Suburban vegetable gardens could spruce up your lawn and help cut down your grocery bill

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A garden of herbs can be made into a lawn landscape feature.

Credit: University of Georgia CAES

If you’re looking to reduce your grocery bill, you might be surprised to learn what produce you can grow in the suburbs.

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Plants such as kale are featured in an "edible landscape" using food-producing plants in place of the usual yard shrubs or grass.

Credit: University of Georgia CAES

Mid-July marks planting season for some produce like tomatoes and okra that could spruce up a plain suburban lawn.

Heather Kirk-Ballard is the Sustainable Urban Landscapes Extension Specialist at the University of Georgia, she’s a proponent of "edible landscaping," the practice of working food-producing plants into ornamental gardening.

“Corn, tomatoes, okra, cucumbers, certain summer squashes you can grow, broccoli, cabbage, all of our greens such as kales and mustard greens, and some of those have a lot of color in ‘em, like Swiss chard.”

Kirk-Ballard notes that when you grow your own produce, it's important to understand what pesticides you're using. Some chemicals that are safe for ornamental plants are not safe for edibles.

What you're able to grow will vary region to region in Georgia. Before you plant, take a look at U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness maps for more information.

Kirk-Ballard says after you check any local landscaping rules, talk to your local extension specialist about what will grow in your area and when to plant it.