mint
Plantings that produce food over the long term?
I'm interested in planting more "crops" hat can be left to go wild, and still produce. Any other ideas? Thanks.
Asparagus
Jerusalem artichokes
Chinese artichokes (crosnes)
Rhubarb
Orchard fruits
Berries and grapes
Nut trees
Asparagus
Jerusalem artichokes
Chinese artichokes (crosnes)
Rhubarb
Orchard fruits
Berries and grapes
Nut trees
1 - 20 of 21 Posts
horseradish, rosemary, shiittake mushroom logs
runner beans (scarlet creepers are what we have)
lemon balm (related to the mint)
lemon balm (related to the mint)
dandelion
bok choi
fennel
ostrish ferns
purslane
dill
cilantro
oregano
thyme
sage
lavendar
walking onions
salsify
violets
chinese cabbage
spinach
lettuce
radishes
For the greens and coles on the list, as well as some of the herbs, if planted early, they'll reseed themselves and get up to size by fall. Just throw some more seed down in the early summer to get more to reseed in the fall.
The salsify will reseed and come up again in the spring. The rest spread by seeds, roots, and/or creeping across the ground, surviving most winters without protection. Thyme needs protection here, but not more than a nice thick mulch on top.
Also, chard will survive January thaws/freezes with some protection, as well as kale.
Amaranth, I have no experience with except for the wild variety which grows here known as pigweed, but the wild varient reseeds and comes up every year en masse. If the edible grain variety is as hardy, the seeds remain viable in the ground for up to five years.
bok choi
fennel
ostrish ferns
purslane
dill
cilantro
oregano
thyme
sage
lavendar
walking onions
salsify
violets
chinese cabbage
spinach
lettuce
radishes
For the greens and coles on the list, as well as some of the herbs, if planted early, they'll reseed themselves and get up to size by fall. Just throw some more seed down in the early summer to get more to reseed in the fall.
The salsify will reseed and come up again in the spring. The rest spread by seeds, roots, and/or creeping across the ground, surviving most winters without protection. Thyme needs protection here, but not more than a nice thick mulch on top.
Also, chard will survive January thaws/freezes with some protection, as well as kale.
Amaranth, I have no experience with except for the wild variety which grows here known as pigweed, but the wild varient reseeds and comes up every year en masse. If the edible grain variety is as hardy, the seeds remain viable in the ground for up to five years.
Dexter, I see you're in B.C. What is your hardiness zone? If you have a mild enough climate, you could possibly let tomatillos naturalize. They're like tomatoes in that they reseed prolifically. Ours season is too short to make this worthwhile, but we're a zone 5.
cherry tomatos.
determined little things.
Shelly
determined little things.
Shelly
Your the garlic lady and you didn't mention garlic???:stars: What's wrong with you.......did ya forget yer own name?!?!:bash:horseradish, rosemary, shiittake mushroom logs
Well I did think about it. Elephant garlic is really good about propagating it self through the corms even if you harvest all the bulbs to eat. But any of the other garlics can be left in the ground to come back but if you leave it in the ground you cant eat it .
I am not sure how cold BC gets elephant grows well here but in some colder areas of the US preforms poorly especially for self propagation. Of course rosemary doesn't survive really cold winters either. It would help to know the zone
I am not sure how cold BC gets elephant grows well here but in some colder areas of the US preforms poorly especially for self propagation. Of course rosemary doesn't survive really cold winters either. It would help to know the zone
why can't you eat it if it's in the ground replanting itself? or did I misunderstand you? I leave mine in all the time and just pull out what I will use that year or think I will use. It seems to do o.k:stars:But any of the other garlics can be left in the ground to come back but if you leave it in the ground you cant eat it .
If you put up an asparagus bed in the right spot, it's produce annually for about 10 to 15 years with low maintenance.
I like asparagus, but I don't like the smelly after affects!
I like asparagus, but I don't like the smelly after affects!
well you can eat it but you can't eat it it all . The only garlic that seems to do well here if left in the ground is elephant. But we are a garlic farm so we harvest to sell and eat and we want to replant the biggest and best for a great harvest the next year. Some garlics get left sometimes accidentlly but the only ones worth pulling up are elephant . The others especially hardnecks rarely survive to harvest time.why can't you eat it if it's in the ground replanting itself? or did I misunderstand you? I leave mine in all the time and just pull out what I will use that year or think I will use. It seems to do o.k:stars:
I have had alot of folks that tell me they have an old garlic patch coming back every year but I ask them how it taste and they say I don't know I never pull it up ! They do say they have purple flowers so I know it is elephant.
G
Me too. Just dig up a few bulbs now and again. It doesn't seem to hurt the patch a bit. In fact, it multiplies so fast sometimes it has to be thinned. It's just regular garlic like what you get in the produce dept at the grocery store.why can't you eat it if it's in the ground replanting itself? or did I misunderstand you? I leave mine in all the time and just pull out what I will use that year or think I will use. It seems to do o.k:stars:
There is a book out called, "Perennial vegetables" you could check out. They sell it at Amazon, etc.
I use the subtitle "Wild Tomato Microfarm" because tomatoes spring up almost everywhere in my yard. My wild varieties include cherry, roma and beefstake. Last year I had one tomato in the flower bed in my front yard. This year I had 7 tomato plants in that one area. I also get a good crop of wild onions.
Why not potatoes? We are not far from B.C. and we have red potatoes that grow on their own every year from all the tiny ones we leave in the ground. We also have what we call an "indian" potato. It's kind of long & narrow & knobby. Those things are extremely prolific and we have not planted any new ones for at least 5 years, they keep coming back no matter how hard we try to dig them all up. I don't care for the texture, too much like waterchestnuts to me. But it's food!
Cold hardy rosemaries (Zone 6, down to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit)Of course rosemary doesn't survive really cold winters either. It would help to know the zone
http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/rosoffmadelinehill.htm
http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/rosoffarp.htm
Oh, I need to get some of that cold hardy rosemary. I love the stuff and have killed more rosemary plants than I care to think about!
If you're in the maritime forest area of BC, how about Chantrelles? They grow wild in my woods. I'm embarrassed to say that until just a month ago or so, I didn't know I had edible (and absolutely delicious) mushrooms growing! Now that I know, I've been harvesting them regularly - just put a bunch in the dehydrator last night and added some to the pot of soup I was making. Yummy!
I second the potatoes. Seems no matter how carefully I dig, there are always plenty of potatoes that come back on their own the next year.
If you're in the maritime forest area of BC, how about Chantrelles? They grow wild in my woods. I'm embarrassed to say that until just a month ago or so, I didn't know I had edible (and absolutely delicious) mushrooms growing!
Now that I know, I've been harvesting them regularly - just put a bunch in the dehydrator last night and added some to the pot of soup I was making. Yummy!I second the potatoes. Seems no matter how carefully I dig, there are always plenty of potatoes that come back on their own the next year.
Pumpkin or heirloom winter squash....let one rot in the spot you want it to grow next year...its amazing how much "food" one seed can produce....and don't forget to roast the seeds when you eat one!
In survival mode, I'd go for the potatoes, winter squash, green/yellow/beans, broc. and swisschard and bok choi for greens. Broc. gives a nice main head and then many pickings of flowerettes. I love tomatoes BUT they are not the easiest crop to get a consistent harvest from.
In survival mode, I'd go for the potatoes, winter squash, green/yellow/beans, broc. and swisschard and bok choi for greens. Broc. gives a nice main head and then many pickings of flowerettes. I love tomatoes BUT they are not the easiest crop to get a consistent harvest from.
1 - 20 of 21 Posts
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