It’s that time of year again.  Spring is in the air, and so are the smells of sticky barbecued ribs and fresh grilled asparagus.

You may have already jumped onto one of the latest trends in home landscaping – outdoor kitchens that include every appliance needed to produce a full meal without even walking inside.

What’s also trendy now is growing the food to cook in those kitchens.

No, no, no – I’m not talking renting a tiller and digging up a rectangle in your front yard for the corn crop (although you could if you want to – and if the neighborhood association will let you).
With a few simple tips, you can sneak kitchen delicacies into your landscape and raise the most local of local food without converting your backyard into a full-fledged organic farm.

If you’re not exactly known for having a green thumb, try starting with something simple.  Herbs are known for being the easiest plants to grow and they look great in the landscape – just place them in containers with good drainage and plenty of sunlight and watch them grow.  They also do well planted right in the ground.

Snipping rosemary, oregano and basil from your container plantings as you prepare dinner adds more than fresh flavors to your favorite dishes – it adds class.
Plant a few veggies among your perennials and annuals, trying to select locations that will provide opportunities for color contrast with the floral blooms.  For example, consider a bright red cherry tomato plant that pops next to a bed of white knockout roses.

Then throw in a plant that produces tomatoes big enough to slice – you don’t even have to use a classic tomato cage – try a 4×4 post with a finial or strong, ornamental, metal support to hold up the tomato plant.  Be sure to put it in a convenient spot so you can easily get to it at harvest time. Sun and air flow are also important, so it can’t be tucked behind mature shrubs. And don’t forget green peppers, which are attractive, glossy green plants that fit well into a landscape.

The gardening industry has been working hard to create vegetables that are colorful, interesting and flavorful that grow well in containers.  There are many vegetables available as both plant and seeds that are bred to produce in containers and other small spaces.  Visit your local nursery or Renee’s Garden (www.reneesgarden.com) for inspiration.

Look beyond the typical summer season to grow fresh vegetables. Cool season crops can keep the ground productive in spring and fall. Early spring is the prime time to grow radishes and turnips. A few asparagus plants can provide yummy snacks for the grill in the spring, then tall, ferny foliage in the perennial border throughout the summer.

A tomato plant can provide a wonderful, flavorful summer harvest, but if you plant blueberries you can have an annual harvest for years. Blueberries have it all – delicate spring blooms and colorful fall foliage on a native plant that produces tasty fruit full of antioxidants and vitamins. Try planting three mid-size blueberry shrubs of different varieties to reap the most bountiful harvest. But if you don’t have space, there are many varieties of patio blueberries available now. There are blueberry bushes that stay under 3 feet tall and produce plenty of berries from a single plant.  A variety called ‘Blue Suede’ was bred in the South to produce lots of berries over an extended season and grows well in a container on a patio or deck.

And of course, if you decide to tuck a few edibles into your landscape, try to avoid chemicals in your garden.

OK, rosemary on your chicken and basil on your tomatoes are impressive. Why not also try lavender to flavor your sugar cookies, edible flowers to decorate your plate and redbud blooms tossed into a salad?  And check out homegrown herbal tea such as a $3 pack of hibiscus herbal tea seeds from Renee’s Garden.

Who says you can’t have your flowers and eat them too?