Vegetable gardening reinvented—and elevated—with the high-style approach of award-winning landscape designer Christian Douglas.

Growing food doesn't have to mean sacrificing style. In his debut book, award-winning landscape designer Christian Douglas showcases the myriad ways to use edibles to elevate the design of your outdoor spaces. Visit chef Tyler Florence's property, whose hillside is transformed into a three-tiered terraced bed filled with an abundance of produce year-round. A family's suburban plot that is a forager's paradise, with hidden edible treasures woven into each space and along every path. Plus gardens in small city backyards, edible plots carved into forests and meadows, even a rooftop vegetable garden.

But this is not merely a lookbook. By using his own lush garden in Marin County as a studio/classroom, Douglas introduces readers to the essential tools and techniques they need to successfully plant, grow, and harvest a bounty of vegetables, fruits, berries, and herbs. We learn how to evaluate the best lighting and soil conditions, choose plants that will thrive in our climate, and discover the designer's favorite edible swaps for common landscape plants (a persimmon instead of a dogwood, a fig instead of a maple, a hedge of rosemary instead of yew). The food-forward options are limitless.

Christian Douglas is a landscape designer and the founder of Christian Douglas Design, where he creates extraordinary culinary gardens for private clients, and the Backyard Farm Co., where he and his team of urban farmers teach homeowners around the world how to grow food. In 2020, Christian was awarded the California Home+Design Award for landscape design. He has a regular gardening column in Marin Living magazine and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, California Home+Design, and other major publications. Follow him on Instagram at @christian_douglas_design. 

Foreword by Tyler Florence
Introduction
The Principles of Food Forward Design
 

PART I: THE GARDENS

The Forager’s Garden 
Spotlight on: Water Features 
The Urban Garden 
Spotlight on: Container Gardens  
The Cottage Garden 
Spotlight on: Trellising 
The Chef’s Garden 
Spotlight on: Hillside Plantings 
The Mediterranean Garden 
Spotlight on: Raised Beds 
The Suburban Garden 
Spotlight on: Edible Swaps 
The Classical Garden 
Spotlight on: Multi-Use Spaces 
The Wild Garden 
Spotlight on: Local Edibles 
 

PART II: UNEXPECTED SITES FOR EDIBLES

The Edible Meadow 
The Edible Rooftop 
The Edible Woodland  
The Edible Front Yard
 

PART III: DESIGNING & GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD FORWARD GARDEN 000 

Design Guide 
            Laying out the Space 
            Creating a Plant “Palette” 
            Layering 
Gardening Guide 
            Sunlight 
            Determining Your Climate 
            Seasons in the Vegetable Garden 
            Healthy Soil 
            Irrigation 
            Troubleshooting Plant Problems 
            Crop Planning 
            Setting Up Your Work Zones 
                        Mise en Place 
                        Essential Tools & Equipment 
                        Potting Bench 
Pro Tips for Planting Edibles 
Harvesting
 
PART IV: SIXTY TRIED-AND-TRUE EDIBLES
Herbs
Aromatics
Edible Flowers
Pollinator Species
Fruit Trees
Fruiting Vines
Annual Vegetables
Berries

Plant Index

Resources

Acknowledgments

Index