How Does an Edible Landscape Help You Grow Food with Limited Space?

Learn to grow and conceal healthy food in whatever space you have available.

Have you heard of edible landscapes? This is a great way for society to grow organic food, in the limited space that’s available. In case you’re just now getting the memo, allow me to share some information on the subject.

The Issue of Healthy Food

The issue of having healthy food on a regular basis is growing more important each and every day. Once upon a time, the problem of getting good food to eat was something you worried about for other people. Not so much anymore.

The Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, UNICEF, the World Food Programme, and the World Health Organization, all got together and released a report called:

The State of Food Insecurity and Nutrition in the World 2020

The report indicated that the number of people affected by hunger in the world continues to increase.

And if you think for one moment this only affects underdeveloped countries in the world, you’re sadly mistaken. The national statistics are equally as frightening.

Another subject, relative to food growth, and ultimately food consumption, is the the current environmental issues the world is faced with.

The problems stemming from climate change and the affects of global warming, have an impact on the environment, in more ways then one. So much is going on, even the organic food purchases we make are questionable.

This past decade alone, we’ve seen everything from droughts and wildfires, to melting glaciers and extreme temperatures in unusual places. All of these conditions have a long term, and sometimes an immediate affect on our food and everything we use to grow our food.

To add to the problems already mentioned, the environment is also contaminated with a flood of chemicals and toxins that we have to be concerned about.

Is it any wonder why having the ability to grow food, even though your space maybe limited, could one day become a necessity, rather than an extracurricular activity?

But what if your space is extremely limited? We’re living during a time when the fight for space and the need to occupy it is literally becoming a matter of life and death.

Lack of Space for Homeless Individuals

If you think the statement about space becoming life or death is an exaggeration, you might want to think again.

One out of many examples are the heated disputes in Los Angeles County, over the conversations surrounding the homeless.

Just recently, a new ordinance was enacted; one that some citizens believe criminalizes homelessness. Many critics question the inhumane decision to make it unlawful to merely occupy space.

In reality; space literally amounts to a person’s right to exist.

Regardless of who or where you are on this planet; you’re somewhere occupying space. It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting, standing, lying down, or doing something in between, you’re still occupying space.

This begs the question: Should any among us really have the right to deny another individual such a basic and necessary activity, as simply existing?

The new law prohibits ‘sitting, lying, or sleeping’ near streets, bridges, and schools. In other words, no taking up space.

During a news broadcast, one man was asked about this serious issue. The formerly homeless man made a valid point when he emphasized how the ordinance told people where they could not sleep, yet it did nothing to explain where they could sleep.

One city councilman by the name of Mike Bonin was one of the only two councilman who voted against the ordinance. He told reporters:

“That’s what it comes down to for me … where can people go, where can people sleep when they do not have an alternative…”

The county has until mid September (2021) before the law goes into effect. For all intentional purposes, they appear to be creating a new homeless crisis as a solution to the current one.

The answer to where these people will go is no doubt the same answer to where the countless thousands who will soon be joining them are going.

When the federal eviction moratorium is lifted at the end of this year, even more individuals and families will be out on the streets, and without their own space.

From the looks of things, this entire situation is a boiling pot, ready to spill over, possibly into our very neighborhoods, which means the issue of space, or lack of it, is an ever growing one.

And when space is limited, and people start to live on top of one another, things get crazy, hostile, and even violent.

The Value of a Concealed Garden

Do the situations cited above automatically mean we’re on the verge of world collapse? Is humankind soon to be in a fight to the death, against anyone who would jeopardize the space we call our own?

Maybe it’s not that serious, at least not yet, but in the meantime, we might want to start waking up to some realistic facts about our overall food source.

It’s time to consider how much we want to continue to rely on others to supply us with nutritious food for a sustainable period. Maybe more of us need to start growing our own. It’s possible with an edible landscape, even when space is limited.

Many plants and flowers that your edible garden can contain, are able to be be concealed.

There is a very real probability that the thoughtless inaction and inability to solve the homeless crisis will erupt into something ugly. Things could very well get completely out of hand.

It might even result in residential neighborhoods being overrun by people with no where else to go. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to understand that this will mean less space for everyone.

Although it’s a sad thought and inexcusable consequence; it is definitely in the realm of possibility. With all this in mind, doesn’t the creation of an edible landscape start to sound more and more appealing?

Who can deny the value of having a concealed garden, especially under the potentially volatile circumstances we could be facing.

About Edible Landscaping

Edible landscapes are a popular trend right now, and they’re catching on for all the right reasons. People who care about climate change and protecting the environment are finding ways to go green again.

Growing Space Saving Plants

As was already mentioned, a big advantage of creating an edible landscape is having a garden that doesn’t require a lot of space. This is accomplished, primarily because edible gardens often consist of space saving plants like carrots, potatoes, raddishs, etc.

Final Thoughts

The direction that the world is currently headed in has given many people cause for pause.

Some are pondering and considering the fate of the environment, thanks to so many negative affects of global warming.

Others are dealing with societal problems that stem from poverty and discrimination, that may ultimately result in a literal fight for individual space.

One thing that is certain. If things ever literally came down to a fight for space, an edible garden would provide lots of advantages, including:

• Control over source of food
• Use of limited space
• Attractive landscape
• Annual savings
• Food-bearing plants that are concealed from possibility of theft

These reasons alone, are enough to start seriously thinking about planning to grow an edible landscape, in whatever space you currently have available.

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