Fresh produce at your fingertips: nine benefits of turning your lawn into an edible garden

Some American homes have tidy, well-maintained lawns as a status symbol. But for those who want to get more bang for their buck, having an edible garden on your front lawn is more practical.

After all, an edible garden can beautify your home and give you access to fresh produce.

Green lawns require more time, money and effort

Traditionally, well-groomed green lawns are prized as a “hallmark of homeownership.” They can also indicate a homeowner’s wealth and status, depending on their level of landscaping and maintenance.

Did you know that lawns are the single largest irrigated crop in America? Lawns cover almost 32 million acres.

But unlike edible gardens, green lawns don’t produce any crops. Instead, green lawns just consume water and fertilizer that could have been used to grow fruits and vegetables.

Additionally, lawns also take up valuable soil and potential cropland. Green lawns also require a lot of your time, money and resources.

In 2015, Americans spent an estimated $29 billion on lawn care. The shocking thing is, every quarter acre of lawn also requires at least 21 hours of annual maintenance.

Lawns don’t just require costly maintenance. They also have a significant environmental impact. The typical American lawn needs 10,000 gallons of supplemental water, excluding rainwater, every year.

While edible gardens also need to be watered, data from the Urban Plantations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Public Policy Institute of California, and the Alliance for Water Efficiency showed that gardens require 66 percent less water than green lawns.

The challenges of turning a green lawn into an edible garden

Practical homeowners are growing edible gardens instead of green lawns and at least one in three Americans grows food at home or in a community garden.

Surprisingly, instead of supporting home gardeners local lawmakers and homeowners associations aren’t in favor of edible gardens. Some cities have banned edible gardens, especially when they’re cultivated in a front yard.

Cities have even been punishing home gardeners, with some being required to pay fines or do jail time. But homeowners are fighting back.

In California, a bill passed in 2014 allows homeowners to start edible gardens for “personal agriculture” to reduce food costs, particularly for the impoverished.

9 Benefits of starting an edible garden

Learning how to grow an edible garden isn’t easy, but this endeavor is a useful one that all homeowners should consider because of the following benefits.

1. Gardening helps you save money. Organic food is better for the planet, but vegetables grown without chemicals can be more expensive. If you want to eat organic produce, it’s cheaper to grow your own.
2. Gardening is important for food security and self-sufficiency. Learning how to grow your own food at home will help you become more independent and give you access to clean food grown without harmful pesticides.
3. Gardening can help boost your mental and physical health. Taking care of plans can help relieve stress and make you more relaxed. All that heavy lifting and walking around in your garden is also good for your physical health!
4. Gardening can teach children important life lessons. Some kids like playing in the dirt and introducing them to gardening can also help teach them life lessons, like the importance of knowing how to grow their own food and where fruits and veggies come from.
5. Gardens can help promote a sense of community. Don’t worry if you don’t have enough space at home for an edible garden. Ask around and find out where the nearest community garden is to grow organic fruits and vegetables together with like-minded individuals in your area.
6. Gardening ensures that you have access to fresh vegetables and fruits. Because the crops are right in your own backyard, this means you’ll be eating healthier, which is crucial for your overall well-being.
7. Gardening produces fruits and vegetables that are more nutritious than their grocery store counterparts. On average, the food you eat for one meal has traveled 1,500 miles before it gets to your plate. During this long journey, fruits and veggies lose nutrients. Eating fresh produce grown in your backyard means your food contains a lot of nutrients that will help you stay strong and healthy.
8. Growing your own fruits and vegetables means you’re harvesting food that is safer than store-bought items. Food safety is a concern because of potential contamination from E. coli, Salmonella and other pathogens from factory farms. Growing organic fruits and vegetables may help prevent contamination. Going organic also means you can avoid pesticide residues on your produce. To ensure that your harvest is safe to eat, choose a location that is far from car exhaust and other outdoor pollutants that may damage the soil and your plants. If you’re not sure about the soil quality in your potential garden spot, get it tested by a lab. Alternatively, you can grow plants in containers or keep fruits and vegetables away from the road or a driveway.
9. Cultivating vegetable gardens is ecologically responsible. An edible garden helps reduce your carbon footprint and is more efficient and less wasteful than maintaining green lawns or tending to ornamental plants.

Ideas for your edible garden

Not sure what to plant in your edible garden? Try some of the suggestions below!

Vertical herb gardening

This is a great option for beginners who don’t have a spacious garden in their backyard. Start growing herbs in a vertical garden, which can still help you save on herbs that you can use to cook tasty and nutritious meals for your family.

You can also try propagating rosemary cuttings and other herbs. Once you get the hang of growing herbs, grow more plants up a wall in your property for a steady supply of various herbs and a beautiful (and edible) vertical garden.

Grow edible flowering plants

If you want to keep your garden pretty and practical, start growing edible flowering plants. Who says you can’t have your roses and eat them too?

Consider growing rose petals and chives together. When in bloom, their flowers are sure to beautify your lawn.

Additionally, chives are a good companion plant when growing roses because the former helps drive away pests. At the same time, chives invite beneficial insects.

Aside from roses, you can also grow these edible flowers:

• Borage
• Calendula
• Dandelion
• Daylily
• Gem marigolds
• Herb flowers (e.g., basil, cilantro, and fennel)
• Nasturtium
• Pansy
• Squash blossoms

Ornamental fruit trees

Cedar, maple and pine trees will look impressive in your yard, but if you want to have beautiful, fruit-bearing trees, grow apples, avocados, cherries, peaches, or pears instead.

If you don’t have enough space for full-size trees, choose espalier fruit trees or columnar fruit trees. These kinds of trees are trained to grow a certain way so their branches don’t take up too much space.

In these difficult times, it’s better to maintain a practical home garden and grow organic fruits and vegetables.