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Edible Garden Design and Care in the Bay Area

Food gardens in the Bay Area can produce year-round with the right design and care. I've been growing food in this climate for years, including at Filoli's historic vegetable garden. That experience shapes how I approach edible garden design: with attention to soil, succession, seasonality, and how a kitchen garden can fit into a larger landscape without looking like an afterthought.

Three Sisters planting of corn, beans, squash, and marigolds in a permaculture edible garden in Marin.

Edible Garden Design

I design kitchen gardens, backyard orchards, permaculture food forests, integrated edible landscapes, and everything in between. Projects range from a single raised bed setup to a full food-producing landscape woven into an ornamental design. Every plan is tailored to your site conditions, your family's tastes, and how much time you want to spend in the garden.

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Edible garden design can be scoped as a standalone project or added to a full landscape design. You'll receive a planting plan with layout, plant selection, and seasonal guidance.​​

Design services include:

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  • Seasonal crop planning based on your family's tastes and cooking habits

  • Perennial edibles for lower-maintenance production

  • Fruit trees and berries for a backyard orchard

  • Companion planting and polyculture design

  • Medicinal plants and healing gardens

  • Herb gardens

  • Raised bed layout and soil preparation planning

Terraced stone raised beds with Lacinato kale, marigolds, and mixed vegetables in a productive edible garden design.

Fruit trees are one of the most rewarding additions to a Bay Area garden. Here's a guide to the best fruit trees for the Bay Area to help you choose varieties suited to your microclimate.

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San Francisco's summer climate surprises most gardeners. This post covers what actually grows well in SF in summer if you want to plan ahead.

Edible Garden Maintenance in
San Francisco and San Mateo County

​Productive food gardens need consistent attention. Harvesting, succession planting, pest management, and seasonal preparation all need to happen at the right time. I offer edible garden maintenance as part of my ongoing garden care service, available in San Francisco and San Mateo County.​

Maintenance visits may include:

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  • ​Weekly harvesting of vegetables, herbs, and fruit to encourage continued production

  • Planting, thinning, and succession planting to keep beds productive across seasons

  • Seasonal bed preparation, composting, and organic fertilizing

  • Integrated pest management using low-toxicity, ecologically responsible methods

  • Pruning and care of fruit trees, berries, and perennial edibles

  • Irrigation checks and adjustments to support efficient water use

  • Weeding and bed tidying to maintain healthy soil and airflow

  • Cut flower harvesting and arrangements from your garden

  • Ongoing garden monitoring and guidance based on seasonal conditions and plant needs​

Maintenance plans are customized to your garden and goals.​​​

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Fruit trees need regular pruning to stay productive. Here's what to know about when and how to prune fruit trees in the Bay Area.

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Ready to talk through your edible garden project?

Raised bed vegetable garden in San Francisco
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