Page 14 RAIN November/December 1984 Golden Rules of ·Edible Landscaping by Robert Kourik Robert Kourik writes that the following rules are kernels of " truth " based on his years of experience as an edible landscaper. Post these rules on your garden ·wall! -TK - As simple as some of these golden rules seem, some are consistently ignored by gardeners. Th~se guidelines evolved over the past six years as I wrestled with designs for edible landscapes that can easily fit into our busy lives. . Each rule contains a hidden "R" factor-the "Reality" coefficient. This factor combines all of Murphy's Laws into one gigantic mathematical mess. Never underestimate the "R" factor in your garden, much less in life. As with any "rules," break these only if you are willing to face the consequences. Breaking rules can lead to creative breakthroughs, though. So be realistic-try to follow the rules, but if you can't, then have fun creating your own additions and refinements. (l)Enjoy your garden-If it's just drudgery, you're doing _something wrong. If your garden becomes drudgery, why bother? 'Do something else that is pleasurable instead. You wiH not starve. Plan to make it easy to relax, recline, and_ recreate in your edible landscape. , (2) You have a lot to do besides gardening-Don't let your edible landscape take you over. We all have jobs, families, friends, and other leisure pastimes. Gardening is great fun and therapy, but expect to let some areas of the edible landscape change or die. As your life changes, modify your garden to stiit it. (3) Be lazy-Let nature work for you. Learn how to use natural, biological processes to your advantage. Nature works 24 hours a day, and there are many ways to cooperate with nature to grow our food. (4) Turn limitations into virtues. Unshackle the restraints of your property to make your edible landscape pull together as a productive - environment. For example, a "weed" is often just a plant of whose beneficial properties we are ignorant. Th~re is always a place where any plant is helpful. Put plants in the right places to promote their best features. (5) Seek out the wisdom of your neighbors-Someone else might just know more than you do. Most neighborhoods still have the living heritage of older, lifelong gardeners.' They can give more good information about gardening in your locale than any book. (6) Your edible landscape is a community-A whole made up of individuals. The forest doesn't mourn the death of an individual tree. The role of a single plant is to serve the group as a whole. How the pieces, bugs, animals, ;md plants work together is the most important aspect of a healthy edible landscape. Respect the pieces, but work toward the betterment of the whole. (7) Time and money spent early means time and money saved later~ An extra buck spent now for a lower maintenance garden will save you many times that dollar each year, for years to come. ' (8) Plan in advance-Make your mistakes on paper, not in your garden. Paper mistakes are less costly than landscaping mistakes. Sketch out several options and take the time to consider each. Review, re-think, get second opinions, and re-do the plan. It can be·costly to be impatient. (9) Plan for the unexpected-Nature will be, in all probability, unpredictable. The climate is getting more, not less, erratic. Plan to have options for several extremes of weather if you do not like to gamble with the food you are growing. (10) Start ever so small. A 100-square-foot vegetable garden is the largest area for a,new gardener. Make this tiny plot picture perfect, then add on another 100 square feet each year until the Peter Principle is activated. That is, increase the area of the garden until you can no longer master it. (11) Learn the multiple uses of plants to double the benefits of your garden without doubling size or work. Many plants can serve more than one function. Some cool the house in the summer while ripening tasty fruits or nuts. Others have nutritious roots and leaves. Others kill pests and are edible. When possible, choose mostly those plants that have multiple benefits. (12) Plant your vegetables no further from the kitchen than you can throw the kitchen sink. There is a correlation between the distance to the kitchen and the demise of a vegetable garden. In almost literal terms, for everv foot farther from the kitchen sink, the garden get~ forgotten a week sooner. The most distant vegetable gardens return to weeds the soonest. Keep it edible, keep it fun. 0 d © 1983 Robert Ko11rik
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