From Seed to Snack: Plant a Dog-Friendly Garden for Fun & Food

Grow Vegetables and Fruits for Your Dog

I love saving money, but I also love spoiling my dogs with healthy treats! With four dogs, the price of dog treats can add up quickly. My husband and I wanted to find a way that we could still spoil our pups without spending a fortune, so we decided to make the switch and plant a dog-friendly garden. This way we were able to provide healthy, budget-friendly treats by growing our own fruits and vegetables for our dogs. The best part is that many of the same foods that you can grow for your dogs can also be used in your own meals. This means you can get the maximum use of your garden space.

What is a Dog-Friendly Garden?

A dog-friendly garden is simply a garden that is safe for your dog. In this post, I will take it a step further and focus more on planting a garden full of plants that your dog can use. This will cover vegetables, fruits, and herbs that can be used for all sorts of pet enrichment. You can utilize herbs in different types of scent enrichment or alongside fruits and vegetables in DIY Dog Popsicles or in baked goods. The fruits and vegetables can also be fed by themselves as low-calorie dog treats.

Why Plant a Dog-Friendly Garden?

If you want to provide your pet with healthy treats and other enrichment opportunities, then planting a dog-friendly garden makes perfect sense.

• If your dog has put on a couple of extra pounds, replacing some of your store-bought treats with fruits and vegetables will cut down their daily calorie input and will help them get back to a healthy weight. What’s makes this even better is that many fruits and vegetables have additional benefits to our pups due to the vitamins and minerals they have. For example, some foods like pumpkin, help with digestive issues.
• By giving your pup treats that you grow yourself, you can worry less about the quality of treats that are available in stores. It can be hard to know which companies are safe to buy from and accidents do happen in the factories. When you buy treats from the store, always research the brand, and look at how often their products have been recalled before you buy from the company. This will help keep your pups safe. The plus side of growing your own foods in your dog-friendly garden is that you know what you are giving your pet.
• Growing foods that your dog can eat will also save you money. High-quality dog treats can be expensive. You can save money (especially if you grow your plants from seed) by using the fruits and vegetables that you grow as dog treats. By preserving your harvest, you can even use what you grow all year long.

How to Plant a Dog-Friendly Garden?

To ensure that your garden is dog-friendly, you need to make sure that everything you plant is dog-safe. Any type of plants that are not safe for your pups should be properly secured to prevent them from getting access to them. You can do this by creating a raised garden bed, planting container gardens, or by blocking off areas using fencing. Since this post is dedicated to plants that your dog can use, we will focus more on picking plants that are safe for your dog to eat.

Selecting Dog-Friendly Fruits and vegetables

When selecting your fruits and vegetables, a quick internet search can tell you whether a particular food is safe for dogs. The most important thing to remember when doing your research is to verify the information you find with at least 2 other reliable sources like the ASPCA or a veterinary clinic website like VCA. It is also best to check with your own veterinarian before trying something new, especially if your pup is on any medications or has health concerns. Some foods can alter the effects of medications or make certain health conditions better or worse.

Having open discussions with your trusted vet is especially important nowadays with groups rushing to jump on the latest trends or trying to convince pet owners of miracle cures to all sorts of problems. Take note of the type of and a number of studies that have been done to support the claims you find on websites and ask your vet for any questions or clarifications that you have. New legitimate research is being done every day and if you have a great vet, they can tell you what they know and will admit if they don’t have enough information to give you an answer.

Taste Tests

Before you invest your time, money, and garden space on plants, do a few taste tests to make sure that your dog will eat what you have chosen to grow. At our house, we plant for both humans and dogs so we can get full use of our garden. First, make a list of fruits, vegetables, and herbs that you like to eat. Then check those items to see which ones are dog friendly. After you have verified which foods are dog safe, you can buy some from your local farmers’ market or grocery store and see which ones your dog will eat. Keep in mind that some of the foods can be used in DIY dog treat recipes and herbs can also be used as scent enrichment.

It may take a couple of tries before your dog is willing to try new food. You can also test to see how they prefer to eat it. Your dog may not eat some vegetables raw, but they might eat them when they are cooked.   Just remember that you should always be present when giving your dog something new in case there’s an unknown allergy or the food becomes a choking hazard. Certain foods may need to be cut or presented in a particular way to prevent any choking risks. You know your dog best. If you think a certain food may cause issues, then don’t risk it.

Dog-Friendly Vegetable Garden

There are a variety of vegetables that you can plant for your dogs. Broccoli, carrots, potatoes, and lettuce are all good options that you can also easily use for human meals too. Be mindful of the amounts and the way that you give this vegetable to your pup. Too much of any type of food can be harmful due to the high amounts of certain vitamins or minerals that they have. Some foods like carrots need to be carefully given because they can be a choking hazard. Keep in mind that you also have the option of cooking many of these vegetables for your pup. Some dogs may find the cooked option tastier and easier to eat especially if they are older or have dental problems.

Dog-Friendly Fruit Garden

You will have an abundance of fruits to choose from when you are planting your dog-friendly garden. Many berries are dog safe like strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. If you live in a more tropical climate, you can also grow fruits like bananas and mangoes. Members of the squash family including pumpkin may also be good options for you. You will need to be mindful when giving your pup fruits especially if they have seeds in them. Some seeds like apples carry small traces of cyanide which can be harmful in larger amounts or if your pup is especially sensitive. Depending on the size of the seed, they can also be choking hazards. Feeding a lot of fruit can also lead to digestive issues.

Dog-Friendly Herb Garden

Many herbs are considered safe for dogs. If you are wondering how you might use herbs for your pup they can actually be utilized in several ways. You can use them in homemade dog food and treats or as scent enrichment.

Selecting and Starting Your Garden Site

Now that you have a list of plants that you want to grow, you will have to pick where you want your garden. Think about the amount of sun and space each plant will require, and how many plants you will want to grow in your garden. This will also help you decide if you want to do container gardening, raised beds, a typical garden, or a combination of any of these options.

Once you decide how many, what kind, and where you will want your garden, it will be time to prep the area and plant your seeds or seedlings. For most fruits and vegetables, you will want to try to keep your pets away from them until the plants are able to get fully established so they have the best chance to grow and produce food. It will be up to you to decide how you want to operate your garden spaces. We chose to use raised garden beds and containers to prevent our pups from damaging the plants that produce food.

If this is your first time growing a garden, there are a ton of great websites that will help walk you through the steps. However, every garden is different and will present different challenges, so remember that it will be a learning curve. As time goes on, you will discover what plants do best in your yard and get a better idea of which plants and amounts are right for your household. As you grow more confident in your gardening skills, you can start experimenting with more difficult plants!

Things to Think About

• Before you get started, I do want to reinforce the importance of double-checking that the foods you have selected to plant are safe for your pup. If your dog has access to the garden space, you will want to go even further and verify that the entire plant is non-toxic to your dog. This is important because some plants have one or two specific parts (leaves, roots, flowers, etc) that may be more dangerous to your dog than other parts of the plant.
• When selecting how many of each plant you want in your garden, try to think of what you will be using it for and how much of that food you can use. Will you be using it for your meals as well? Do you have the time it will take to properly harvest it and save the extra for the winter months?
• Another important thing to consider is whether you will be around when the fruits and vegetables are ready to be harvested? Some plants can be left on the vine or in the ground for longer periods of time whereas other foods need to be harvested shortly after they have ripened. If you have vacation plans that overlap ‘harvest time’, you might lose the bulk of the produce you have worked to grow.

Start Your Dog-Friendly Garden!

I love making my garden more dog friendly. It gives me more reasons to be outside with our pups because I can work in the garden while they relax in the sun. At the same time, I love growing foods that can provide healthy treats for them AND put food on our table. The best part is that I can give my dogs a variety of fun treats for less than I would spend on the high-quality treats found in the store. This is especially nice when you are buying for multiple pets. I would love to know if you decide to plant a more dog-friendly garden this year- let me know in the comments!

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