Tired Of Mowing Your Lawn? Try Foodscaping It Instead

Edible landscaping isn’t for everyone. But close to a third of American households now do some kind of food gardening, even if they’re not willing to sacrifice their entire lawn. And some folks are turning to professionals to plant their food.

“Those who can afford to hire a landscape contractor and have the truck and crew, they’re seeing it as being a cool thing to do,” says Bruce Butterfield, researcher for the National Gardening Association.

Even nursing homes and hotels have been asking their landscapers to mix in more edible greens. One of the nation’s largest landscaping companies, The Brickman Group, reports an uptick in request for herbs and vegetables.

For single-family homes, practical planting usually increases during a recession, Butterfield says. It’s significant, though, that the millions who’ve gotten into food gardening don’t appear to be getting out. That’s what historically happens when the economy begins to come back.

“I think it’s fundamentally different this time,” Butterfield says. It’s gotten trendy to grow your own food, he says.

Source: NPR