“Foodscaping”: Edible Landscaping Ideas for Florida Businesses

If you’re looking to use your home or business as a way to build community and attract more pollinators, it’s time to consider foodscaping. Florida has a mild climate that’s perfect to host a type of “kitchen garden” all year long without draining your wallet or taking up too much time.

Benefits

Not only does foodscaping save you time and money, it brings you together with your community and promotes the natural attraction of pollinators, such as bees and butterflies. This creates a self-sufficient landscape, drawing in more wildlife and enhancing your property’s biodiversity. 

While building the initial edible landscape will cost time and money upfront, the money saved over time is significant. If your landscape is open to the public, such as in a community garden, it can bring an opportunity for friends and neighbors to get together, learn about gardening and nutrition, and spend valuable time getting to know one another.

 

Edibles to Consider Planting

While you’ll want to mix in some evergreen plants in your edible landscape to serve as ornamentals, the best and most aesthetically pleasing edible plants to grow include the following:

• Backyard edibles
  • Carrots
  • Onions
  • Melons
  • Squash
  • Cucumbers
  • Tomatoes

These edibles are considered the most pleasing due to their large leaves, colorful flowers, and compact form, according to experts at the University of Florida. 

• Front yard edibles (North/Central Florida)
  • Artichoke
  • Corn
  • Kale
  • Lettuce
  • Pepper
  • Sweet Bay
  • Chard
  • Basil
  • Sage
  • Eggplant
  • Blueberry
  • Lemongrass
  • Paddle cactus
  • Passionflower
  • Rosemary
  • Beans
  • Pineapple
  • Roselle
• Tropical edibles (Central/South Florida)
  • Coffee
  • Fig
  • Meyer lemon
  • Naranjilla
  • Orangeberry
  • Tree tomato
  • Yerba mate
  • Australian finger lime
  • Cinnamon
  • Rose apple
  • Sugarcane
  • Sunsquat
  • Banana
  • Avocado
  • Calamondin orange
  • Citrumelo
  • Kumquat
  • Malabar spinach

Ready to get started? Visit our Contact Us page to talk to a professional about edible landscaping today.