Edible ground covers are a crucial element in any permaculture or food forest garden. They serve as living mulch, protect and feed the soil, suppress weeds, and give you more food in less space. Whether you’re growing sweet potatoes for stir-fries or nasturtiums for a colorful salad, there are so many ways to make your ground layer both beautiful and functional.
Tired of weeding and bare soil? These low-growing edible plants cover the ground, feed your soil, and you!
By layering your garden with diversity in plant heights, root systems, and edible yields, you’ll create a more balanced, resilient system that supports you and the ecosystem around you. Let your mulch work to feed your soil and your family at the same time!
Welcome back to my garden! Today, we’re diving into edible ground covers that I use in my urban permaculture garden as living mulch. Creating layers in a food forest system helps you grow more diversity (and food) in a small space. Edible ground covers help suppress weeds to create a low-maintenance, sustainable garden that feeds us year-round and doesn’t demand daily upkeep.
We love to go camping, and that means I often leave my garden for days at a time. While I still love growing annuals like tomatoes and cucumbers, they require more hands-on care and come with a higher risk if I’m away. I’ll still grow them, but I want to shift the balance toward a more resilient garden using perennial plants and edible ground covers that do more of the heavy lifting while I’m off exploring.
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Top 10 Edible Ground Covers for Living Mulch
So, what exactly are edible ground covers? These are low-growing plants that serve multiple functions: they protect the soil, retain moisture, reduce weeds, prevent erosion, and provide food for both humans and beneficial wildlife. In a food forest-style garden, ground covers are just one layer in a multi-tiered system that also includes tall trees, shrubs, flowers, and root crops.
Below are 10 of my favorite edible ground covers that are beautiful, functional, and delicious!
1. Sweet Potato
Sweet potato is hands-down my favorite edible ground cover. Its thick, lush vines protect the soil from the harsh sun and help retain moisture. The leaves are edible and can be used like spinach—sautéed with garlic, tossed in soups and curries, or even made into green wraps. And of course, the roots themselves are a delicious, substantial food source for both sweet and savory dishes. Sweet potatoes are also a haven for beneficial insects and frogs (yes, frogs!). I often find them nesting among the vines, even without a pond nearby. They’re super easy to propagate, making them perfect for sharing, selling, or expanding your patch.
2. Nasturtium
Nasturtiums are another edible ground cover that, once you plant them, you will have forever! Their bright flowers and peppery leaves are both edible and beautiful. I use the leaves in salads and as mini wraps, and the flowers as edible garnishes or pesto ingredients. They self-seed prolifically, meaning once you plant them, they often come back on their own every year. This means they can easily take over parts of your garden, so it’s important to keep them pruned if you want them to remain in one area.
Nasturtiums attract beneficial pollinators and act as a trap crop, luring pests like slugs and snails away from other plants. You can prune back areas to feed to your chickens as a natural pest management system. Even their seed pods are edible—you can pickle them to make homemade capers!
Naturtiums die off during the hot summer months, and so I pair these with sweet potato, which has an opposite growth pattern. Sweet potatoes thrive in summer and die back in the cooler months. These two work well to keep the soil covered all year round.
3. New Zealand Spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides)
New Zealand Spinach is one of my go-to ground covers, especially in warmer weather when traditional leafy greens struggle. It spreads beautifully and creates dense, weed-suppressing coverage. The leaves are succulent and can be eaten cooked, much like regular spinach. It’s drought-tolerant, hardy, and perfect for low-maintenance edible landscaping. Due to its ability to self-seed easily, it can be a good idea to keep it contained.
4. Sweet Violet
Sweet violets (Viola odorata) make a lovely ground cover for shady areas, which become more common as fruit trees mature and cast more shade. They have heart-shaped edible leaves and delicate purple flowers that make beautiful decorations for cakes and salads. While I usually use the flowers more than the leaves, the entire plant helps retain soil moisture and suppress weeds, making it an excellent living mulch.
5. Strawberries
Strawberries are a classic edible ground cover that needs little introduction. They spread easily, especially alpine varieties, and can handle partial shade. While their leaves and flowers are edible, the fruit is the real star. Just note they do better in sunnier patches of your garden.
6. Prostrate Rosemary
This low-trailing form of rosemary hugs the ground and is well-suited to hot, dry, sandy, or rocky soils. It’s evergreen, hardy, and incredibly useful in the kitchen. I love having rosemary nearby to flavor dishes, and the edible flowers are great for attracting bees. It also has a host of medicinal benefits—anti-inflammatory, digestive support, and calming properties.
7. Thyme & Oregano
Thyme and oregano are aromatic culinary herbs that make wonderful low-growing ground covers in sunny areas. Their spreading habit helps protect the soil, and both are drought-tolerant and resilient. These herbs can be used fresh or dried for flavoring food, making teas, and for natural remedies. Their tiny flowers also attract pollinators to your garden.
8. Yarrow
Yarrow is a powerhouse plant often overlooked as an edible. While the leaves can be used in teas or medicinally (always research before consuming), their greatest strengths in the garden are as a soil protector with dense fern-like leaves and a pollinator magnet. It has deep roots that help break up compacted soil and draw nutrients up to the surface, improving fertility over time. It sends runners underground, so it’s a good idea to treat this plant like you would mint and keep it contained to one area.
9. Chamomile
Chamomile creates a fragrant, low-growing cover that’s sometimes used as a lawn substitute. It’s most well-known for its daisy-like flowers, which are harvested for calming teas that support sleep and digestion. It thrives in sunny areas and adds a beautiful, soft texture to garden beds.
10. Red Clover
Red clover is one of those quiet achievers in the garden, it’s beautiful, useful, and so easy to grow. I love using it as a living mulch in my food forest because it grows low to the ground, helps suppress weeds, and is constantly feeding the soil with nitrogen through its roots. The bees absolutely adore the flowers, and if you’re into herbal teas, the blossoms are edible and can be harvested and dried too! It’s the kind of plant that gives so much without asking for much in return—perfect for filling in those bare spots while still being productive and pretty.
Many common weeds are edible and make great opportunistic ground covers. Purslane, for example, has succulent leaves rich in omega-3 fatty acids and grows rapidly to fill bare spots. Chickweed and dandelion also have edible and medicinal parts. While these can spread quickly, learning to identify and harvest them helps you turn a problem into a resource.
Living Mulch: Edible Ground Covers That Feed You and Your Garden
Start small by adding one or two edible ground covers to your garden beds or under fruit trees, and watch how quickly they transform the space. These hardworking plants not only fill gaps and reduce maintenance, but they also invite more life into your garden, as a wildlife habitat. Whether you’re building a full food forest or just looking to get more out of your patch, edible ground covers are one of the simplest ways to grow smarter, not harder.
Are you growing any edible plants as living mulch? Let us know below 👇
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Looking for a healthy, homemade wrap alternative? These DIY spinach sushi wraps are a delicious and nutritious way to use up garden greens and create quick, wholesome meals. Whether you follow a gluten-free, low-carb, or plant-based lifestyle, these wraps are a game-changer. Made from fresh spinach, herbs, and garden vegetables, they’re packed with nutrients and completely free from preservatives and additives.
These wraps have the texture of nori but are 100% vegetable-based. Use them for sushi, wraps, or as a healthy tortilla alternative. This is the perfect recipe for zero-waste gardeners who want to make the most of their seasonal harvests. I am so impressed with how amazing these are!
These dehydrated spinach sushi wraps taste and feel just like the real deal but I know exactly what is in them. Use excess garden greens along with bottle gourd or zucchini to make a batch of sushi wraps for a quick and easy lunch. Like most of my recipes, you can mix and match different greens and herbs depending on what’s in season or in abundance in your garden.
Garden Vegetable Variations
Don’t have spinach? No problem. Try other leafy greens such as:
NZ spinach (Tetragonia)
Swiss chard
Rocket/arugula
Sweet potato leaves
Amaranth greens
You can even mix in edible weeds like chickweed or purslane for extra nutrition.
Recipe Notes
Psyllium Husk helps bind the mixture and gives flexibility.
Herbs are optional but add great flavor.
Dehydration Time varies depending on water content and thickness.
Spinach "sushi" wraps
Yield: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours10 minutes
Easy way to preserve excess produce and have wraps on hand for a quick garden-to-plate lunch when you need it.
Ingredients
4 cups spinach or greens*
1/2 cup fresh herbs*
1 TBSP psyllium husk
1 - 2 TBSP water
2 cups chopped bottle of gourd or zucchini
Instructions
Rinse the greens and quickly blanch for 30 seconds in hot water then transfer to iced water to cool.
Strain and add to a mixer or blender. (use the blanching water on the garden once it has cooled down)
Peel Bottle gourd using a vegetable peeler, remove the center seeds and pith then chop into 2-3cm cubes. If using zucchini there is no need to peel.
Add all the ingredients to a blender or mixer and blitz until combined. You may need to move things about with a spoon to get it mixed or add a dash more water. You want a thick paste-like consistency not too watery.
Spread the mixture onto 3-4 silicon dehydrator trays. You may need to do this in batches or use baking paper and a tray if you do not have enough of the silicon trays. The mixture should be thick enough to not see through to the tray or paper but also as thin and even as you can (before seeing through to the tray)
Dehydrate at 50 degrees celsius until dry. Check after 2-3 hours as the time will vary depending on the water content of the greens you used.
Remove and carefully run a knife around the edges to loosen it. Carefully peel off the sheet it is best to do this one bit at a time holding the sheet as close to the tray as possible as to not tear it.
Once removed from the tray cut the sheets into the desired size (I cut in half for wraps but I keep them whole for sushi rolls) then roll them up and place them in an airtight storage jar. Or use them straight away. would
Use the wraps with your favorite salad ingredients and grilled chicken, haloumi or similar.
Notes
Greens - I used NZ spinach including the young stems but you could use any spinach or greens such as chard, rocket, sweet potato leaves etc just remove any thick stems.
Herbs - add herbs or leave them out (replace with more greens) completely up to you. Try adding 1/2 cup of herb such as parsley, chives or coriander for added flavour.
If you do not have a dehydrator you can use an oven on low to 50 degrees but be aware it may take up 6 hours so ensure you are home and not leaving the oven unattended.
These homemade spinach sushi wraps are a sustainable way to reduce kitchen waste and boost your nutrition. Whether you’re preserving an abundant garden harvest or just trying to eat healthier, they’re a delicious, eco-friendly addition to your kitchen staples.
Have odd fruit and veggies to use up? This leftover breakfast loaf is a great way to reduce waste and make a delicious and healthy breakfast (or anytime) alternative. This recipe is flexible to allow a range of fruits, nuts, and seeds you have available.
Leftover Breakfast Loaf
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Additional Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour20 minutes
Have random odd fruit and veggies that need to be used up? This leftover breakfast loaf is a delicious way to make sure they don't go to waste.
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
2 cups flour
1 cup oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
1 TBSP Baking Powder
1/2 cup seeds (i used 50:50 pumpkin and sunflower)
1/2 cup walnuts (choose your favourite nuts)
1 TBSP Poppy Seeds
1/2 cup chopped mixed dried fruit (Goji berries, apricot, raisons)
Wet ingredients
1/2 cup coconut oil (liquid)
1/2 cup quality maple syrup
3/4 cup oat milk (or preferred milk)
Fruit & Veggies
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup chopped greens/ spinach
1 cup grated pear (or apple)
1 cup diced Apricot & strawberry (swap for berries or cherries)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
Grate and add chopped fruit and veggies to a bowl along with all the wet ingredients. Stir to combine.
Fold in the dry to the wet mix and combine with minimal mixing (don't over-mix).
Grease a loaf or bread tin and add in the mix. Bake for 45 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean.
If there is a little too much for the tin ( in my case) add to muffin trays (but these will only take 20 minutes).
Allow the tin to cool for 10 minutes then remove the loaf and cool for a further 10-15mins on a wire rack (do not slice straight out of the oven or it will fall apart and turn dry).
Notes
To freeze the extra loaf cut it into slices first and pop it in the compostable ziplock bags.
Mix and match fruit, veggies, nuts, and seeds to make your own delicious blends.
Frozen berries can be used add them in frozen don't thaw them out first.
Soft pillowy spinach gnocchi with crispy potato skins. Serve with herbed butter or the simple roasted tomato sauce recipe. Delicious! Unlike most spinach varieties the NZ Spinach / Warrigal greens produce in abundance over the summer! This edible ground cover is a powerhouse in the garden and pairs well with so many dishes. Spinach gnocchi is so vibrant and delicious! Making gnocchi can seem scary but this recipe has just 4 ingredients and is so worth it! I have used NZ spinach but you could swap it out for regular spinach, chard, or any other leafy greens you have growing in the garden.
Most recipes call for the skins to be removed so after the potatoes are baked we fry them up and add them on top for a low-waste delicious meal!
Which Potatoes work best?
Floury potatoes work best (not waxy) such as Desiree, Yukon Gold, and Creme Royle. AVOID – Red Royle, Kipler. Normal “white potatoes” at the supermarkets tend to be quite waxy. This means your gnocchi will have more little lumps in but still possible.
Can I use different greens?
Yes! I love my recipes to be flexible with what is in season and growing in my garden. Try swapping NZ spinach for: Chard (remove stalks and fry them up to add to the dish), other spinach varieties, Kale, Beetroot leaves, Sweet potato leaves, or a mixed combination!
NZ Spinach Gnocchi with Crispy Potato skins
Yield: serves 4
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours15 minutes
Soft pillowy spinach gnocchi with crispy potato skins. Serve with herbed butter or the simple roasted tomato sauce recipe. Delicious!
Ingredients
Spinach Gnocchi
4 medium-large potatoes (see notes)
2 cups NZ Spinach (or other leafy greens such as chard or spinach)
1 1/4 cups flour (see notes)
1 tsp salt
Crispy Potato Skins
1-2 sprigs of fresh Thyme
1 TBSP Butter
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Wash your potatoes and stab holes all over with a fork. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of salt and bake for 45-1hour or until a fork easily goes right through. If some are larger than others keep them in a little longer. You don't want any hard potato bits for this.
While the potatoes cook blanch your greens. Remove hard stems and cook them in simmering water until vibrant green (40 seconds - 1 minute) then plunge into a bowl of iced water. Strain and blitz using a blender or mixer until a puree. Add a splash of water if needed to get blended.
Remove potatoes from the oven and allow them to cool (until you can easily peel them).
Peel the skins off using a knife or just peel them back with your fingers. They are quite easy to peel once the skin is cooked and slightly golden. Don't waste these delicious skins! Put them on a plate and set them aside.
Mash the potatoes into a fine mash. Use a potato ricer or a potato masher and fork to get all the little lumps out.
Add mashed potato to a bowl and mix in 1/2 cup of greens puree and 1 tsp salt. Mix until fully combined.
Add in flour in parts and mix to form a dough. You may need a little less or a little more flour depending on how much moisture was in the potatoes and greens. You want it to still be slightly sticky but easy enough to roll. Similar to cookie dough. The more flour you add the tougher they get so try to keep less is more approach but it needs to be workable.
Divide the dough into 1/4s and roll long sausage lengths onto a floured surface. Cut into 1-inch lengths.
Have a floured tray or plate ready to put your finished gnocchi on.
Using your thumb push down and roll each gnocchi piece over the back of a fork or a gnocchi board ($4 at most kitchen stores) to create the lines. This is optional. The lines make them look the part and also allow more space for flavour to cling to.
In a pan add butter and thyme and fry potato skins until crispy. Set aside.
There are two ways to cook gnocchi - boiled or pan-fried, both are delicious. For this recipe, I used the boiling method because I was serving it with crispy potato skins. To boil add your gnocchi to a pot of boiling water seasoned with salt. Cook until they float to the surface (roughly 1 minute). Do this in batches so you don't overcrowd the pot and all the gnocchi have room to float to the surface. Strain and add to a serving bowl. To pan fry - add butter or oil to a pan (chuck in some more thyme and cook the gnocchi until slightly golden on each side)
Pour over hot tomato sauce or herb-infused brown butter and top with crispy potato skins.
Notes
Make the tomato sauce at the same time while you wait for your potatoes to cook. Tomatoes can be roasted in the oven along with the potatoes.
Choosing potatoes - Floury potatoes work best (not waxy) such as Desiree, Yukon Gold, and Creme Royle. AVOID - Red Royle, Kipler. Normal "white potatoes" at the supermarkets tend to be quite waxy. This means your gnocchi will have more little lumps in but still possible.
Flour - low protein flour is best for Gnocchi but all-purpose flour also works.
Made extra? Freeze your uncooked gnocchi pieces on a floured tray and once frozen add them to a freezer bag or container. Next time you want a meal simply pull out and boil from frozen or defrost and panfry.
Simple Roast Tomato Sauce
Yield: 2 cups / 400-500g
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Additional Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Simple and delicious tomato sauce. Staple condiment and the backbone of so many garden-to-plate dishes!
Ingredients
6-8 medium tomatoes (or 2-3 cups of cherry tomatoes)
2-3 Garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
4 TSBP Olive oil
1 medium brown onion
1 TBSP Balsamic vinegar
5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme (2inch long)
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius. Drizzle roughly 1 TSBP oil in a roast dish.
Cut tomatoes in half and add to the roasting dish skin side down. Add Garlic cloves (skin on) and thyme throughout the tomatoes.
Drizzle another TBSP of olive oil on top and season with salt.
Roast for 40-45 minutes until cooked and slightly golden. Time will be significantly less for cherry tomatoes (20 minutes).
While the tomatoes are roasting, dice the onion and add to a pan with 1 TBSP olive oil. Cook until soft and slightly brown. Pour in the balsamic and deglaze the pan (get all the delicious flavour off the bottom). Remove from the heat.
Remove the garlic from the skins and add the roasted ingredients to a blender (or jug and use a stick mixer). Allow the tomatoes to cool slightly before blitzing so the mixture isn't piping hot. Add in the chopped fresh basil, chilli flakes, and cooked onions. Blitz to combine. Smooth or chunky however you prefer.
Taste and season with extra salt or chilli to your liking.
Notes
Tomatoes will have varying amounts of liquid. If you get a lot of liquid in the bottom of the roasting dish, pour some to the side and blitz then add if you want a runnier sauce.
Add excess to a jar and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days or freeze for longer storage.
NZ Spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides) also known in Australia as Warrigal greens is a perennial green with beautiful lush leaves. Although not part of the Spinach family, NZ Spinach is used as a spinach substitute. The great thing about this edible plant is that, unlike many spinach varieties, it thrives in warm weather! It has thicker more succulent style leaves perfect for warm climates or coastal sea spray.
NZ spinach grows as a thick edible ground cover and will cover and protect the soil in just a few short weeks. Thus, providing an abundance of leafy greens to eat!
Springafter the last frost.Can be grown all year round in many climates.
SOIL
Fertile, moist, well-drained soil. Plenty of compost.pH 6.8-7
LOCATION
Full sun – Dappled or shaded position.
CARE
Regular watering.
FERTILISE
Compost teas or liquid fertilisers.
PESTS
Slug and snail.
HARVEST
Harvest regularly to keep contained.
REPRODUCE
Grows easily from cuttings
Why Grow NZ Spinach?
There are many reasons to grow NZ spinach and it is so easy to grow!
Here are some of the many reasons to grow NZ Spinach
Easy to grow
Abundant producer!
Handles hot climates
Low maintenance
Edible ground cover
Antioxidants
High in vitamins A, C,B1,B2
Protects soil
Cut and come again harvest
Suppress weeds
Pest resistant
Handles coastal environments
When to Plant NZ Spinach
NZ Spinach is a hardy perennial but thrives in warm weather. It does not tolerate frosts so it may be grown as an annual in climates that receive cold frosty winters. Sow in Spring after your last frost. It is a vigorous grower so make sure you have space for it or it will overtake small plants. Great for a food forest-style garden or low-maintenance corners.
How to Grow NZ Spinach
Choose a sunny spot with dappled or part shade in the heat of summer.
Prepare the soil with rich compost
Direct sow seeds or plant in seed trays first. Can benefit from soaking the seeds in water overnight first.
1-2 plants per person is plenty!
Plant seedlings on small mounds to keep them well drained.
Care/ Maintenance
Protection from the harsh summer sun can help the flavour of NZ Spinach and reduce bitterness. Keep well watered in warm temperatures.
Once the plant is well established with approx 1m sprawl you can start harvesting stems at 3-4 inch pieces. This will help contain the plant and also promote new fresh growth which tastes the best!
Use clean, sharp kitchen scissors to cut your harvest.
At the end of summer, it can be a good idea to back old growth and use as mulch.
Cut and come again crop that will regrow quickly. I often harvest and use in meals every other day.
Reproducing
Take cuttings and allow to root in a jar of water. Refresh the water every few days. Seeds can also be saved and will flower with tiny yellow flowers on the stem. Once the seeds form and turn brown, collect them and dry them further. Keep in a dark, cool and dry environment.
Cooking and Using NZ Spinach
NZ Spinach like many leafy greens contains high oxalates so it is best to blanch greens first. Blanch greens in simmering hot water for 2mins and then plunge them into ice-cold water to keep them vibrant and fresh. Or simply cook or stir-fry. Young leaves can be eaten raw in small amounts. NZ Spinach is great to cook/blanch and freezes for future use. Or try fermented greens.
