Edible Edges

With so much of our effort focused on what’s growing in the garden, it’s easy to forget what’s going on at the edges. Garden boundaries such as walls and fences offer tantalising – and tasty – opportunities to grow even more food. Benedict Vanheems asks: are you making the most of them?

- Benedict Vanheems

How’s your autumn gone? It passes too quickly, doesn’t it? One moment you’re picking the last of the runner beans and then, in the blink of an eye, it’s time to cut back, pack away and hunker down. But the fleeting transition from summer to winter is nothing short of magical: crystal-clear days of low, golden sunshine; crunchy leaves underfoot, and nature positively bursting with an abundance of fruits, nuts, hips, haws and berries.

That seasonal time of plenty is something we can all get excited about. But why not bring the magic home, by replicating these riches in your garden? Summer’s staples may be over, but the excitement certainly isn’t! And the good news is, you don’t need acres of grounds to do it. By making better use of the edges to our gardens we can pack in more fruits and nuts for very little additional space or effort.

A FEAST FOR MAN & BEAST

One of the simplest ways to pep up your perimeters is to plant a wildlife-friendly hedge that offers autumnal riches for you with plenty left over for hard-working birds, bugs and other beasties. A nature-inspired hedge is also easier to look after.

Recreating the best of the British hedgerow means planting a similar mix of shrubs: hazels for their tasty nuts, blackthorns for dusky sloes, plus a rambling rose or two for their hips, the essential ingredient to a rosehip jelly that’s as delicious served alongside roast meats as it is spread on your morning toast. You could add a scrambling blackberry into the mix too, but perhaps a thornless variety to save the scratches.