ABOUT

EDIBLE ESTATES was initiated on Independence Day 2005 with the planting of the first in the series of gardens in Salina, Kansas, the geographic center of the United States. Domestic front lawns are replaced with edible landscapes which are then documented in photos, videos, stories, printed materials, and exhibitions. Other regional prototype gardens have since been planted in Lakewood, CA in 2006; Maplewood, NJ and London in 2007; Austin, Baltimore, and Descanso Gardens, Los Angeles in 2008; Manhattan in 2009; Ridgefield, CT and Rome in 2010; Istanbul in 2011; Budapest, Hungary in 2012. The final four editions are planted in Holon, Isreal; Aarhus, Denmark; Vasby, Sweden; and Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN in 2013, followed by the 2014 publication of the expanded third edition of the book, "Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn" (Metropolis Books, 2010), documenting all sixteen gardens in the series, with stories from the garden owners, and framed by essays from renowned garden writers.

Edible Estates is an ongoing initiative to create a series of regional prototype gardens that replace domestic front lawns, and other unused spaces in front of homes, with places for families to grow their own food. The sixteen gardens have been established in cities across the world. Adventurous residents in each town have offered their front yards as working prototypes for their region. Each of these highly productive gardens is very different, designed to respond to the unique characteristics of the site, the needs and desires of the owner, the community and its history, and the local climate and geography.

Most of these gardens are commissioned by local art institutions and developed in partnership with horticultural, agricultural, or community gardening organizations. Working together with the owners, neighbors, friends, and local volunteers, each garden is planted in the spring or early summer. The story of its creation and first season of growth is presented with a public exhibition, which includes videos, weekly garden portraits by a local photographer, a series of workshops on growing food, and printed brochures featuring local planting calendars and gardening resources.

These simple, low-cost gardens and their stories are meant to inspire others, demonstrating what is possible for anyone with the will to grow food and some unused land between the house and the street. Unlike the unattainable images of perfection seen in design and gardening magazines, anyone should be able to look at these gardens and imagine doing something similar at home. These are real-life gardens, tended by typical families in a variety of common living situations, from homes in the outer suburbs to inner-city apartments.

MAKING YOUR OWN EDIBLE ESTATE
What You May Need:
- stakes and string to lay out a design
- a sod-cutter and a rototiller
- newspapers to cover the lawn for mounded plantings or raised beds
- shovels, hand trowels, and rakes
- compost to amend or cover existing soil
- an irrigation system, such as soaker hoses or drip lines
- fencing material to deter animals
- a composting system (prefabricated bins, wood slats, chicken-wire enclosures, etc.)
- mulch material (bark, straw, wood chips, etc.) to cover several inches of the soil
- seeds, starts, or trees of the vegetables, herbs, and fruits selected for your region
- friends and neighbors to help

Some Questions to Consider:
- How is our dirt? Does the soil test tell us that amendments are needed or that there are traces of lawn chemicals?
- Where is south? Where are the shady and sunny areas?
- To establish a permanent structure, where should tall trees or lower ground cover go? Are there views to frame or obscure?
- What do we want to eat from our estate? What do we like that we can’t find at the local market?
- It is good to go vertical for higher yields and/or in small spaces. Do we have something on which fruits and vegetables on vines can grow?
- How do we want to move through our Edible Estate? Where should paths go and where should plants go?
- Mulch will retain moisture, block weeds, and decompose into the soil. What kind should we use—straw, bark, wood chips, compost, rocks, or leaves? What is locally available?
- Is there an area in our estate for people? Will we include a place where we can relax and enjoy watching our plants and food grow?

Basic Steps:
(1) Do a soil test to see what sorts of amendments might be needed or if there are traces of lawn chemicals.
(2) Make a plan for your Edible Estate, and mark it out with stakes and tape.
(3) Use a sod-cutter to remove the lawn. Roll it up, give it away, or find a new use for it. If you do not have Bermuda grass or another type of rhizomatic lawn, you may turn over the existing turf to keep the topsoil and nitrogen-rich grass in your yard. You also can cover any lawn with a series of raised beds or mounded plantings.
(4) On existing exposed soil, mix in a generous amount of compost, earthworm castings, manure, mushroom soil, and any combination of soil amendments that you may need or have access to.
(5) During the first few seasons, experiment with plants, trying any edibles that are appropriate for your growing zone and establishing seeds, starts, trees, and vines according to your local planting calendar. You will gradually become aware of what does well on your land and what you like to eat. A diverse garden is a healthy garden.
(6) Cover the exposed soil with a thick layer of mulch.
(7) Water the plants thoroughly and install soaker hoses or drip lines as necessary for irrigation.
(8) Install fencing as needed to deter local animal visitors, such as rabbits and deer, if they become an issue.
(9) Set up compost bins and a rainwater catchment system.

THE PROTOTYPE GARDEN SITES
Prototype garden locations are selected for maximum impact and influence. We want to plant Edible Estates where they are least likely to exist otherwise and where they will provide a vivid contrast with the surrounding landscapes of suburban lawns or inner-city concrete. Each prototype provides local inspiration and momentum to plant gardens in situations not previously considered.

Edible Estates’ gardens are established on streets where the interruption of the endless lawn is dramatic and controversial. A monotonous housing development of identical homes and front lawns would be ideal! Our dream is to be arrested for planting vegetables in a front lawn in a housing development or town where it is illegal.

The layout, design, and plant list of each garden is developed in collaboration with the family who owns it. The garden is planted with the help of friends, neighbors, and local volunteers, and all costs associated with establishing it for the first season are covered.
We look for prototype garden sites that conform to the following parameters.

The front yard should:
- be very visible from the street, with regular car or pedestrian traffic
- have good solar access, ideally with a south or southwest orientation
- be relatively flat, with few large trees or major landscaping that can’t easily be removed

The house or apartment building should:
- represent a typical or common living situation 
- open on to the front yard with windows or a front door
- provide an iconic domestic backdrop to the Edible Estate garden

The prospective Edible Estate owners should be:
- avid and knowledgeable gardeners who are enthusiastic about the project
-  eager to share their stories of front yard gardening
- committed to continuing the Edible Estate prototype garden indefinitely

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