my wife was a lawn person too until i convinced her that the land would be much better utilized for food. she at 1st wanted to leave some lawn but since she’s been eating the fruits of my labor, shes all in about growing more fruits, veggies and herbs. as long as i take care of it and it looks nice. grow something she likes to eat or her favorite flowers. 
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If you look through my profile you can see one of my espalliers.
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I’ll be following along to see the replies in this thread. Still in early planting phases to convert our mostly grassy 0.15 acres (including house & greenhouse) to food-producing trees and garden. So far I have planted out:
24 cold-hardy avocados
3 loquats
2 feijoas
3 pawpaws
1 raspberry
1 fig
2 Chilean guavas
1 Luma apiculata
5 hardy kiwis
2 honeyberries
2 Psidium longipetiolatum
1 Chilean wine palm (for future generations)
3 “edible” seeded bananas to test hardiness
A few other random obscure things I’m forgetting
There is still a lot of lawn left to destroy, especially if many of the avocados end up dying.
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Dave Wilson Nursery posted a YouTube video several years back where a person had ~50 fruit varieties on a 1/4 lot from what I recall.
I’ve used that video and their high density planting suggestions as inspiration to put the following on my 1/4 lot (about 1/8 acre of plantable land).
8 apple trees (7 are espalier)
1 espalier pear
9 citrus
7 plums/pluots
2 apricots
1 peach
1 persimmon
2 pomegranates
3 figs
15 blueberries (potted now, but I’m going to plant them). I’ll be planting them 2 feet apart in ground soon.
A bunch of other cane berries. Upright blackberries between my pluots.
I’m planting 5 more trees I have in pots, and 2 others that I’ve ordered this year.
Most of my trees are ~7 feet apart. Except I did one 4-in-1 hole DWN style, and my figs are 3-4feet apart.
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I have espalier trees along a south facing wall with strawberries planted under the trees. I am thinking about planting berry bushes between the trees but am concerned that they might provide too much shade for the strawberries. * Any suggestions for berry bushes?
- Will they provide too much shade for the strawberries?
Try honeyberries if you are concerned about shade. tl:dr, Aurora is considered best tasting for fresh eating but you need a pollinator, I’m going with Indigo Gem but Honeybee works well too and is tart, good for baking. The other best currently available groups are Blizzard Beauty and Beast, as well as some of Dr Maxine Thompsons selections like Maxie and Solo. I’ve done the least research on the latter group because they force you to sign non-propogation agreements with purchase everywhere I’ve seen them for sale even though Dr. Thompson has unfortunately passed away. Another newer one that goes with BBB trio is Strawberry Sensation which is harder to find.
Sources: Cuttings on the forum, www.floramaxx.ca (BBB, Aurora, Honeybee, Gem for the best price for small orders, about $5+ shipping per) Honeyberry USA or Indiana Berry for only a couple plants that are hard to find, or Hartmannsplantcompany.com for larger quantities at very low cost per plant (minimum order 100)
Honeyberries will be the earliest fruit of the season and may lose their leaves in time for strawberry season depending on the cultivar you pick.
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Congrats to your gardening success. Terracing, just like raised beds, provides some good growing conditions.
Planting closer, or multi-graft trees may be your way to getting a bit more.
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Female Ginkgo trees bear fruits containing nuts…and grass grows well under them even when the tree is large. (You’d have to like ginkgo nuts and not mind the mess…but many in China and other Asian places eat gingko seeds.) (Or so I am told…as I’ve not personally witnessed it.)
Anyhow that seems a compromise for someone that can’t live without a lawn.
currants grow/ produce well even in some shade. black currants make the best jam/ juice. they are shallow rooted so they shouldnt compete with your trees.
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My experience with female ginkos is from the Indiana University campus.
- Borja, Lexie. “What’s That Awful Smell on the Way to Class? It Might Be a Ginkgo Tree.” Indiana Daily Student [Bloomington] 18 Sept. 2018. 16 Dec. 2021 <https://www.idsnews.com/article/2018/09/whats-that-awful-smell-on-the-way-to-class-it-might-be-a-ginkgo-tree>.
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I have had an article I composed on Ginko that has appeared in several newspapers and the now-defunct “All Things Country” magazine, and I even add that my college professor 45 years ago stumped everyone in class on ID-ing a ginkgo tree on campus…except me.
The first big crop of nuts I encountered came from the Lexington Kentucky Cemetery. And I noticed little foul smell. But, any rotting fruit can smell foul…I get that.
The “don’t plant a female ginkgo” crowd remind me of the “don’t go out without a mask crowd”…over dramatic.
There’s a big female ginkgo in a front yard on Chestnut street in Berea KY that I pass fairly often…never have asked myself “what’s that smell”…
I suppose like raising chickens, a little smell goes with the territory…
or like beekeeping, a few stings goes with the territory.
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I have a seedling Gingko in the edge of our yard. Time will tell if it turns out to be a “stinky” one or not 
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Ginkgo is a common street tree here. Some of the male grafts have failed and you will sometimes encounter a female tree dropping fruit. I think their stink has a “vomit” tinge to it that makes its stink a little more offensive. If it smelled strongly in a different way I feel like folks would tolerate it better.
I think there are quite a few dwarf cultivars but I don’t know if they’re male or female. My guess is male if they were being sold for ornamental value in the nursery trade.
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The problem with ginkgo as food is that it’s poisonous of consumed in quantity. It’s definitely not a food you want to hinge your diet on, but it can make a decent seasonal treat.
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I see a few folks wondering what to plant under espaliers. I didn’t have a dedicated bed for herbs, so at the old place I planted mint, oregano, thyme, and lavender under the espaliers.
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1 2 3… Tree layer…Shrub layer… Herb layer
This young lady covers the herb layer nicely… and others… she does permaculture food forest as a profession.
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You could say the same about pawpaws, elderberries, wild yams and any number of plants. As you may know, cashew nuts are deadly if not treated properly.
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That’s the problem, though. Even when treated properly, should only be eaten in moderation.
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this is exactly how i did my yard and am still adding to it here and there. try to keep garlic and perennial onions under my fruit trees to deter pests. i keep everything in rows so i can mow in between them for ease of picking. pruning and spraying if needed. should have the forest trail effect once all my trees and bushes fill in and grow up more. id say in another 3-4 years it should be there.
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@steveb4 how do you incorporate the garlic underfoot? I’ve tended to use a perennial crop/ground cover because I worry about disturbing the tree roots. I am doing espalier along a fence line, though – perhaps your situation is different.