ONE
If you would prefer to have your garden in your front yard, check with the local zoning office to determine if your city has restrictions on the type of plants and size of gardens allowed in the front yard. If you live in a neighborhood with a homeowner's association, contact the group to determine if they have restrictions on landscaping in the front yard. Plan your front yard vegetable garden complying with any such restrictions.
TWO
Remove the grass in the front lawn by either digging up the sod with a spade or using the sheet mulching method in the fall. For sheet mulching, cover the mowed and irrigated area with pieces of thick cardboard or a layer 10 or more sheets thick of newspaper. Moisten the paper before covering it with compost and mulch. Leave the covering all winter so the material breaks down and the grass dies out.
THREE
Plan the layout of the garden with aesthetics in mind. Use a similar arrangement used for ornamental plants, with taller vegetables in the back and shorter vegetables in front.
FOUR
Plant the most attractive vegetable plants around the edges of the garden where they are visible. Choose plants like leaf lettuce, artichokes, kale and herbs like basil and lavender for the borders. Hide vegetables like potatoes or onions that are less attractive further inside the yard.
FIVE
Border the visible edges of the vegetable garden with flowers or shrubs that make the garden look attractive from the street and neighboring homes but don't block the sunlight to your vegetables.
SIX
Build pathways around and through the yard vegetable garden to provide access for harvesting. Use decorative stepping stones or pavers to create visually appealing paths.
SEVEN
Install decorative trellises or arbors near vining vegetables like squash or peas, to provide support while adding attractive decoration to the front yard.
THINGS YOU WILL NEED
- Spade
- Cardboard
- Newspaper
- Compost
- Mulch
TIPS
- Raised planting beds create an organized look that works well for the front yard. The wooden beds keep the vegetables contained so the front yard looks tidy.
- A decorative wooden or wrought iron fence around the front yard creates a visual border for the garden and partially hides the vegetable plants so neighbors won't find the front yard unattractive. Check on ordinances and rules about fencing in the front of your property.
- If you have a large front yard, start by converting only part of the lawn to a vegetable garden to keep the vegetable garden a manageable size so you can handle all of the maintenance.