Sweet Potato
• Tomatillo
• Zinnia
Cool Season
• Alyssum
• Beet
• Carrot
• Cilantro
• Cornflower
• Dill
• Garlic
• Swiss Chard
• Kale
• Larkspur
• Leek
• Lettuce
• Oats
• Onion
• Parsnip
• Poppy
• Potato
• Rhubarb
• Snapdragon
• Turnip
• Wheat
ZONE 1
Zone 1 is the foundation landscape right around the house. This space touches the house or sidewalk leading to the front door. If you’re working with a traditional foundation landscape that has been installed by a developer, there will already be a 50/50 balance of ornamental plants and open mulch space. Everyone with a newly-built house has a Zone 1 landscape area. Patio home and townhome dwellers pretty much only have Zone 1 landscapes. (Pots and alternative growing systems require enough attention that they’re also considered to be in Zone 1.)
Zone 1 is where you’ll grow your everyday edibles – things that you cook with frequently. Plant tons of greens, particularly lettuce and basil, along with peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and plants that need a lot of water in this zone. This is also a great place to grow hydroponic tomatoes (see page 141). During the winter, I grow onions and garlic as the bed edges in these spaces. Summer squash works particularly well as a groundcover because you can easily check the plants and harvest before fruits are too big to eat. I like to grow Malabar spinach along the front porch for privacy and greenery. If you need support structures for any of the plants in this area, you can make use of patio railings that are already attached to your home.
Malabar spinach
Amend the soil in Zone 1 as you would in Zone 2. Spread 6" of compost on top of the existing soil, taking care not to create “volcanoes” or “bathtubs” around trees and shrubs. This is where you’ll grow your most finicky and sensitive crops, so it’s where you’ll want to have the best soil. Learn more about preparing the soil and planting in Chapters 2 and 3.
PLANTS FOR ZONE 1
You can grow pretty much everything in Zone 1, including all plants listed in Zones 2 and 3, as well as the following seasonal annual edibles.
Warm Season
• Cucumber
• Rice
• Squash – summer and winter
• Tomato
Cool Season
• Arugula
• Chive
• Lettuce
Mixed lettuce
Creating New Planting Beds in Zones 2 and 3
Since Zone 1 landscapes will have already been established by the developer, the rest of the available land will likely just be lawn, if there is anything at all. Rarely will a new house have garden beds in Zones 2 or 3. You, as the homeowner, will have to decide if you want to install those for property screens and privacy.
When establishing new foodscape beds where there is existing lawn, you must remove the sod, otherwise known as lawn (if you’re planning to extend the landscape beds in Zone 1 out into Zone 2, you’ll also want to remove the sod). Don’t be fooled by the technique of laying cardboard on top of the sod and hoping to smother everything underneath. This does not work! For those of us living in warm climates with spreading turfs like centipedegrass and Bermuda grass, it is critical to completely remove the sod, or you will be fighting it for the rest of your life.
Use the right tool to make the task efficient. Rent a sod cutter or hire a landscape professional; it’s worth it. I also recommend consulting a designer for guidance on bed expansion so that your foodscape is proportional, attractive, meets the legal requirements of your HOA covenants and, most importantly, so that you don’t bite off more than you can chew and end up getting discouraged before you even start on the edibles.
Once the sod has been removed, layer compost on top of the bare earth, also considered the natural grade of the land. Spread compost to a depth of 6"-8". Then, rake the compost around to come up to the grade of the trees and shrubs, again taking care not to create a bathtub depression where water will stand. You can layer this compost on top of the soil and not till it in, as the earthworms will do the work of incorporating the new soil into the old, over time. Soil preparation is the single most important step of building a foodscape. Every bit of time and money you put into building great soil will come back to you in a bountiful harvest and reduced work to get it.
Finish beds using the mulch of your choice – but never use anything made of rubber. I love triple-shredded hardwood mulch and ground leaves because they help retain moisture, suppress weeds, break down quickly and add organic matter to the soil.
Now that you understand the zones of a foodscape, you’re ready to plant or enhance an existing framework of ornamentals.
Two
CREATING A FOODSCAPE FRAMEWORK: The Ornamentals
TO HAVE A FOODSCAPE, you have to have an ornamental plant framework. The area closely surrounding your home is known as the foundation landscape. You
