Edible Landscaping
Creating edible gardens in your backyard is a growing trend in the US, as it creates beauty, biodiversity, and a sustainable source of healthy, nutrient-rich, organic food for your kitchen. Ben Barkan of HomeHarvest has been on the front end of that trend and has been helping customers cultivate edible landscapes in the Greater Boston area for the last 16 years.
Every job is custom and starts with an on-site consultation. He works with his customers to ‘activate the space’ and grow a variety of plants both ornamental and edible. He incorporates fruit trees, berries, flowers, greens, and herbs into the landscape; the goal is beauty and harvestable functionality. They aim to “transform urban spaces into attractive and regenerative edible ecosystems.”
Geodesic Dome Greenhouse in Suburban Boston
In July 2023 Ben purchased a 26’ Growing Dome Greenhouse to use for his business and to provide fresh produce for his family and neighbors all year long. Ben is also the proud parent of a newborn boy.
I wanted a space in the landscape that felt magical, inviting, and unique. I also have so many critters in our area, I wanted a greenhouse that could exclude all risk of deer, rabbits, birds, groundhogs etc. The dome greenhouse feels like this magical oasis full of life and it has been such a joy to build and harvest from.
Ben also recently purchased his home in Medford, MA and the main criteria for choosing a home was to make sure it had a sunny backyard for his garden and his greenhouse. He used a micro-climate analysis tool to ensure that he got enough sun in his backyard for year-round gardening.
He chose the Growing Dome Greenhouse over other greenhouse designs because it provides even light throughout the day, and has a thermal mass so he doesn’t need to add supplement heat or cooling to the greenhouse.
First Winter Harvest
He installed the greenhouse himself, but didn’t get it ready to plant until the fall.
“I finished the greenhouse installation in mid-November, too late to do any real gardening I thought, but as an experiment, I sowed lots of cold hardy seeds in late November and I was surprised that everything germinated without any additional heat. We were harvesting kale, spinach, and greens all winter. The five fig trees overwintered without any additional protection, and by June they were already yielding ripe fruit. In Boston, MA, this is quite the feat.”
He built steel raised beds inside and outside and a beautiful custom door for the greenhouse.
An abundance of produce inside and outside
“I harvest from this greenhouse every day and it’s been remarkable how much produce has come out of this relatively small space. I have a new baby and I love taking my son into the greenhouse each morning and hanging out together with the plants.”
Having a greenhouse as part of your edible landscape design will allow you to grow starts for your outdoor garden earlier in the season, provide even more diversity and variety, and ensure you have fresh produce regardless of the weather or critters outside.
“We’re growing figs, strawberries, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, basil, greens, all sorts of herbs, and we’re doing all of this without any formal heating other than the passive water storage.”
In the next steps, he plans to add more trellising, a potting bench, and lights for nighttime enjoyment.
I enjoy sharing the abundant produce with my neighbors, and watching their faces when they walk through the greenhouse for the first time in awe.
Ben is a licensed GC and serves the Greater Boston area. If you are interested in vegetable gardens, raised beds, edible landscapes, kitchen gardens, landscape construction, fruit trees, planters, and permaculture installations please visit HomeHarvest. You can also visit his Instagram page for more beautiful shots of his landscapes and a tour of his 26′ Growing Dome.
All images courtesy of Ben Barkan
