Tour an Inspiring Edible Garden in the Santa Ynez Foothills
This productive kitchen garden in Southern California offers design ideas for backyard farming
Cradled by the rolling foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains, this ranch property in California’s sunny Santa Barbara County encourages outdoor living and farm-to-table meals. The 5,000-square-foot edible garden — filled to the brim with vegetables, herbs, flowers, tree fruits and berries — offers plenty of planting and design ideas that one could implement for a kitchen garden of any size. We caught up with William Carson Joyce, one of two landscape architects behind the project, to fill us in on the details of the design and construction.
The gate, shown here after the plants filled in more, consists of a steel frame and heavy-duty wire mesh panels, anchored with redwood posts. The mesh, also used for the 8-foot-tall perimeter fencing, allows light and air to move freely through the garden while keeping deer and other wildlife away from crops. A thin redwood threshold beneath the gate and an electric wire running along the top of the fence also help keep out squirrels, rabbits and other animals.
At the rear of the edible garden, where some minor regrading was done, the team constructed a 5-foot-tall retaining wall to help hold back the slope.
At the rear of the edible garden, where some minor regrading was done, the team constructed a 5-foot-tall retaining wall to help hold back the slope.
Edible garden in winter
Layout and Raised Bed Design
Joyce and Michael Douglas Brennan designed the edible garden with a roughly symmetrical layout along a center pathway made up of 24-square-inch concrete pavers set in gravel. The walkway leads from the gate to a shaded seating area.
They arranged five raised beds on each side of the central pathway, for a total of 10 beds, in the following sizes:
Fruit trees (shown bare in this winter photograph), such as apple, fig, plum, pluot, peach and nectarine, were planted on both sides of the raised beds.
Layout and Raised Bed Design
Joyce and Michael Douglas Brennan designed the edible garden with a roughly symmetrical layout along a center pathway made up of 24-square-inch concrete pavers set in gravel. The walkway leads from the gate to a shaded seating area.
They arranged five raised beds on each side of the central pathway, for a total of 10 beds, in the following sizes:
- Two 4-by-4-foot beds
- Two 4-by-8-foot beds
- One 2-by-15-foot bed
Fruit trees (shown bare in this winter photograph), such as apple, fig, plum, pluot, peach and nectarine, were planted on both sides of the raised beds.
To further protect crops and extend their growing season, the landscape architects came up with a unique A-frame design for an interchangeable bird screen and cold frame. “The design was based on maximizing light and space inside for plant growth, while still being easily manipulated and opened for bed maintenance,” Joyce says.
They built two A-frame cover designs: one for the warm season made of chicken wire (shown here) and one for the cold season made of Plexiglas. Both models have hinges so the frames can open for bed tending and lie flat for storing.
They built two A-frame cover designs: one for the warm season made of chicken wire (shown here) and one for the cold season made of Plexiglas. Both models have hinges so the frames can open for bed tending and lie flat for storing.
In spring and fall, the chicken wire frames protect seedlings of summer vegetables and leafy crops, such as lettuce, kale, chard and cabbage, that can be a target for birds.
In summer, once seedlings have matured and most tender greens have been harvested, the covers are removed to leave the beds open.
In summer, once seedlings have matured and most tender greens have been harvested, the covers are removed to leave the beds open.
In winter and early spring, the chicken wire frames are replaced with those made of lightweight Plexiglas. The Plexiglas covers are propped open with galvanized poles (as shown here) during the day to allow air circulation and to prevent the beds from getting too hot.
On chilly nights, the poles are removed and the sides come down to trap heat and moisture in the bed — effectively creating a mini greenhouse and protecting tender plants from frost damage.
On chilly nights, the poles are removed and the sides come down to trap heat and moisture in the bed — effectively creating a mini greenhouse and protecting tender plants from frost damage.
Edible Plants
This system allows the homeowners to grow a wide range of vegetables, greens, herbs and berries throughout the year. With the help of an edible gardening team, the homeowners rotate crops and plant different types and varieties. Crops grown in past seasons include:
Cool season: Asparagus, chard, kale, cabbage, broccoli, onions, chives, carrots, radishes, mustard greens, peas and lettuce
Warm season: Artichokes, strawberries, pole beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, peppers, eggplants and zucchini
Warm-season and perennial herbs: Basil, oregano, thyme, sage, dill, parsley, tarragon and rosemary
This system allows the homeowners to grow a wide range of vegetables, greens, herbs and berries throughout the year. With the help of an edible gardening team, the homeowners rotate crops and plant different types and varieties. Crops grown in past seasons include:
Cool season: Asparagus, chard, kale, cabbage, broccoli, onions, chives, carrots, radishes, mustard greens, peas and lettuce
Warm season: Artichokes, strawberries, pole beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, peppers, eggplants and zucchini
Warm-season and perennial herbs: Basil, oregano, thyme, sage, dill, parsley, tarragon and rosemary
Maintenance
All areas surrounding the raised beds, save for wells kept clear around the bases of the orchard trees, are covered in quarter-inch pea gravel. Not only does the gravel have a nice finished look, but it’s also practical to maintain. “Most of the soil and vegetation drop can be easily raked up or washed through,” Joyce says. Plus, it’s hard enough for a wheel barrow to be rolled over.
All areas surrounding the raised beds, save for wells kept clear around the bases of the orchard trees, are covered in quarter-inch pea gravel. Not only does the gravel have a nice finished look, but it’s also practical to maintain. “Most of the soil and vegetation drop can be easily raked up or washed through,” Joyce says. Plus, it’s hard enough for a wheel barrow to be rolled over.
All beds are set on an automated smart drip irrigation system, which adjusts for weather conditions and increases or decreases water accordingly. The system allows the edible garden to make use of water as efficiently as possible — an important consideration in drought-prone Southern California.
In the center of the edible garden, Joyce and Brennan added a seating area under a redwood shade pergola covered by fragrant honeysuckle vines. It’s nice to have a shady spot right in the middle of the kitchen garden, Joyce says, “to enjoy the splendor of your crop in its setting and for those working to have a place of respite.”
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More
12 Tips to Help You Start an Edible Garden
Raised Beds for Every Garden Style
Find frames for raised beds
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple from the Northwest who use the home as a winter retreat
Location: Santa Ynez, California
Edible garden size: 50 by 100 feet; including 10 raised beds, a shaded seating area and an orchard
Design team: William Carson Joyce and Michael Douglas Brennan of Carson Douglas Landscape Architecture