Landscape: 1: A picture representing a view of natural scenery; 2: the surface of the earth; 3: a portion of land or territory that the eye can comprehend in a single view including all the objects to be seen; 4: to improve a landscape by gardening

What is Edible Landscaping?

Edible landscapes are simultaneously beautiful, healing, and most importantly for you and your neighbors, delicious!  At BB, we use principles and practices from biointensive gardening, permaculture, organic gardening, and urban farming to create diverse, productive, and lower-maintenance residential, neighborhood, and community gardens.  We do this in a way that meets real human needs at an affordable price.

“My currants bore fruit this year and I just wanted to tell you how beautiful the fruit was and how much joy it gave me.  They glistened like rubies in the sun.  And I actually would have been happy just to leave them hanging there for the birds.  They were beautifully decorative.  We were very satisfied.  I look forward to next year when there is even more!” CC-CREEDMOOR

"I can honestly say that this garden was the best investment of money I've ever made.  Not only have all aspects of our health improved, but it's also been a constant source of inspiration and conversation with our neighbors, some of whom we didn't know we had." CR--CARY 

“Boy, do we have lettuce--it's fantastic! And turnips, and beets, radishes, and some carrots, parsnips and even zucchini and tomatoes getting started... It's a dream. :)”, KATIE, DURHAM

How Do I Get Involved?

Normally we start the process with a consultation where we assess the site, be it a residential, school, or community garden.  Whether its 200 sq. ft. patio or 3 acres, we’ll walk the site together measuring sunlight, slope, storm water flow, potential plantings as well as the other potential and limitations of the site.  Then, we can create a design together and send along an estimate for the necessary materials and labor.  Many of our clients choose to work along side us during the installation, which is a great way to get a hands on learning experience that will build your skills in the garden.  We also work with people in phases and design work plans for them to accomplish the work themselves or with their community.

“To all, we love the garden and plants.  It is just what we envisioned.  Give everyone our thanks.” PF-PARKWOOD

“Dear wonderful people, I do love the garden, even though I am still hard at work. Probably in 20 years I'll still be saying the same thing.  Thanks so much for buying me years of time and beauty to boot, I’m loving every minute of it.”  NP-Chapel Hill

We are harvesting tons of squash and zucchini and cucumbers. We eat from the garden almost every night and we are really enjoying the fresh herbs on everything, and the flowers and blueberries look great. Our quality of life has improved 3 fold thanks to you!” AG-Efland

99% of Human History
In most other parts of the world, and for most  of human history including the present, edible landscapes did not even exist as a concept it was just a normal part of life.  Chinampas gardens in the Aztec era fed all of the capitol city's residents within a 10 mile radius; in Peru, 'vertical archipelagos' created a diet with far more diversity than we have today across a 300 mile area; present day examples in Detroit, New York City, across the West Coast and the country are creating a powerful movement of people reclaiming their local food systems.  If everyone grows what they can, there can be a surplus that helps make homes, neighborhoods, and communities more resilient and interdependent.  Our goal is to make gardening an enjoyable, aesthetically pleasing, educational, and rewarding activity for everyone.

Gardens vs. Grass

1. Americans spend $30 billion every year to maintain 23 million acres of lawn. That's an average of $1200 per acre, per year. The same sized area could still provide a beautiful space for recreation and feed a family of six if converted to edible landscaping as opposed to traditional landscaping.

2. The food you grow in your garden is infinitely fresher, tastier and nutritionally superior to store - bought foods that travel an average of 1,500 miles to your table.

3. The bounty you obtain will allow you to share the unique gift of homegrown, gourmet - quality fruits and vegetables with your friends and neighbors.

3. You will lessen your dependance on the intolerably wasteful factory - farm megacorporations that despoil our environment to produce carcinogenic "nourishment".

4. You can eliminate the need to maintain an unnatural and energy - intensive lawn and transfer that time and energy to build something that is both functional and beautiful - your edible landscape.

5. The simple act of gardening improves all aspects of health - physical, emotional, spiritual and social - to enable us to build strong bodies, strong families and strong communities.

6) You will have the ability to teach your children, friends and neighbors how they too can drastically improve their health and quality of life through gardening.

7) Instead of merely protesting the negative actions of others which all of us get wrapped up in at times, you can make a direct positive impact on the vitality of your home, and therefore community, and therefore our world in general.

8) Gardening is unbelievably educational - you will learn more about biology, chemistry, meteorology and countless other life sciences and their interaction with each other as you cultivate your nourishing garden.

9) Kids just can't get enough time in the garden! Rather than having your children dull their minds with video games, television and the internet, they can be getting a real hands - on education, develop a positive work ethic, and get a great workout to boot.

10) You will be giving a gift back to nature - providing habitat for native birds and beneficial insects as well as stopping the harmful input of petrochemicals - and she will return the favor in abundance with delicious food as opposed to useless grass!

"All events are linked up in this best of all possible worlds; for if you had not been expelled from the noble castle by hard kicks in your backside for love of the Mademoiselle, if you had not been clapped in to the Inquisition, if you had not wandered about America on foot, if you had not stuck your sword in the Baron, if you had not lost all your sheep from the land of Eldorado, you would not be eating candied citrons and pistachios here.' "Tis well said," replied Candide, "but we must cultivate our gardens."

Voltaire, 'Candide'