Is it worth growing fruit trees in Santa Barbara? Edible gardening

Living off the Land: Growing Your Food with SB Evolution, Family Tree & Garden, Gosnell Tree & Landscape, and Natural Concepts Landscaping

For as much as plants can add to a property’s aesthetic, it does seem pity to put so much work into them without bearing any literal fruits.  Enter container and edible gardening.  The warm, moderate climate of Santa Barbara makes growing our own food feasible, particularly since we rarely need to worry about frost.  So, as citrus and avocado trees grow on the upper plane, blueberry shrubs, lemongrass and other herbs occupy the understory, making for a diverse and plentiful edible garden.  Pots, too, are an apt place to grow smaller herbs and shrubs for home grown goodness on a smaller scale.

If growing fruiting plants, much less flowering ones, seems daunting, residents who still want to experience farming at home can work with one of a number of landscape professionals in the area who specialize in edible and container gardens.

SB Evolution is one such professional landscaping company that can guide homeowners into growing food on their own plot of land.  Well versed in the beauty and flexibility of container gardening, SB Evolution’s team will help homeowners start their gardens on a manageable scale with container edibles.  The company’s project managers can assist in selecting properly sized pottery that serve to complement the architecture of the home and landscape while accommodating the growth of dwarf trees, annual herbs, and vegetables.

On a larger scale, those starter plants might eventually be transplanted to their permanent home in the landscape.  SB Evolution is your guide in caring for your fruiting trees, particularly limes, kumquat, and other citrus.  The crews’ knowledge in these plants’ requirements for sunlight, water, and fertilizing make growing at home a failsafe endeavor for their homeowner clients.  The company’s organic gardening practices, especially for pest and weed control, give the home gardener peace of mind that the food they grow is safe to eat.

Expert in low impact gardening, Family Tree & Garden takes their sustainable philosophies a step further and helps its clients establish and maintain edible gardens at home.  Borne of its original company Head Start Tree Training, the company’s roots, quite literally, are in the fruit tree business.  Today, its arborist leaders possess over a quarter of a century of experience in tree care, employing these practices in every plant they care for. Regular maintenance that includes proper pruning, organic pest control, and disease diagnosis make Family Tree & Garden a trusted partner in fruit tree management at home.

Walking in the footsteps of his father Tom, the first ever World Champion Arborist, Casey Gosnell created Gosnell Tree & Landscape to provide high quality tree care in Santa Barbara, Montecito, and Goleta.  His motto, “No job too small, no tree too tall” rings true in his work, which ranges from pruning and caring for a single tree to transformation of entire landscapes.  The company’s services do focus largely on tree care, including removal of dead wood, crowning, thinning, and trimming with masterful artistry that leaves trees looking fuller than they did before they were serviced.  This attention to tree health means growing fruits that are larger and more plentiful and thus a great return on their customers’ investments.

Though not marketed as a primary offering in its slate of services, it bears mentioning that Natural Concepts Landscaping provides urban farms installations and edible landscaping to Santa Barbara property owners.  Planter boxes bearing lettuce and other delectable vegetables meld seamlessly into the home landscape, while fruit bearing trees provide softness and shade at the garden border.  This exceptional landscape construction company works with designers and architects region wide to develop larger home gardens and hardscapes that incorporate edible gardening into the aesthetic of the whole property.

If looking through local gardening publications has your mouth watering for home grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs but you are not sure where to begin, consider calling one of these Santa Barbara landscape companies to get started.  Whether you would be happy with just a couple containers or you are ready for entire orchard, you can bet there is a company suited for your home farming needs.