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Can I grow fruit & veg in places where other plants, such as bluebells, are growing?

e.brown130901e.brown130901 Posts: 1
in Fruit & veg
Hi there everyone!

This may be a stupid question; I am by no means an experienced gardener, and this is my first time really going for lots of fruit and veg in my garden, and I want to check I'm doing things right.

Basically, I have a strawberry patch that I started last year. In it are growing a few bluebells, which I am aware are poisonous if eaten. Is it okay to eat the strawberries if they are growing in the same patch as them? Some plants are very close to the bulbs, right next to them, but others are further away from them.

I was also wondering if it would be OK to grow fruit or veg in a patch which is slightly invaded by campanula, and a couple of other smaller flowers. There are also more flowers further up the patch, like carnations and French lavender, but I only want to plant something edible in the other half of the patch which contains the campanula. 

Apologies for the potentially silly question, and thank you in advance for any advice! <3

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Hello and welcome @e.brown130901  :)

    The only silly question is the one you don't ask.  We all started somewhere.

    You can rest assured that your veggies and fruit will not pick up toxicity from other plants growing around them.



    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    Agree with Dove - toxins simply don't travel from one plant to another iso you have no need to worry. :)
    Do your best to clear the unwanted plants from directly around the edible things you plant though as most cultivated fruit and vegetable varieties are not very good at competing with other plants for the available nutrients in the soil.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • SandygardenSandygarden Posts: 119
    Alys Fowler did a series on the BBC called The Edible Garden where she mixed an ornamental flower garden and edibles. It’s probably on i player. Basically the veggies need space, light, decent compost and they will grow and look lovely too. Takes a bit of planning to ensure you have something ready for the gaps when you have harvested.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    And Geoff Hamilton did it years ago (The Ornamental Kitchen Garden).
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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