Jamie Durie - Jamie Duries Edible Garden Design Delicious Designs from the Ground Up

GROWING YOUR OWN EDIBLES WILL BENEFIT YOUR BODY, YOUR MIND, YOUR SPIRIT, YOUR TASTEBUDS, YOUR KIDS, YOUR WALLET, AND THE ENVIRONMENT.

HERES HOW:

You will know that the food you are eating is free from harmful pesticides and has not been genetically modified.

The food you grow yourself always tastes so much better than anything you buy.

You will lower your carbon footprint and decrease food miles.

You will spend quality time with your kids, teaching them the importance of growing things and being connected to nature and its cycles.

Gardening is good exercise.

Eating what you grow will help you stay healthy and give you a great sense of well-being.

You will save money since you wont need to buy as much, because youll be supplementing your diet with food straight out of your backyard.

You will feel a great sense of pride and satisfaction from providing food for yourself and your family.

Your gratitude to Mother Nature for her ability to provide food will make you love nature even more, and you will be less wasteful with food when you are growing it yourselfits a win for the planet and also for you.

{Jason Busch JPD Media + Design.}

{Tonya McCahon JPD Media + Design.}

There has never been a more exciting time to start an edible garden. Vertical, stackable, curbside, rooftop, community, windowsill, recycled... The fruit and veggie patch is getting a makeover and, as a result, our cities are too.

The global movement toward a more sustainable future has become a part of our everyday life, whether you live in the city, the suburbs, or the country. Its no longer a question of whether you can help, but how you can do it. People across the globe are reinventing, recycling, and reinvigorating the way they live, creating a healthier future for the planet and generations to come.

A well-loved garden has a wonderful way of nurturing you, providing a sense of sanctuary and joywhen you add edible plants it becomes holistic, a garden you can truly interact with. What could be better than a productive garden that is as beautiful as it is functional?

How many times have you vowed to start growing your own edibles, but not known how or where to start? Or thought it was all too hard because you live in the city with little or no garden space? Or been put off because you thought it would cost a fortune? If this sounds like you, keep reading.

Here you will find delicious design ideas that you can adapt to suit your own space and lifestyle. I am so grateful to the many visionary gardeners, communities, architects, chefs, and individuals from all over the world who have generously shared the stories of their gardens. Read about them and be inspired, as I have been.

I cant wait to share with you my edible design philosophy, which is the product of three decades of landscape design experience, plus ideas I have collected from my travels. Whether you live in an apartment building, in a rental home, by yourself, or with a large family, this book will point you in the right direction and offer solutions to growing your own edibles, that look great, no matter where or how you live.

I hope this book will inspire you to design your own edible utopia. Embrace it, share it, and get started!

{ Jason Busch.}

Connect your space inside and out, then integrate edible plants you can grow, smell, touch, eat, and share. With a few simple guidelines you can design an edible garden that not only tastes delicious but also looks incredible.

{Tonya McCahon JPD Media + Design.}

Before I get to my Delicious Design Philosophy for creating edible yet beautifully designed gardens that suit your lifestyle, I want to touch on my general philosophy for designing gardens, since this is where the idea was born. I call it The Outdoor Room Philosophy, and its all about creating gardens for people to live in, not just to look at from the kitchen window. Your garden, whether its a backyard or a balcony, should be about lounging, dining, cooking, or bathingor the whole lot. Think of turning your house inside out and expanding all your favorite rooms into the outdoors. Give your outdoor space a more meaningful purpose and make it a true extension of your homethink of it as your new (outdoor) room. Its about Destination Designbuild it and they will come. By creating spaces that people relate to, where they will want to spend time, they will automatically reconnect with nature and stay awhile...

The success of a garden depends entirely on how it makes people feel. Im passionate about creating what I call The Human Garden or people-pocketsspaces where people want to spend time. Great gardens are not just about grand gesturestheyre about the details that turn an ornamental garden into a human space, encouraging people to interact with them by creating a sense of comfort, by architecturally inviting or even seducing people into the great outdoors. Creating human spaces comes down to making destinations that draw people outside. Its about intelligent, intuitive design that recognizes the way we interact socially, and the way we relax and unwind.

Here are some things to consider:

Conversation corners : Incorporate plenty of different seating nooks in your garden. When people are relaxed they spontaneously converse. Think about the purpose of each seat: do you want to have a quiet chat with a loved one? If so, an L-shape or even C-shape help conversation, since they encourage eye contact. Or do you want a daybed you can relax on? First consider how you want to use the garden, then design it around that.

Dual purpose : Im always looking for an opportunity to turn a retaining wall, a fence, or a corner into a seating area. If your garden bed edges are wide enough (between 12 to 16 inches), they automatically become a place to sit. If the change of level within the garden is around 11 to 20 inches, thats another opportunity to incorporate seating-width retaining walls, inviting people to stay awhile. Theres nothing like sitting in a sunken lounge area, surrounded by lush greenery.