Each year I look forward to the start of my spring tulips blossoming, that will turn into the summer flowers flourishing, which in turn creates pretty colors, pleasant smells and the calming feeling that welcomes all to my home. This leads into the planning and start of planting my garden and the nutritious food my family has been able to take part in helping to grow and eat. Having a garden and trying new recipes to help use the harvest from our garden has helped expand the palettes of my “picky” eaters in my family. In addition to helping care for the garden, my “picky” eater (and his other siblings) gain a better appreciation of the efforts it takes to grow and make food. Having nutritious foods readily available to us, as well as being able to share our healthy foods with others has been a huge personal reward for us all.
However, my family has quickly grown and this has made my garden I once felt was huge turn into a small plot of land. I now have to choose what will go in my garden (saying no to my parsley so my son could take try a try at growing his own can
taloupe). My busy family, physical land space and lack of additional energy to care for more, has sparked interest in me utilizing my current efforts into turning some of my flower beds and flower pots into Edible Landscapes.
The Edible Landscape concept of “Why not grown edibles alongside (or instead of) ornamental’s in your landscape?” is clever, efficient and becoming a hot trend that is worth exploring! You do not need a lot of space, it’s easy to manage and you can have healthy food right at your doorstep! See the attached article on 7 Edibles that you should be growing in your yard this year:
https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g4160/edible-garden/
If you are looking for more advice on what healthy options you can get from your garden and how to incorporate them in to your diet, check out our Nutrition Services page on our website or by calling us at 507-831-0640.
Blog Written By: Betsy Plotz, Registered Dietitian