Generally speaking, Foodscape has been used in two social circles.

1. Areas with restaurants and food trucks

2. Gardening and Landscaping

In the first circle, Foodscape is referring to a geographical area and the food industry inside of it.

In the second circle it is referring to the natural landscape and growing food inside of it.

Overall, the term is a general name given to diverse landscapes where food is cultivated and integrated into the overall design. Here at Fruit of Labor, we use the term Foodscape for a very specific type of landscape design. In a Foodscape, we take traditional residential landscape designs and switch all the ornamental plants with productive plants - food producing, pollinator supporting, and soil ammending. The goal of a Foodscape is to replicate a traditional landscape style and look with the added bonus of food production. Typicallly, a Foodscape will be HOA friendly, with a sharp and manicured look.

Foodscapes do not have to be super sharp and manicured. They can also have a more wild look to them. Basically on the verge of what we would call a Food Forest. At Fruit of Labor, we consider a Food Forest to be a landscape style that involves multi-tiered design and practically no routine upkeep. Where a Foodscape is focused on visual presentation, a food forest has a wild and natural appearance. Food Forests are also a type of agroforestry that should be self-sustaining ecosystems and have become increasingly popular as is permaculture in itself.

So how do we create Foodscapes that can be productive yet still appearing sharp? The key is to replace ornamentals with edibles that have the same growth habit and height. For example, instead of small ornamental Aztec grass bordering walkways or garden beds - we would plant Society Garlic, a small flowering edible grass. Instead of a low hedge of Loropetalum - we would plant okinawa spinach, a perennial edible leafy green that can be pruned to shape. For a tall hedge we can either focus on something edible or a pollinator attractant.

Foodscapes will need routine maintenance to keep a manicured look. The benefit is that the maintenance is also the harvest. When Okinawa Spinach is trimmed, the clippings go into the kitchen.