growing unusual plants

debbiekatiesmom · #1 02/19/11, 07:18 AM

does anyone grow unusual plants not of the usual garden variety? does anyone grow cotton, tobacco, peanuts,sorghum, broomstraw(?), etc? how about unusual plants or fruits like kiwi, seabuckthorn, goji berries, hops, etc? and if you do, what special conditions or needs are required and are they a good prep item or just not worth the time or effort or space? do you recommend this plant or any other thoughts on it?

TheMartianChick · #2 02/19/11, 04:04 PM

I have a kiwi plant that is cold hardy... The problem is that you need both a male and a female plant. I originally ordered both and one died. I don't know the sex of the remaining plant so...I will need to buy another pair of plants to ensure that I have one of each.

So far, it hasn't seemed to need much in the way of special care. When I eventually get fruit, it will be smooth, not fuzzy like the ones that you see at the store.

bee · #3 02/19/11, 04:32 PM

I have grown broomcorn and plan to again this year..needs just what regular corn does.
The same goes for the sorgum; this year trying a popping variety and a syrup variety. Have peanuts and kiwi plants here ready to plant when it warms up. Also something called Che; fruit reminds me of the fruit on a Kousa Dogwood(which is also edible) only with a texture more like a ripe fig. I planted the seabuckthorn last year but lost them to the drought..luckily my neighbor that gave them to me has more runners to get rid of..btw this is also a plant where you need a male and female. I have sampled the berries and they are tart but flavorful and will make a good high C fruit drink. No real special care once established. I also planted Aronia, the berries are kind of dry and since the plant is only a couple of years old and coming back from a major dog attack(don't ask) I haven't gotten enough berries yet to make juice. I am concentrating on getting a lot of elderberries going..I found I like elderberry jelly and as I type am taking an elderberry syrup for my imune system to help throw off a sinus infection.

We could make an entire list of unusual edibles or you can go to Raintree Nusery and look at their online catalog...everything from cranberry to heartnuts and edible bamboos......

Ernie · #4 02/19/11, 04:52 PM

Free Tommy Chong!

EDIT: Oh, my bad. Wrong forum for unusual plants.

beaglebiz · #5 02/19/11, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ernie

Free Tommy Chong!

EDIT: Oh, my bad. Wrong forum for unusual plants.

hee hee...you bad

7thswan · #6 02/19/11, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMartianChick

I have a kiwi plant that is cold hardy... The problem is that you need both a male and a female plant. I originally ordered both and one died. I don't know the sex of the remaining plant so...I will need to buy another pair of plants to ensure that I have one of each.

So far, it hasn't seemed to need much in the way of special care. When I eventually get fruit, it will be smooth, not fuzzy like the ones that you see at the store.

I think the nursery would be able to tell you which is male and female. Northen Kiwi here also. Golden Hops. I have some tobbaco seeds just to try them(sooo tiny). Planted something called a Saskatoon blueberry, it's a bush/tree, hasen't produced yet.

halfpint · #7 02/19/11, 05:48 PM

We have kiwi here and around here they seem to be kin to kudzu. We have to cut ours back to about 3-4' about every 4-5 years (besides the annual cutting back) as it will take over the house if we don't. We probably harvested about 8 full grocery sacks of kiwi last year, we gave away most of it and are still eating kiwi that we stored in the fridge. We don't eat jelly or preserves, but could have made a lot of those if we did. I usually put a kiwi in my kefir smoothie every morning, along with either our frozen or canned blueberries.

I have grown cotton and peanuts - but only in small quantities to show our children what it grew like, and what they are like to harvest. Our soil isn't really sandy enough for peanuts, so they didn't get as large as the ones we purchase from the farms further south.

I think your local nursery should be able to tell you what type of Kiwi to get - and make sure you get a male and female plant. We have one male and 3 females.

Dawn

beaglebiz · #8 02/19/11, 06:45 PM

is the cold hardy kiwi actually a gooseberry??
Anyone have them with success zones 3-5??

Danaus29 · #9 02/19/11, 07:17 PM

Kiwi is not gooseberry. Gooseberry is a bush, kiwi is a vine.

My grandfather had a cold hardy kiwi (zone 5) from which he never got any fruit, yes he had both male and female, despite the fact that the kiwi vine swallowed a huge section of cattle panel fencing, a cedar tree and an electric pole. His gooseberries were polite little shrubs that never got wider than 5 feet or taller than 3 feet and produced tons of berries every summer. He loved his gooseberry pie, grandma hated making it.

Riverdale · #10 02/19/11, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 7thswan

I think the nursery would be able to tell you which is male and female. Northen Kiwi here also. Golden Hops. I have some tobbaco seeds just to try them(sooo tiny). Planted something called a Saskatoon blueberry, it's a bush/tree, hasen't produced yet.

7th, I am thinking about Saskatoons.

bee · #11 02/19/11, 08:17 PM

Saskatoon grows wild here but we call them serviceberry,sarvis or shadblow. This is a member of the rose/apple family and if you have native cedar you can have a problem with the cedar-apple rust. They are rarely seen growing in the open around here; seem to be an understory tree needing part shade.

They make a wonderful "mock" blueberry pie! I usually watch for the best amount of bloom and hit those trees in early june. Got to be quick, birds love them.

ChristyACB · #12 02/20/11, 12:10 AM

Not on your list, but I grow coffee, bananas and olives (gorgeous, delicious arbequinas)

I grow all those in pots, big ones, until I get to my final destination after the military.

Olive oil in hard times will make me very happy...so I grow them. They are pretty cold hardy but I do have to bring them inside the garage if it is going to get below 20 for any length of time. That isn't very often here. Very pretty tree too.

laughaha · #13 02/20/11, 09:52 AM

I grew Yacon one year, even got it to flower before frost by planting in tires stacked 3 high. Good harvest, I liked it but DH absolutely hated it.

Got some tobacco seeds I'm gonna start soon just to play with.

Got tomato plants in the pantry- I dig up one or two roma's every fall and bring them inside. Get a few tomatoes weekly off them and then start pinching flowers and make LOTS of new plants by rooting branches in water. Paquebot's roma seems to do well inside during the winter.

Elderberry's make a great cough syrup/cordial that I make yearly and mellow for a couple years. Works well. Also a great landscape bush.

Planting Amaranth this year.

Christy ACB- How much coffee do you get off your inside vines? How do you turn your olives into olive oil? I've always been interested in growing both of these but didn't figure you'd get enough to make it worthwhile. I would love to be wrong on this.