Produce is the end all, be all, for many yardeners. The rest of the yard is sacrificed to the community for the purpose of conformity to a common aesthetic. But the produce in the backyard is for purely selfish purposes, whether they be subsistence, nostalgia, culinary delight, or creativity. Most produce is about what we like.
My purpose is a little bit of all of those. Now, granted, I care very little for conforming to a neighborhood aesthetic, which you will see if you look at any of my blog posts. (It’s possible some of that little bit of care is enabled by a lot of praise from said community. Well, eventually. Not everyone saw my vision from the start when I was tearing up the yard. 🫣) And, many food gardeners can accomplish a beautiful garden through plan and design.
However, I think most food gardeners are more willy-nilly about it. They put the plants in as they are acquired and then are planted in the space that is currently available. (I see you). This is not an all around horrible way of doing things. After years of using this method (mostly), I now employ a more intentional approach. Granted, my kids are grown. There’s more room in my brain for planning gardens, or anything else for that matter. Meh. We all do what we can. But as in all things, “know better, do better.”
Intentionality in the garden pays off. If you don’t have time or brain space to try new things to learn from, poke around on my website for information you can absorb and potentially use.
Yardening 