Distance/buffer between a new edible hedge and curb/street?

13 years ago

I'm new to these forums and have surfed existing posts before deciding to post here. I'm a first-time homeowner and have been in my 1950's ranch-style semi-urban home for little more than a year now. I've watched the sun/shade dance slowly across my property over the past year and now have some DIY ideas with the goal of building a functional, edible landscape with great curb appeal.

First, about my "canvas." My house faces north. Most of my south-facing land is shaded by tall trees, but my front yard is large enough such that there is an area of dependable full sun, the ~5 feet closest to the street. The front curb of my property is quite long, so I have a fairly long strip to work with for a hedge. There is no sidewalk. My small no-outlet subdivision only gets neighborhood traffic, but there are the weekly garbage pickups, delivery trucks, etc.

I would like to build a curbside hedge, ideally blueberry bushes (for year-round interest) mixed with appropriate companion plants. I envision a curved landscape with a specimen fruit tree (thinking persimmon) at one end to balance the asymmetry of my driveway on the other end. I would also like to plant mushrooms (wine caps) on woodchips beneath the hedge for both food and bioremediation/soil building.

However, I am concerned about the proximity of edible plants to the street.

- Distance. How far away should I plant edibles from the road? I don't plan on planting veggies there, but I assume fruit trees and berry bushes are hardier than veggies. I may be wrong.

- Buffer. Would it help to plant "buffer" plants between the blueberry hedge and street? For instance, low ground covers or taller/denser plants like daylilies? Perennials would make more sense to me.

- Pollution. I don't know how bad the pollutants would be, but would the blueberry fruits absorb pollutants, or would the pollutants just coat and wash off? Is it worth doing soil tests for heavy metals, etc.? Can anyone reference empirical evidence to dispel paranoia? I've read some opinion that regardless, these edibles would be better than what we buy in stores.

I welcome any feedback and all ideas for the hedge or other ways to build an appealing and functional edible landscape.

Thanks!

Peachy Green

Featured Answer

fabaceae_native

13 years ago

Hey, great post!
You obviously have really thought this one out.

I can't site empirical evidence, but I would not be at all worried about pollution from the street in your residential area. When I lived in Japan I was impressed at how well they mixed agriculture with urban landscapes, and couldn't help but wish we were better at that in the US.

Next to a six-lane highway might be one thing of course, but here in the Southwest for example people get permits to cut curbs, allowing road runoff to irrigate their fruit trees growing in the right-of-way.

I have to admit that in northern climates salting of the roads could severely impact your plants, but you don't have to worry about that.

I bet the physical impacts of the roadside, such as trash blowing around, pedestrians picking the fruit, kids on bicycles, might end up being more annoying than the chemical or cultural impacts of that area. Maybe your border/buffer could help limit some of those?

Good luck...

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Comments (10)

jean001a
13 years ago
I would be most concerned about the free curb market you've created, also the curbside shoppers.
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nanokitty
13 years ago
Maybe plant some super thorny plants as a buffer to keep curbside browsers at bay. Some gooseberries make pretty sharp hedges.
Kevin Reilly
13 years ago
If you plant enough blueberries I don't see how curbside browsers would be a problem. Great way to get people interested in growing their own food as well. Some fruit can be so prolific that you can't find enough people to give it away to. Good luck with your planting....
peachygreen
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the feedback! I did not think that the greatest "threat" to my hedge would be people! My neighborhood, given the lack of through traffic, does have a lot of walkers, so thanks for pointing that out.

I don't mind sharing a bit (yet) since this will be the largest gardening project I've ever taken on, and I just want the plants to survive! I think it would be a great conversation starter too as I don't think edible landscaping has really taken off in my neighborhood.

Excited to get started!
jean001a
13 years ago
Rather than day walkers, it's the night-time harvesters who are the potential threat.
ottawan_z5a
13 years ago
Here is what I have in my front yard in Zone 5 but I would not call it a hedge though.
I have a 6ft wide and some 30 ft long bed in my front yard which is about 16 ft away from the road side (no foot path). I have an ornamental buffer of hosta plants on the road side and potted raspberry plants on the house side of the bed. The raspberry pots are half buried in soil and enjoy the Ottawa harsh winter every year with plenty of raspberries in summer. I have 12 pots and about 10 different varieties of raspberries. They are in pots to contain the suckers from spreading out. I have fruiting weeping mulberry plant on each side of the 30 ft long bed. Works great.
I had extra-ordinary failure with blueberries in the last 4 years in another bed, slow growth or none and not a single blueberry fruit yet. I have now left the blueberries unattended waiting for a natural miracle (before I decide to dig them out).
peachygreen
Original Author
13 years ago
@ottawan_z5a, thanks for your input. I'm still very open to what my "hedge" will look like and contain, and I'm scouring these forums for ideas.

I love hostas, and think that would make for great border plants. The previous homeowners planted them scattered around the property, one here, one there, different varieties too. Looks like a hodgepodge connect-the-dot, which is pretty much what the rest of the garden currently looks like. I'm hoping this hedge plan will bring some unity to the landscape!

@fabaceae_native, BTW, I also lived in Japan for some time, but in the countryside where the air was soooo clean. I'm glad that you witnessed urban edible gardening firsthand to tell the story. Thanks!
sharppa
13 years ago
Just keep in mind that birds LOVE blueberries so you might end up having to net them to get any harvest. I'm not sure if that is the look you want for right on the curb.

It was dry here last year right when the blueberries were ripening and the robins were just going crazy sneaking into my netting. My dog ended up getting two of them because they got trapped and couldn't get out quick enough.
peachygreen
Original Author
13 years ago
@sharppa, thanks for the warning. I don't know how bad netting look, but I'm hoping to put some distance between the curb and berries, so maybe it wouldn'be so noticeable? Maybe some taller border plants might help. Wouldn't be all year anyway, right?

Sporting the Spiderman look...

Distance/buffer between a new edible hedge and curb/street?

fabaceae_native

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