It doesn't take any more water or time to care for a fruit bearing tree or shrub then it takes to grow a purely decorative plant. It takes hours of watering, fertilizing and mowing to care for that expanse of grass. Years ago, I carefully took inventory of my yard which was manicured and filled with beautiful azaleas and other non-edible plants.. I researched every plant in my yard. It took some time because not only did I research whether it was a source of food but whether it was useful in other ways like medicinal or attracting beneficial Insects.
With my plan in mind, I began removing everything that was not valuable for food or medicine. I removed large portions of grass and created growing beds in its place. I kept some of the grass just so the yard still resembled a yard but I kept those islands of grass small and easy to mow. They flowed around the growing beds more like walkways then the focus point of the yard.
I didn't rip out the whole yard at once. I did it in stages so that plants could get established and maintenance would not be so high. I didn't want to be forced to water for hours on end just to keep everything alive at once. I found that over time those plants with good root systems needed very little water and minimal maintenance.
I wanted plants that would still look like a normal yard most of the year so I planted mostly fruit trees and edible native plants. I also included a regular seasonal garden plot for vegetables and herb beds for culinary and medicinal purposes. I planted things like rose bushes for the edible petals but also the rose hips which are high in vitamin C. I planted flowers for their beauty and to attract pollinators but that had edible roots as well. Those included but weren't limited to daylillies, dahlias, Jerusalem artichokes. I planted shrubs like blueberries and ground covers like strawberries. I included fig, paw paw and quince.
I kept the camellias for tea and the oaks and hickories for nuts. I also left the persimmon tree for fruit but I added a few apple, pear and peach trees. In the beds I would plant perennial herbs that just became part of the landscape. Curly parsley and oregano are beautiful landscaping plants and edible too. I tucked a few rabbits and four chickens in the back of the yard for meat and eggs. They had trellis and vines to prevent them from being visible from the road.
I have since moved on from that small homestead on an acre in the city. I now live on a farm. The new people didn't see the value in the yard and changed most of it back to lawn. I loved that house and yard but I think of it as my homestead in the city and a place where I began the journey of learning to eat from the landscape and native plants. Yes, I have more animals and more plants. I have grown and learned more since then but a lesson I learned there and hope to impart now is that no matter where you are and what you have to work with you CAN and should make it into a place that will provide food during the hard times. Your survival may one day depend on it!
I hope to share some more specific plants that can provide food and be worked into an edible landscape in other posts. There are so many plants and herbs that it would be impossible to include them in one short post.
Southern Wood Elf