The Food Forward Garden A Complete Guide to Designing and Growing Edible Landscapes

by Douglas, Christian; Florence, Tyler

• ISBN13: 9781648291548
• ISBN10: 1648291546
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2024-10-29
• Publisher: Artisan

Summary

Vegetable gardening reinvented—and elevated—with the high-style approach of award-winning landscape designer Christian Douglas.

What if, instead of relegating our vegetable patch to a remote corner of the backyard, we brought it <I>forward<I>? What if we integrated edibles into our decorative landscapes, letting vegetables, herbs, fruits, and berries share prime real estate alongside our patios, pools, even our front walkways? Equal parts inspiration and instruction, and filled with an abundance of ideas and information, <I>The Food Forward Garden<I> is a lushly illustrated guide to how we can make better use of our outdoor spaces without sacrificing style. In this comprehensive tome, award-winning landscape designer Christian Douglas shows us how the intrinsic beauty and seasonal rhythms of edibles bring a new level of purpose, meaning, and stunning visual pleasure to the home garden.

Author Biography

Christian Douglas is a landscape designer and the founder of Christian Douglas Design, where he creates extraordinary culinary gardens for private clients, and the Backyard Farm Co., where he and his team of urban farmers teach homeowners around the world how to grow food. In 2020, Christian was awarded the California Home+Design Award for landscape design. He has a regular gardening column in Marin Living magazine and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, California Home+Design, and other major publications. Follow him on Instagram at @christian_douglas_design. 

Table of Contents

Foreword by Tyler Florence
Introduction
The Principles of Food Forward Design
 

PART I: THE GARDENS

The Forager’s Garden 
Spotlight on: Water Features 
The Urban Garden 
Spotlight on: Container Gardens  
The Cottage Garden 
Spotlight on: Trellising 
The Chef’s Garden 
Spotlight on: Hillside Plantings 
The Mediterranean Garden 
Spotlight on: Raised Beds 
The Suburban Garden 
Spotlight on: Edible Swaps 
The Classical Garden 
Spotlight on: Multi-Use Spaces 
The Wild Garden 
Spotlight on: Local Edibles 
 

PART II: UNEXPECTED SITES FOR EDIBLES

The Edible Meadow 
The Edible Rooftop 
The Edible Woodland  
The Edible Front Yard
 

PART III: DESIGNING & GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD FORWARD GARDEN 000 

Design Guide 
            Laying out the Space 
            Creating a Plant “Palette” 
            Layering 
Gardening Guide 
            Sunlight 
            Determining Your Climate 
            Seasons in the Vegetable Garden 
            Healthy Soil 
            Irrigation 
            Troubleshooting Plant Problems 
            Crop Planning 
            Setting Up Your Work Zones 
                        Mise en Place 
                        Essential Tools & Equipment 
                        Potting Bench 
Pro Tips for Planting Edibles 
Harvesting
 
PART IV: SIXTY TRIED-AND-TRUE EDIBLES
Herbs
Aromatics
Edible Flowers
Pollinator Species
Fruit Trees
Fruiting Vines
Annual Vegetables
Berries

Plant Index

Resources

Acknowledgments

Index