you can still enjoy home-grown produce. All you need is a bit of

room in your flowerbeds to insert a few plants. To prove the

point, we grew vegetables and herbs in the ornamental beds of

our Better Homes and Gardens Test Garden®, with delicious

results. “I got more comments about the vegetables growing in

our beds than just about anything else we did this year,” says Test

Garden manager Sandra Gerdes. “People just loved the idea.”

Most vegetables thrive with the same care you give to

flowering annuals, so this strategy simply requires that you care

for your beds as you normally would. In many cases, a few plants

will produce more than enough for the table-beauty that’s

literally good enough to eat.

Many vegetables and herbs can complement the looks of your

garden, too, explains Sandra. “Sage, basil, red and spotted

lettuces, and chard are great additions to beds.” And, she says,

“Colorful fruits are just as good as flowers for accents in a border.

Peppers and eggplant are especially beautiful.” With supports,

taller vegetables such as beans and tomatoes add tall accents.