Edible Landscaping — Fruit and Herb Pairings for Small Spaces

Dear friend,

Late June always brings with it a certain richness—the air seems heavier with scent, the garden fuller with color, and the kitchen counters slowly start to crowd with bowls of fresh produce. Tomatoes ripening on the vine, the first flush of blueberries, a handful of basil brought in with dinner—it’s a season that satisfies the senses.

And while many gardeners dream of sprawling rows of vegetables or an orchard of heirloom apples, the truth is, you don’t need much room at all to grow something meaningful. In fact, some of the most beautiful and productive gardens I’ve seen were squeezed into corners, tucked along fences, or spilling from containers perched on patios.

That’s the beauty of edible landscaping—a practice that weaves fruits, herbs, and edible flowers right into the garden beds, pots, and borders we’re already tending. It’s gardening for both flavor and form.

If you’ve only got a small yard or a sunny balcony, edible landscaping gives you the chance to harvest ingredients for dinner without sacrificing beauty. It invites you to look at your space a little differently—not just as a place to grow, but a place to nourish.

Let’s begin with one of the most beloved—and easiest to grow—edible shrubs in the Southern mountains: blueberries.

These are garden workhorses with a gentle spirit. Come spring, they cover themselves in delicate white, bell-shaped flowers that feed early pollinators. In early summer, they offer handfuls of berries so sweet you’ll be tempted to eat them right off the bush. And in fall, their foliage turns a rich crimson that lights up the landscape.

For small spaces, dwarf or semi-dwarf blueberry cultivars like ‘Top Hat’ or ‘Jelly Bean’ do wonderfully in containers or as low hedges in the landscape. They prefer acidic soil and good drainage, so I mix in pine bark fines and peat-free compost and top with a pine needle mulch when planting. Around the base, I like to plant thyme or oregano—both drought-tolerant herbs that enjoy the same lean soil and make a beautiful living mulch.

Herbs like thyme and oregano are more than just culinary companions—they also help suppress weeds and create a gentle visual transition from soil to foliage. Plus, they offer their own subtle fragrance as you brush past.

For those with a bit more space, columnar apple trees are a smart choice. These upright cultivars, like ‘Northpole’ or ‘Golden Sentinel,’ grow more like living spires than wide-spreading trees. You can tuck one into the corner of a patio or anchor a small garden bed with its clean lines and changing seasonal interest.

Apple blossoms in spring are a gift in themselves, and the fruit that follows is an added delight. Underplanting these trees with chives, garlic, or onion sets isn’t just practical—it’s beautiful. Their grassy leaves create a tidy skirt around the base of the tree, and their scent can help deter aphids and other pests.

A friend of mine in West Asheville swears by this trick—she tucks chives in around the base of her potted dwarf apple trees, then lets nasturtiums tumble out of the pot. The result is a lush, cascading display that feeds bees, butterflies, and humans all at once.

Speaking of nasturtiums, they’re one of my favorite edible annuals for containers or border edges. Their bright, cheerful flowers are edible—peppery and perfect on a salad—and the round leaves look like lily pads bobbing in the wind. They thrive in poor soil and love full sun.

If space is tight and you’re looking for a compact fruit with big personality, look no further than strawberries.

Strawberries lend themselves beautifully to small-space gardening. Whether you grow them in hanging baskets, stacked planters, or “strawberry towers” made from stacked pots or PVC columns, they’ll spill and sprawl in the most charming way.

I tend to favor everbearing varieties like ‘Seascape’ or ‘Albion’ because they provide fruit in waves throughout the season. They do best in full sun and slightly acidic soil. If you’ve only got a sunny railing or porch step, one good-sized pot can give you berries for weeks.

Around the strawberries, I like to tuck in lemon balm, borage, or even a few leaves of mint (in containers only, unless you want to be digging mint out forever). These herbs attract pollinators and lend a refreshing lift to iced tea or summer fruit salad.

For a more vertical element in your edible landscape, fig trees offer dramatic foliage and sweet fruit, and many cultivars stay small enough for containers. Look for varieties like ‘Petite Negra’ or ‘Little Miss Figgy,’ which max out at around 4–6 feet. Nestle herbs like basil, rosemary, or parsley around their roots for a Mediterranean-inspired container that’s both delicious and drought-resilient.

Let’s talk a bit more about herbs. I always encourage folks to treat herbs as ornamental plants in their own right.

Purple basil brings dramatic dark foliage to containers and garden beds, and it’s as tasty as it is eye-catching. Sage adds a velvety, silvery green that pairs beautifully with flowering perennials. Tarragon has a fine texture that makes it a great contrast to broader leaves. And rosemary, with its evergreen needles, makes a striking upright accent.

You can also create mixed containers by pairing herbs with edible flowers. Think of a patio pot with cherry tomatoes climbing up a trellis, basil filling in the middle, and calendula or violas edging the sides. Every layer offers something to see—and something to harvest.

For those who love tea, try a combination of lemon verbena, chamomile, and mint in a wide, shallow planter. Each offers fragrance, gentle flowers, and flavor, and together they make for a calming corner of the garden.

Now, as with all container gardens, maintenance is key. Fruiting plants, in particular, are thirsty when they’re setting and ripening fruit. Water deeply and consistently. I like to check my pots in the morning, especially during a dry stretch, and water again in the evening if they’re starting to flag.

Use a high-quality potting mix with good drainage, and amend it with compost or worm castings when possible. Topping containers with straw mulch, pine needles, or even cocoa hulls helps retain moisture and gives a finished look.

Fertilizing is also important—especially for heavy feeders like tomatoes or blueberries in pots. I prefer a gentle, organic liquid fertilizer every two weeks during the growing season. Something like fish emulsion or seaweed extract works well and supports both foliage and fruit.

Pest control in small edible gardens doesn’t need to be aggressive. If you notice aphids or whiteflies, start with a strong spray of water. If that doesn’t work, mix a bit of mild castile soap with water and apply it in the early morning or evening. Keep an eye out for signs of fungal disease—particularly in densely planted pots—and make sure your plants have good airflow and aren’t sitting in soggy soil.

Edible landscaping, at its heart, is about blending beauty with function. It’s about stepping outside in the morning to water your herbs and noticing a ripening fig. It’s clipping some rosemary on your way to cook dinner. It’s watching bees work your thyme flowers while you sit with a cup of mint tea.

It’s a different kind of abundance—one that doesn’t require acres of space or rows of tilled ground. It just takes a bit of thought, a sunny patch, and the willingness to share your landscape with the plants that feed you.

One of my favorite things to do this time of year is to visit a friend’s garden where she’s blended ornamental grasses with figs, blueberries with coreopsis, basil with zinnias. Everything is spilling over, mingling in a joyful kind of chaos. There’s structure, yes, but also a wild generosity to it. You bend down to weed and end up snacking on strawberries. You plant chives as a border and watch the bees dance from flower to flower.

So, if you’re staring at your tiny patio, wondering what to do with it—start with one pot. Add a dwarf blueberry. Underplant with thyme. Maybe tuck in some viola or nasturtium. Water, watch, and wait.

You’ll be surprised how quickly that one pot becomes a habit. A handful of basil. A bowl of berries. A garden that feeds you in more ways than one.

Happy harvesting,
Logan

P.S. Want help designing your own edible oasis—even in a small space? We’d love to help. Visit Unicorn Farm Nursery & Landscaping to schedule a consultation. Let’s build a garden you can taste.