Edimental Gardening

If the term edimental gardening is new to you, you probably aren’t the only one. It’s a combination of two words: edible and ornamental, so edimental gardening is all about filling your outdoor space with beautiful plants and providing food. And why not? In today’s climate, where everything is a little more expensive, and food scarcity could become a thing, having a beautiful garden that serves practically is a double win.

While you might be thinking how an edimental garden will support you and your needs, remember it will also become a haven for wildlife. Growing your food of any kind is also incredibly sustainable.

Where did edimental gardening come from, and what is it?

The practice of gardening edibles has been around for centuries. People have always cultivated their land for food and medicine while maintaining its beauty. However, the term ‘edimental’ and its specifics is relatively new. Horticulturalist Stephen Barstow coined it around ten years ago, and the practice continues to grow in popularity today.

One of the biggest joys of edimental gardening is that it brings you closer to nature. Compared to kitchen gardens, edimental gardens are slightly less organised. It also doesn’t require you to dedicate particular areas to specific crops. Harvesting occurs as and when the produce is ready, as opposed to when the entire crop is ready in one go. As you get started, you’ll get to know what you have, when it's ready to eat and how to yield the tastiest crops.

Edimental gardening doesn’t focus on one type of plant but encompasses trees, shrubs, perennials, and anything that will produce edibles year after year. This includes fruit trees like apple, pear, and citrus fruit and edible flowers and leaves like nasturtium, hostas, and roses. Edimental gardening also aligns with using herbs for food and medicinal purposes, including lavender, mint, and chives.

Why choose edimental gardening?

Gardening is excellent, full stop. Being outdoors and amongst the fauna and flora will improve your mental and physical health. It keeps you active, increases your vitamin D intake and is greatly satisfying. Edimental gardening has a few extra benefits, though. Here are five reasons why it’s a great gardening option.

1. Reduces your carbon footprint

Humans have a huge carbon footprint, but growing your own is the perfect way to reduce it. Walking a few steps into your garden space means no fuel, travel, or packaging, all of which are detrimental to the planet.

2. Low maintenance

Unlike other forms of gardening, edimental gardening is relatively low maintenance. Planting takes a little time, but because the plants will return each year, there’s no need to repeat the process. You’ll likely need to prune and cut back some of your plants, but that’s much less time-consuming than preparing soil and sowing each spring.

3. Provides fresh produce

Nothing beats produce picked fresh from the plant and in the more organic conditions, your garden provides. The quality is much better, and the taste is as good as it gets- it’s incredible how much flavour is lost from supermarket-bought produce. Lastly, produce starts losing its nutritional value almost as soon as it is picked, so eating 100% fresh will benefit your health.

4. The choice

Once you enter the world of edimental gardening, you’ll be surprised at how many plants are edible. You might also be surprised to discover that you’ve already ‘accidentally’ started edimental gardening because you have plants growing you didn’t know could be included in your diet. The edible parts of a plant also don’t stop at the flower, fruit, and leaves; often, the stem and sometimes the roots are edible too; however, make sure to thoroughly research a plant's safety before eating anything new.

5. It's beautiful

Of course, much of edimental gardening is about the food produced, but the ornamental aspect means that your garden will retain its beauty year-round as long as you plan carefully. Regular picking also encourages more blooms so they’ll stay beautiful for longer. And because most edimental plants flower, your garden will be filled with colour, texture, pattern, and intrigue.

Where to start with edimental gardening

One advantage of edimental gardening is that you can do it almost anywhere. Whether you have a large outdoor space or a balcony with space for just a select few, it’s entirely possible. You can even have a edimental section inside your home. Here are three aspects to consider:

Choose the right plants

Always research and find the right plants for your space. Many edimental plants are happy living in pots, and some are happy enough indoors, so planning to make sure they’ll survive and thrive is vital.

Planning includes understanding how much direct sunlight plants need and how much your space gets. It also includes how sheltered your space is from the elements. Whether planting in pots or on the ground, you must also consider soil. All of these will drastically impact the success of your edimental garden.

Finally, research how they grow; some start small but could rapidly increase and become too much. Also, consider companion and sister planting- some plants work well next to each other, and others don’t.

Think clever

When planning, especially in a smaller space, maximise your space creatively. Whether using trellises for vertical gardening, hanging baskets, guttering used as planters along a wall or a balcony planter, where there’s a will, there’s a way!

Food for all

Edimental gardening is fantastic for you but can also bring communities together. Why not find a shared space and make it a community project? That way, everybody can get together socially, which is also great for mental health, contribute to the garden's maintenance and cost, and benefit from the produce.

So, whether edimental gardening is new to you or an idea you’ve been dying to try, now is the perfect time to give it a go. What’s better than having a beautiful garden space that serves the planet, positively impacts your health and adds to your dinner plate at no extra cost?

Author: Hannah Harding