Who would have thought that growing food could be so controversial? Yet in many regions, front-yard vegetable gardeners have been met with opposition by their neighbors and municipalities over their right to tear up grass and replace it with edible plants. In her plan, Shawna Coronado sides with the food, demonstrating that a vegetable garden can be pleasing to the eye and the palate.
Traditionally the front yard has been reserved for grass, but with the increased interest in green living, more homeowners are putting their front yards into food production. For Shawna, necessity was the major motivation. She wanted to grow vegetables, but “the only sunny spot was the front lawn, so my solution was to rip out all the grass and plant sun-loving vegetables,” she says.
Because the garden would be so open to the neighborhood, Shawna wanted it to be both beautiful and edible. As she laid out the curved pathway and shaped the large garden bed, she realized it resembled a setting sun. “When I imagined the sun, it was only a quick jump to realize I might build the vegetable beds into a sunburst shape,” she says.
Creating rays of beautiful color. Using ornamental vegetables such as ‘Bright Lights’ Swiss chard or ‘Bull’s Blood’ beets, she created swaths of color and texture for each “ray.” By using a different shade of green or burgundy in every other row, she made the rays more pronounced and attractive. In fact, Shawna says that most people who walk by the garden don’t even realize that most of the plants are vegetables.
A simple approach. Shawna insists that “this is a creative solution that anyone can create around a patio garden.” To create the straight lines that define each ray, Shawna used thin rope fastened onto wooden stakes. Within each roped section, she planted edibles or perennials, depending on the amount of light that part of the garden received. In the shadiest section of the garden, she planted rays of low-light ornamentals such as hostas and heucheras. In the brighter sun, she began to lay out the vegetable ray rows.
In the first vegetable ray, she chose a decorative vegetable such as ‘Bright Lights’ Swiss chard; ‘Premium Crop’ broccoli; ‘Bull’s Blood’ beets; or red, white, and yellow onion sets. The second vegetable ray features hybrid cabbage seedlings, the third ‘Yummy Snacking’ sweet peppers, the fourth pineapple sage plants (ornamental), and the final vegetable ray in the garden holds Brussels sprouts. Gardeners lucky enough to have full sun can use edible plants for the full sunburst design, including favorites such as tomatoes, peppers, bush beans, and basil.
Deterring rabbits. To help repel the local bunny population, which devastated her vegetables in the first season, Shawna surrounded the sunburst garden with marigolds. “The secret is to get the old-fashioned ‘smelly’ varieties,” she advises, since the rabbits shy away from the scent. Try ‘Dwarf French’, ‘Queen Sophia’, or ‘Brocade Mix’.
Beating the heat. As summers in Chicago have grown longer, hotter, and drier, Shawna has turned to a few “secret weapons” to ensure her garden stays lush and healthy all summer long, such as 1 to 2 inches of mulch (leaves and chipped wood) and a dedicated watering program. She also takes care of the soil by adding compost and composted manure as well as soil additives like worm castings and organic fertilizers, all without tilling. “Strong soil means strong microbes for the plants to interact with and more water holding capacity,” she says. “By strengthening the soil you strengthen the plant. Think of it as vitamins to help your organic vegetables grow to their very strongest.”
Beautifying the neighborhood. Growing food in the front yard has gotten many gardeners in trouble, since many towns prohibit the planting of edibles in such a highly visible location. Luckily for Shawna, her community has been extremely supportive, and her front-yard garden has been a rewarding experience for both her and her neighbors. “Fortunately, my neighbors know I’m the ‘crazy garden lady’ and have supported me wholeheartedly from the very beginning,” she says. “My gardens beautify the community, improve our home values, help feed the community, and make a difference for my neighbors,” she adds.
1. ‘Rozanne’ and ‘Biokovo karmina’ perennial geraniums
2. ‘Dolce Blackcurrant’ heuchera
3a–c ‘Patriot’, ‘Gold Standard’, ‘Halcyon’, ‘August Moon’, or ‘Guacamole’ hostas
4. ‘Bright Lights’ Swiss chard
5. ‘Premium Crop’ broccoli
6. ‘Bull’s Blood’ beets
7. Hybrid cabbage
8. ‘Yummy Snacking’ sweet peppers
9. Pineapple sage
10. Brussels sprouts
11. Marigolds
12. Bench