Gone are the days of rowed vegetable gardens where crops were planted in monoculture fashion and spaced so they would never touch one another. My garden could not be further from this, and for very good reasons!

Ever heard the saying "variety is the spice of life"? Well, in the home edible garden "variety is the secret to health". If you want a healthier more self sustaining garden then intercropping your garden beds so that they are loaded with various varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers is key. By growing your garden a little more on the 'wild side', you are building a more diverse and holistic eco-system. This will attract a wider range of beneficial insects and pollinators, and will create an environment where the plants can coexist and support each other to thrive.

There are many flower varieties that are appropriate for inclusion within an edible garden bed. We just need to make sure that the ones we choose are in season, are not excessively heavy feeders and steal all your produce's nutrients and those that are appropriately sized as not to over run your fruit and veg.

To help you out in creating your intercropped edible garden this cool season, I have listed three of my personal favourites.

Calendula

These are stunning flowers that bring vibrant pops of yellow and orange to the garden. They have a super long flowering period and look amazing against all the green in the cool season edible garden. Calendula will grow really easily from seed, so is a great option for beginners wanting to get into seed sowing. The added bonus of this beneficial flower is that it too is edible! It can be used in many ways in the garden and is known for its healing proporties.

Pro Tip: Plant in and amongst those delicate leafy greens, like lettuce. Calendula can act as a great decoy crop, attracting those pesky aphids and caterpillars so to protect your edibles.

Alyssum

This is another edible flower that my Autum and Winter garden is never without. Not only is it edible and beautiful, but it has a lovely sweet smell for you to enjoy. I personally love having this in my garden, and so too do the ladybugs. By including alyssum you are inviting these beneficial insects into your garden eco-sysem, which will in turn naturally decrease pest pressure (they may be little and cute, but they devour aphids - a common winter garden pest).

Pro Tip: Plant these on the corners and edges of your raised beds and they will cascade over the sides for a really pretty display.

Pansies

These would have to be my favourite visually when it comes to flowers in the cooler months. The vast range of colour combinations that Pansies come in will leave you wanting more space for these alone. They look amazing, they provide food for beneficial insects and pollinators, and just like calendula and alyssum, are edible. Infact, pansies are known to be highly nutritional with many health benefits from being eaten. I personally like to add them to my ice cube trays to make a pretty addition to drinks.

Pro Tip: If you pinch out the dead flower heads you will encourage the plant to produce more flowers.

Of course these are just three of many great choices when it comes to flowers in the edible garden. At the end of the day it all comes down to increasing diversity in the garden beds. Whether you include these three like myself, or choose other varieties, you are setting yourself up for growing success.

Happy Growing!