It’s not every day that you discover edible ground cover plants that are easy to maintain!
Edicle ground covers are not something we think about too often, but when you look into them a little bit, they make a lot of sense!
Ground covers in general can be a great addition to your landscape since they can control erosion slopes, choke out weeds, and fill in any bare patches your lawn may have. Not to mention, it is just another beauty layer to your landscape.
Furthermore, the aesthetic and practical benefits of ground cover increase when you consider the addition of edible ones, as you can harvest them for cooking or enjoy their deliciousness!
These edible ground covers are going to help you both solve any out-of-place patches in your garden and any issues that come along with needing a little bit more color and flavor for beverages and meals!
These low-growing ground covers are bound to make your yard more appealing, and they are also useful every day! Why not check them out and give them a chance?
What do you think about ground covers? What about the edible kind? Share in the comments why you love or hate the idea with your fellow plant lovers!
General warnings!
Before we get into the wonders of edible ground covers, we need to mention some warnings.
While some people are used to identifying these plants in the wild, you should never end up eating wild plants without being sure what they are. Make sure you check with an official guide or with an expert!
Likewise, if you grow any of these in your yard, be careful not to forage and eat any plants that may have been exposed to herbicides, environmental pollutants, or pesticides!
What’s more, some wild plants may have some medicinal properties; check with your doctor if you are on any medicine prescribing medicine or if anything you plan to eat can cause complications or come with contraindications!
Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)
- Growing zones: 4 to 8
- Maturity height: 4 to 6 inches
- Requirements: soil rich in organic matter, that is well drained but still moist; full sun to partial shade
Do not confuse this one with culinary ginger, as this plant is different. Not only in its uses but also in the way it looks, grows, and matures.
Wild ginger will start to cover the ground sometime in early spring, and you will be able to enjoy the heart-shaped leaves all through the season.
The plant also produces purple blooms, which appear later in the season but are a joy to look at, which makes it a gorgeous choice to add to your landscape, especially if you have been going for a blue, purple, or red-infused color palette with your flower choices.
When it comes to the edible part, the root of wild ginger is the one you need to focus on; it has a spicy, acrid taste that is similar to culinary ginger but still different.
The best way to use wild ginger at home? You can turn it easily into a simple syrup that you can then add to sodas, cocktails, mocktails, and even desserts!
There are people who also boil the root in milk, then strain it and sweeten the concoction with cinnamon and honey, making a delicious spiced beverage that would be amazing for the colder night.
Not to mention, with wild ginger, you can try your hand at making a foraged chai blend by letting the root dry out, roasting it, and then blending it to add to the tea for that extra spicy, earthy layer of flavor.
Alpine Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
- Growing zones: 4 to 9
- Maturity height: 6 to 8 inches
- Requirements: soil that is rich in organic matter, well-drained; full sun to partial shade
You may have run into this fruit-bearing plant in meadows and open fields. Also known as a wild strawberry, this plant is low-growing and herbaceous, and it works amazingly as an edible ground covering.
The plant will start to grow in spring, and by late spring you will start to see it covered in white flower clusters that will end up producing the small, sweet-tart red fruits in early summer.
The fact that you can end up with a nice growth and harvest of these small, wild strawberries is just the icing on the cake. They will be fully ripe sometime between mid- and late-June, and you can easily pick them off and eat them.
If you are lucky enough and have a large harvest, you can easily turn them into cakes, jams, pies, and ingredients in baked goods.
Once the fruit season is over, you will still be left with a gorgeous green plant that will turn a deep red color come fall. That will both help you identify off-season and it will help your yard look perfectly out of a fall painting!
Peppermint (Mentha spp.)
- Growing zones: 3 to 11
- Maturity height: 2 feet
- Requirements: well-drained, moist soil; full to partial shade
Did you know peppermint is considered a ground cover too? The creeping perennial is one that we know and love, with its signature toothed, lance-shaped leaves that have the signature mint smell we are all accustomed to.
The plant is also easily recognizable due to the white to pale purple blooms it produces every early summer.
The best time to harvest this plant would be in mid-spring, since it is more aromatic and tender, while over the course of the summer, it will become spicier and rougher. You can mix and match the time when you forage it.
If you plan to keep this in your garden, make sure you have a divided section for it, as peppermint can easily spread over the landscape and even compete with other plants for nutrients.
How can you use peppermint leaves once you gather them? The easiest way is to wash the plant and use the whole twig, stem, and leaves to make a simple, aromatic mint tea.
Otherwise, you can use the fresh leaves to add more flavor and depth to all types of salads, like pasta, green, or chilled bean ones, and even to rice dishes.
Even more, you can use them to make simple syrup for all types of mixed drinks and even for baking projects, and why not, even ice cream!
Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)
- Growing zones: 3 to 8
- Maturity height: 6 inches tall
- Requirements: acidic, well-drained, yet moist soil; full sun to partial shade
If you’ve ever been around the maple hardwood forests, then you are familiar with wintergreen, a small perennial plant that can make for an amazing ground cover.
When it is in full bloom, wintergreen has small, bell-shaped flowers that have a signature white and red color; they dangle below the leaves, and you can expect to see them in full bloom around early spring.
The flowers then give way to deliciously smelling red berries that you can harvest between late May and early June!
The best thing about Wintergreen is that both the berries and the leaves are edible if you know how you can use them in the kitchen effectively.
Like with the other leaves on our list today, you can turn them into a syrup that is a great flavoring agent for a number of deserts, starting with things like ice cream and continuing with mousses, chocolate truffles, and even flourless cakes.
Likewise, the fruits are light and fresh, and they make for an amazing snack as well as great additions to simple bakes.
A good way to learn more about urban foraging is to consult a guide. We have found Urban Foraging: Find, Gather, and Cook 50 Wild Plants a great introduction to the world of foraging!
Sometimes we do not want a ground cover that is going to take a lot from us to maintain. And while these are edible and you are hitting two birds with one stone, sometimes gardeners want an alternative to grass that can be useful and easy to upkeep! Read all about the best turfgrass alternative, Creeping Thyme, here!
