Edible Gardening Tips

We at City Steward are please to have been among those interviewed for a recent Oregon Home Magazine article offering tips to successfully create a Victory Garden in your own backyard, transforming your backyard into a productive garden filled with edible herbs and vegetables. The article is entitled 18 Tips for Growing a Victory Garden and can be found on Oregon Home Magazine's website.

The Victory Garden concept originated in World War I after the US government was forced to ration many staple food items. Labor shortages made it difficult to harvest and transport frutis and vegetables, so the government began encouraging citizens to plant "Victory Gardens." The effort led urban dwellers to plant gardens in backyards, empty lots, and on city rooftops.

Today, against the backdrop of a down economy, concerns over GMSs and pesticides, and the large carbon footprint of our mainstream food supply, the term "Victory Garden" has taken on a new meaning. There is tremendous momentum-appropriately-behidn enabling families to grow some of their own food in backyard gardens, or to participate in Community Supported Agriculture programs. One example is the Victory Garden Initiative which promotes the use of our own backyards (and front yards, rooftops and patios) for the production of a self-sufficient, sustainable, and healthy food supply.

With the right additions to your yard and the right gardening techniques, anyone can cultivate a flourishing backyard edible garden. Here are a few tips from the Oregon Home Magazine article:

-When conceiving of the raised beds your edible garden needs, think beyond the traditional rectangular shape.

-Edible gardens can be aesthetically pleasing as a traditional yard landscape with the proper planning to balance platn colors, patterns, and heights.

-Not all plants grow well from seed, so when planning your garden, pay attention to which seeds can be planted directly in the ground and which should come from starts.

-You may want to alter the layout of your backyard to allocate prime growing areas (those with plenty of sunlight) for your vegetables.

Below is a photo of rasied beds for edible gardening that were recently installed by City Steward at a North Portland multi-family property.

Reclaimed Materials in Garden Design

Using reclaimed and recycled materials makes for beautiful, distinctive and eco-friendly garden schemes. Reclaimed timber, bricks, tiles, and stones add character and a sense of history. Recycled stones and bricks can be used to border beds or pathways; broken dishes and mosaic tiles splash color in unexpected ways. Crushed seashells and abalone shells are another great way to give the garden color, promote drainage, or serve as mulch. Reclaimed lumber is just as sturdy as virgin wood and can be used for decks and other structures, helping reduce your home’s carbon footprint.

We occasionally take finds from the Rebuilding Center and repurpose them as garden trellises. Another take on this concept may be right in your garden. Many yards contain existing materials – stone, pavers, etc. – that can be readily integrated into a rehabilitation project and new landscape. City Steward takes pleasure in drawing on resources already on site and helping our clients reuse these materials in our projects. The photo to the left shows a path created with blocks and flagstones that were hidden behind an old garage at this NE Portland home (only the gravel had to be purchased).