Edible landscaping, anyone
 

We have a nice orchard started, some grapes (we need some more), a nice Paw Paw grove, and various wild plants on our property. Elderberry, raspberry, black berry, rhubarb, asparagus, water cress, walnut and hickory trees. We also have a large garden and freeze, can and dry most of our vegetable needs for the year.

So I feel that we have the basics covered and am starting to expand our food options with edible landscaping.

Last year we planted Siberian Pea Shrubs, a member of the legume family. Grows to 12� and the peas are reported to be 36% protein. They can be ground for flour, sprouts or animal feed. We planted these down by our barn, figuring the chickens will love them.

We also planted some Serviceberry plants. Reaches 20-25� and the fruit is similar to similar to a blue berry.

I am now looking for suggestions for this years planting. What plants have you folks had good luck with?

Re: Edible landscaping, anyone
 

what do you have, if any, in the way of weeds ?
a common fallacy is that weeds ruin a picture perfect lawn ( dandelions )
with a little re/search, unsightly weeds become EDIBLE weeds

Re: Edible landscaping, anyone
 

Jerusalem artichokes literally grow like weeds and produce for me about 2 lbs of tubers each.

Re: Edible landscaping, anyone
 

I love this idea. If I ever buy property every damn plant on the premises will be edible or useful somehow. I especially like the ideas of growing fruit trees and hops. I understand that without spraying the fruit trees, they will very easily become bug infested though.

Re: Edible landscaping, anyone
 

I wouldn't plant anything unless it has a medicinal or edible function. Even if I let the birds harvest it for me.

I go to the Huntington to get ideas ... the herb garden there is worth seeing- if you're ever in the area, you should check it out. The ultimate preps garden.

http://www.huntington.org/huntingtonlibrary.aspx?id=506

Re: Edible landscaping, anyone
 

We do indeed have dandelions in our yard and fields. We make dandelion gravy, dandelion wine, and sometimes have fried the flowers up as fritters.

Sometimes in the spring I'll go on walk about and pick greens. Nettle shoots, raspberry shoots, clover sprigs, alfalfa sprigs, dandelion leaves and water cress are picked. Lightly boil in a pot (the nettle shoots you boil 2 times and change water each time before combining with the other greens) then add some cubed boiled potatoes and bacon. Makes a great spring tonic.

Re: Edible landscaping, anyone
 

We have a patch growing in our garden. You sure are right, I am not sure that we could get rid of them if we wanted to. LOL

What's the best way to cook them? Do you eat them peels and all? They are sure a pain to peel.

Re: Edible landscaping, anyone
 

I am growing a variety of plants, with a section (not literally) devoted to native forest for a woodlot, and an agricultural area for growing food.

I grow my fruit and nut trees in alternating rows avoiding a monoculture where pests can accumulate. For example, I have a row of apples, a row of oriental pears, a row of plums, a row of cherries, etc. I keep enough together to get cross-pollination though.

I also have blue berries, peaches, european pears, filberts, hickories, chestnuts, walnuts (black and carpathian), heartnuts, Ginkos male and female, Kiwis, gooseberries, blackberries (thornless), PawPaws, Monkey Puzzles (nut tree), Mulberries, had Persimmons (only two which died), edible oaks (Burr oak and swamp pin oak), grapes, edible Bamboos, Butternuts, and Buartnuts.

I am ordering more pine nut trees for planting this spring. I am looking to get Pinyon(Pinon), korean and Jeffrey pines for their beauty and nut production.

I am also going to get Turkish and Indian tree filberts (some of which will eventually grow to 100 feet), which will compliment my shorter standard filberts/hazelnuts.

I am also looking into Agroforestry, which is the combination of tall trees, shorter trees and shrubs, above ground plants (such as legumes/corn) and root plants all growing in the same general area. This most closely replicates a natural forest, as there is symbiosis between the plants.

Re: Edible landscaping, anyone
 

The way we look at it, we can look at other people's flowers and landscaping. So we plant nearly 100% edibles.

--Willie