Beyond the Backyard: Top 25 Edible Plants
Expand your gardening horizons beyond the backyard with our curated selection of top plants for your front yard garden. Discover how vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers can not only beautify but also serve a practical purpose in your urban landscape. Whether you're looking to enhance curb appeal or create a sustainable oasis, these plants are perfect for creating an edible front yard that delights both the eye and the palate.
Burgundy Amaranth
1. Amaranth
Explore the vibrant hues and culinary versatility of amaranth, standing tall at 5 to 8 feet with stunning burgundy plumes. Enjoy its edible leaves and nutritious seeds, perfect for late summer dishes.
2. Artichokes
These perennial beauties, often treated as annuals, offer majestic blooms and edible chokes. Artichokes add a touch of elegance to any urban edible garden.
Blue Boy Bachelors Button
3. Bachelors Button
Adorn your front yard with the colorful blooms of Bachelors Button, available in pink, blue, purple, and black. Their mild-flavored petals are a delightful addition to salads.
4. Basil
Add fragrance and pollinator attraction with Basil, available in shades of green, purple, and red. This annual herb is a must for any front yard vegetable garden.
5. Beets
With their vibrant leaves and colorful roots, Beets are an earthy treat that thrive in front yard landscapes. Harvest both leaves and roots for a nutritious culinary experience.
6. Borage
Introduce Borage to your garden for its cucumber-flavored star-shaped flowers, available in blue, pink, and white. This annual herb is perfect for sustainable landscaping.
7. Swiss Chard
Enhance your front yard with the rainbow-colored leaves of Swiss Chard, perfect for both raw consumption and cooking. This leafy “green” adds visual appeal and nutritional value.
Common Chives
8. Chives
Chives bring a mild onion flavor to your front yard garden, complemented by edible purple blooms in spring and summer. These perennial herbs are a staple for edible front yards.
9. Eggplant
Display the colorful fruits of Eggplant in your front yard garden, featuring vibrant purple and striped varieties. This tender perennial enriches any urban edible garden with its ornamental foliage.
10. Fennel
Fennel's feathery leaves and aromatic bulbs make it a standout in any sustainable front yard landscape. Enjoy its yellow flowers in early summer, attracting beneficial pollinators.
11. Kale
Kale's nutrient-rich leaves, ranging from green to purple to red, thrive in urban edible gardens. This biennial annualizes beautifully in front yard vegetable garden designs.
12. Lemongrass
Add a citrus twist with Lemongrass, featuring grassy leaves that enhance both culinary and aesthetic appeal in your edible landscape.
13. Red Giant Mustard Greens
Highlight your front yard with the bold, crinkly leaves of Red Giant Mustard Greens, perfect for adding texture and color to your edible garden.
Alaska Mix Nasturtium
14. Nasturtium
Nasturtium's lily pad-shaped leaves and vibrant flowers in red, orange, and yellow bring cascading or climbing beauty to any front yard garden, perfect for urban spaces.
Clemson Okra
15. Okra
Celebrate summer with Okra's large, heart-shaped leaves and edible pods, available in various colors. This perennial favorite thrives in front yard vegetable gardens.
16. Oregano
Oregano's spade-shaped leaves and pink, white, or purple blooms add both flavor and charm to your front yard herb garden, ideal for ground cover or mounding displays.
Flat Leaf Parsley
17. Parsley
Parsley's bright green leaves and versatile culinary uses make it a must-have in any front yard vegetable garden, offering both aesthetic and nutritional benefits.
18. Peppers
Peppers come in a rainbow of colors and thrive in front yard landscapes, with bushy plants adding ornamental value alongside their edible fruits.
19. Rosemary
Rosemary's fragrant, needle-like leaves and lavender blooms bring Mediterranean charm to your front yard garden, ideal for both culinary and decorative purposes.
Pineapple Sage
Common, Golden, and Purple Sage
21. Sage
Sage's purple and green foliage, along with its vibrant flowers, offer texture and color diversity in your urban edible garden, available in various culinary varieties.
21. Shiso
Shiso's serrated leaves and lavender flower spikes add a touch of Asian culinary flair to your front yard edible landscape, perfect for beds or containers.
22. Sorrel
Sorrel's slender green leaves with red veins and purple buds thrive in urban landscapes, offering both visual interest and culinary versatility.
23. Snap Peas
Admire the vertical beauty of snap peas, showcasing lush foliage, vibrant flowers, and pods that elevate any front yard garden with their climbing tendrils.
24. Thyme
Thyme's ground cover or mounding growth, along with its aromatic leaves and delicate flowers, enriches your front yard herb garden with culinary delights.
Pink Grapefruit Yarrow
25. Yarrow
Yarrow's fern-like leaves and colorful flowers in shades of yellow, red, orange, and pink provide both beauty and pollinator attraction in sustainable front yard landscapes.
Transform your front yard into a thriving edible oasis with these top 25 plants, perfect for creating a sustainable and visually stunning urban edible garden. Whether you're starting small with containers or designing a full-scale front yard vegetable garden, these plants offer endless possibilities for your edible landscaping journey. Happy gardening!
Get essential tips for harvesting fresh herbs from your garden and learn the best methods for storing them, ensuring maximum flavor and freshness for both short and long-term use.