Dog Friendly Fruit and Vegetable Garden

Dog Friendly Fruit and Vegetable Garden

Spring will be here eventually and that means planting season. But when you have dogs that like to play in the garden and eat the fruits and vegetables before they can make it to your table you want to make sure that whatever you plant will not make them sick.

Our four-legged friends love to romp around in the garden and as dog owners, we want to know that the fruits and vegetables that we grow are safe for our best friends. The only hard part will be making sure your pooch doesn’t eat all your fruits and vegetables before you do! Create a great dog-friendly fruit and vegetable garden by choosing a sunny location and keeping it at ground level if you want dog to access it. One thing to think about is if the area is one your dog loves to run and play in, you will need to use raised beds so that he doesn’t trample the new plants.
Here is a list of non-toxic and toxic plants that are good to grow in your dog-friendly garden.

• Asparagus
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Cantaloupe
• Carrots
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Green Beans
• Lettuce
• Peas
• Pumpkin
• Spinach
• Squash
• Watermelon

Toxic Plants you will want to keep out of your Dog Friendly Fruit and Vegetable Garden

• Avocado (skin, pit, leaves)
• Aloe Vera (sap)
• Eggplant (all parts but fruit)
• Garlic
• Grapes (fruit)
• Mushroom
• Nutmeg (nut)
• Onion
• Potato (spouts, vines, unripe tubers)
• Rhubarb (leaves and stem)
• Tomato (foliage, vine, green fruit)

Once you have picked out what you want to grow and have chosen your perfect spot, prepping the soil is essential. It is best to grow organically so none of the toxic chemicals in synthetic fertilizers are ingested by your dog. This means gardening with Blood and Bone meal, earthworm castings and compost. A word of warning though, dogs love the smell of blood and bone meal so once you have added the amendments to the soil and watered it in well, keep the dog away for at 24-48. If they are diggers, they will want to find out where that scent is coming from. Once it has soaked into the ground, the scent dissipates and the dog won’t try to attack the plants!

When we plant gardens to attract wildlife, we create areas where the animals can hide and seek shelter. You will want to do the same for your dog like building a doghouse, where you dog can feel safe when you power up the lawn mower or edge trimmer. Having a nice sunny spot next to the garden is a must have so while you are working away in the garden your best buddy can be supervising just a few short feet away.

Growing and caring for a dog-friendly fruit and vegetable garden can be both rewarding and challenging. Teaching your dog how to not hurt the plants and to enjoy the time outside with you can be a great time spent together. If your dog loves a particular fruit or vegetable, grow a plant specifically for him and teach him that he can eat the fruits from that plant. It is fun to watch a dog learn to love his very own plant!