unless you live in the temperate perfect growing conditions of the Bay Area, don;t bother with this book. I couldn’t have been more bored by a subject that I am otherwise very passionate about. The writing is sleepy and unemotional, written for the completely novice gardener. And the photography is washed out and devoid of inspiration. The entire layout is pale green and beige. I would be sad in a world with only this pallet to exist in.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great starter on Edible gardens. Visually pleasing and informative, with lots of suggestions on plants and design strategies. my only complaint would be that the book caters more to warmer climates (the author is based in California, I believe) and does not address options for colder climates as extensively.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn on giving this two or three stars. Here's what I liked - the pictures, the sections on certain landscape types (like a wooded area). I didn't like how focused it was on California landscapes. Given the intro I expected way more geographic and climate diversity! I'm glad I read it from the library but not a game changer.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photos provide inspiration for incorporating edibles into the landscape. I wish I’d known that was based in California, though. Of course you can have a year round edible landscape in CA, not so much in PA. It was fun to browse through the gorgeous landscapes on a snowy February morning.

[Melissa]

Gardenista

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous book. Not a lot in the way of “how-to” info, but the photos are stunning. Lots of inspiration in these pages.

[reading is my hustle · Rating 3 out of 5]

california climate centric + beautiful photos to inspire