What I'm Growing
Nov. 12th, 2024 06:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmith posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
gardeningAlmost everything in the Charleston Food Forest is something I'm growing, would like to grow, or at least recognize from edible plant studies. So I thought it would be fun to break that down, listed in approximate spatial order moving through the lists of pictures ...
What I'm Growing or Have Grown (32)
Hazelnut -- mine is a spreading shrub with tiny nuts, but the squirrels eat them anyway; if I see bigger nuts on the food forest bushes, I may grab a few to try planting.
Crimson clover -- it's part of my favorite Monarch Butterfly Wildflower Seed Mix.
Wild indigo, also called false indigo -- I have about 10 of these sprouted in blue and yellow that I need to get planted.
Giant marigolds -- even bigger than my Shithouse Marigolds, so I picked seeds.
Purple echinacea -- a favorite in my wildflower garden and prairie garden.
Chives -- in the cistern garden.
Asparagus -- various places, including some birdgift plants in random locations; I'm tempted to gather seeds from the food forest because the plants look vigorous.
Calendula -- I've grown these occasionally but not regularly.
Grapes -- when I was little we had Concords here, but now I have wild grapes of some sort thoughtfully planted by Gaia for free. I keep wanting to make dolmades from the leaves.
Raspberries -- I've planted red, yellow, and black of various kinds plus the wild black ones delivered by birds all over the yard.
Black-eyed Susans -- in the wildflower garden and prairie garden; these often come from seed mixes that I've sown.
Plum tree -- I have a sweet plum that occasionally bears a few plums, but so far they haven't ripened because they keep splitting. >_<
Zinnias -- a mainstay that I grow in multiple places, of which I've had the best success with the giant ones in the Monarch Butterfly Wildflower Seed Mix; I am very tempted to pick the heads off the ones in the food forest to see if they'll grow here.
Blanketflowers -- in the wildflower garden and prairie garden, another often appearing in seed mixes.
Pear tree -- we have a big old cooking pear that my parents planted when I was little.
Cherry tree -- we have a whole grove of pie cherries; we had a semi-sweet one when I was little, but I haven't manage to establish a sweet cherry again.
Wild strawberries -- volunteers in the prairie garden.
Apricot -- on the south side of the house with the fly-through birdfeeder in it, not sure if the Manchurian is still alive though.
Bachelor's buttons -- in the septic garden, telephone pole garden, sometimes in the prairie garden.
Creeping thyme -- one of many thymes that I have grown, although I've had the most luck with mother-of-thyme which is a different creeper.
Winter savory -- I grow this and summer savory in pots when I can find them, but only found summer this year.
Comfrey -- all over the place, it's a favorite for mini-guilds under trees and it's also in the prairie garden.
Apple tree -- I have multiple crabapples at present, the birdgift tree, not sure if the Criterion is still alive, and the multiple grafted one didn't last long at all.
Nasturtium -- still going in a pot.
Gooseberry bush -- one survivor that occasionally puts out a few green berries.
Egyptian walking onions aka top onions -- had some for a long time but not seen any recently; I plan to restock from the food forest, but not sure whether I want to dig up mature bulbs or wait for the bulbils in spring.
Garlic chives -- in the cistern garden, septic garden, and elsewhere; I gathered seeds for sake of genetic diversity.
Wild violets -- all over the yard in the shady areas, mostly purple or purple-and-white but I planted one yellow in the forest garden that has survived.
French sorrel -- currently have one in the cistern garden and another in a pot; it's hard to find as a plant and I've had no luck growing it from seed. The red-veined isn't nearly as good.
Serviceberry -- I have several, but only one is big enough to fruit yet; I plan to keep adding more until I achieve predator saturation and can get more than 3 per year before the birds eat them all.
Rhubarb -- I had some for several years, but it died out and I probably won't bother replacing it.
Red clover -- scattered around the yard.
Lavender -- not a favorite, but I've grown it before; whenever I find one that doesn't stink to me, I grab it, but most of them smell awful.
What I've Tried to Grow But Haven't Succeeded Yet (9)
Nectarine -- we had one when I was younger, not sure if it ever fruited; I've tried growing them since with no luck.
Nanking cherry bush -- one of several cherries I've tried.
Pawpaw tree -- tried and tried and tried, the best I've done is keep one alive for a season; this year's attempt made it to fall so we'll see if it leafs out in spring.
Red currant bush -- several attempts with no success.
Black current bush -- tried at least once with no luck.
Peach -- we had some when I was little, but I haven't succeeded in establishing any new ones.
Blueberry -- several attempts, and I may not bother again because they prefer different conditions.
Lingonberry -- at least one attempt with no luck, and I may not bother again because they prefer different conditions.
Nodding onion -- at least one attempt with no luck, but I'd love to try again if I can find a bulb in that patch or if it produces seeds next year.
What I Recognized But Haven't Tried Yet (9)
Scarlet goumi -- not sure if I'd want to grow this.
Hardy kiwi -- I'm tempted because I like the fruit, but I have not tried growing these as they need very sturdy support.
Good King Henry -- one I'd really like to try growing.
Crosne aka knotroot -- I recognized this from pictures of the roots that I've seen in catalogs, and would quite like to try it; this is one of several things I'll aim for if I get back to the food forest, and it needs to grow in a big pot of fluffy potting soil.
Groundnut -- another I'd really like to try and may dig up some to grow.
Perennial leeks -- I've only had the annual ones; I love those but have only had marginal luck growing any; and I'm strongly tempted to dig up a few of the perennials to plant here.
Garlic -- not sure if I want to try this at home.
Black chokecherry -- I don't even remember if I've tried this, I might have.
Skirret -- another I'd love to try, but I should probably watch for seeds instead of digging up crowns.
What I Wouldn't Bother Growing (1)
Asian persimmon -- I prefer American persimmon and have at least one in the streetside yard.
New to Me (1)
Sea kale -- I'll count this as new because it's a very different type of kale than I'm familiar with, although I did recognize it as some sort of kale. I'm not a big fan of kale to eat, but some of the ornamentals are very pretty.
... wow, that is a lot that I'm growing already! No wonder I have wildlife out the wazoo. :D I still want to gather some of these for sake of genetic diversity, so my plants can have a happy hippie love life. I'm excited that the food forest has several things on my wishlist that are difficult to find and/or expensive in catalogs. I had thought there were more that were new to me, but the crosne turned out to be knotroot that I recognized from a picture of its tubers.
I am such a nerd.
What I'm Growing or Have Grown (32)
Hazelnut -- mine is a spreading shrub with tiny nuts, but the squirrels eat them anyway; if I see bigger nuts on the food forest bushes, I may grab a few to try planting.
Crimson clover -- it's part of my favorite Monarch Butterfly Wildflower Seed Mix.
Wild indigo, also called false indigo -- I have about 10 of these sprouted in blue and yellow that I need to get planted.
Giant marigolds -- even bigger than my Shithouse Marigolds, so I picked seeds.
Purple echinacea -- a favorite in my wildflower garden and prairie garden.
Chives -- in the cistern garden.
Asparagus -- various places, including some birdgift plants in random locations; I'm tempted to gather seeds from the food forest because the plants look vigorous.
Calendula -- I've grown these occasionally but not regularly.
Grapes -- when I was little we had Concords here, but now I have wild grapes of some sort thoughtfully planted by Gaia for free. I keep wanting to make dolmades from the leaves.
Raspberries -- I've planted red, yellow, and black of various kinds plus the wild black ones delivered by birds all over the yard.
Black-eyed Susans -- in the wildflower garden and prairie garden; these often come from seed mixes that I've sown.
Plum tree -- I have a sweet plum that occasionally bears a few plums, but so far they haven't ripened because they keep splitting. >_<
Zinnias -- a mainstay that I grow in multiple places, of which I've had the best success with the giant ones in the Monarch Butterfly Wildflower Seed Mix; I am very tempted to pick the heads off the ones in the food forest to see if they'll grow here.
Blanketflowers -- in the wildflower garden and prairie garden, another often appearing in seed mixes.
Pear tree -- we have a big old cooking pear that my parents planted when I was little.
Cherry tree -- we have a whole grove of pie cherries; we had a semi-sweet one when I was little, but I haven't manage to establish a sweet cherry again.
Wild strawberries -- volunteers in the prairie garden.
Apricot -- on the south side of the house with the fly-through birdfeeder in it, not sure if the Manchurian is still alive though.
Bachelor's buttons -- in the septic garden, telephone pole garden, sometimes in the prairie garden.
Creeping thyme -- one of many thymes that I have grown, although I've had the most luck with mother-of-thyme which is a different creeper.
Winter savory -- I grow this and summer savory in pots when I can find them, but only found summer this year.
Comfrey -- all over the place, it's a favorite for mini-guilds under trees and it's also in the prairie garden.
Apple tree -- I have multiple crabapples at present, the birdgift tree, not sure if the Criterion is still alive, and the multiple grafted one didn't last long at all.
Nasturtium -- still going in a pot.
Gooseberry bush -- one survivor that occasionally puts out a few green berries.
Egyptian walking onions aka top onions -- had some for a long time but not seen any recently; I plan to restock from the food forest, but not sure whether I want to dig up mature bulbs or wait for the bulbils in spring.
Garlic chives -- in the cistern garden, septic garden, and elsewhere; I gathered seeds for sake of genetic diversity.
Wild violets -- all over the yard in the shady areas, mostly purple or purple-and-white but I planted one yellow in the forest garden that has survived.
French sorrel -- currently have one in the cistern garden and another in a pot; it's hard to find as a plant and I've had no luck growing it from seed. The red-veined isn't nearly as good.
Serviceberry -- I have several, but only one is big enough to fruit yet; I plan to keep adding more until I achieve predator saturation and can get more than 3 per year before the birds eat them all.
Rhubarb -- I had some for several years, but it died out and I probably won't bother replacing it.
Red clover -- scattered around the yard.
Lavender -- not a favorite, but I've grown it before; whenever I find one that doesn't stink to me, I grab it, but most of them smell awful.
What I've Tried to Grow But Haven't Succeeded Yet (9)
Nectarine -- we had one when I was younger, not sure if it ever fruited; I've tried growing them since with no luck.
Nanking cherry bush -- one of several cherries I've tried.
Pawpaw tree -- tried and tried and tried, the best I've done is keep one alive for a season; this year's attempt made it to fall so we'll see if it leafs out in spring.
Red currant bush -- several attempts with no success.
Black current bush -- tried at least once with no luck.
Peach -- we had some when I was little, but I haven't succeeded in establishing any new ones.
Blueberry -- several attempts, and I may not bother again because they prefer different conditions.
Lingonberry -- at least one attempt with no luck, and I may not bother again because they prefer different conditions.
Nodding onion -- at least one attempt with no luck, but I'd love to try again if I can find a bulb in that patch or if it produces seeds next year.
What I Recognized But Haven't Tried Yet (9)
Scarlet goumi -- not sure if I'd want to grow this.
Hardy kiwi -- I'm tempted because I like the fruit, but I have not tried growing these as they need very sturdy support.
Good King Henry -- one I'd really like to try growing.
Crosne aka knotroot -- I recognized this from pictures of the roots that I've seen in catalogs, and would quite like to try it; this is one of several things I'll aim for if I get back to the food forest, and it needs to grow in a big pot of fluffy potting soil.
Groundnut -- another I'd really like to try and may dig up some to grow.
Perennial leeks -- I've only had the annual ones; I love those but have only had marginal luck growing any; and I'm strongly tempted to dig up a few of the perennials to plant here.
Garlic -- not sure if I want to try this at home.
Black chokecherry -- I don't even remember if I've tried this, I might have.
Skirret -- another I'd love to try, but I should probably watch for seeds instead of digging up crowns.
What I Wouldn't Bother Growing (1)
Asian persimmon -- I prefer American persimmon and have at least one in the streetside yard.
New to Me (1)
Sea kale -- I'll count this as new because it's a very different type of kale than I'm familiar with, although I did recognize it as some sort of kale. I'm not a big fan of kale to eat, but some of the ornamentals are very pretty.
... wow, that is a lot that I'm growing already! No wonder I have wildlife out the wazoo. :D I still want to gather some of these for sake of genetic diversity, so my plants can have a happy hippie love life. I'm excited that the food forest has several things on my wishlist that are difficult to find and/or expensive in catalogs. I had thought there were more that were new to me, but the crosne turned out to be knotroot that I recognized from a picture of its tubers.
I am such a nerd.
