By Diana Lockwood / For The Columbus Dispatch
Some veggies do more than just taste good; they look good, too.
These multi-talented edibles are too pretty to be relegated to the vegetable-only section of the garden.
“Adding edibles to ornamental beds makes sense in so many gardens,” Michelle Gervais, a horticulturist at John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds (www.kitchengardenseeds.com), said recently by email.
“If you’re a casual vegetable gardener looking to slowly branch out a bit, adding just an eggplant or two to a flower garden or an edging of a dramatic lettuce to the front of a bed gives you an opportunity to explore new veggies without making a huge space commitment.”
Even gardeners in tight quarters can experiment.
“If you’re a gardener with limited space, any small bare spot can be filled with something like Swiss chard or a gorgeous purple basil that will be both beautiful and delicious,” she said.
“Some leafy veggies make wonderful container plants, too.”
Leaf lettuce, for instance, makes a great way to start.
You can grow it easily from seed, raise it in the ground or a container, and start harvesting in a month or two.
Perhaps best of all: Lettuce is available in a range of colors…
