Tater Mater Forums

<p>I think that a cut-and-come-again true perennial vegetable for a non-tropical climate will need to be one with an indeterminate growth habit, whose leaves do not turn bitter when it blooms. A few of us have been talking about it; some of the hardier members of the genus Hibiscus might be a possibility. What do you think?</p>

There's one selected for centuries as a perennial leaf vegetable ... mulberry.  Ok, it's mostly used to feed worms, but it's very productive, nutritious, edible, and some varieties taste very good.  Season can be quite long if you keep picking shoots.

Another very good one is Tilia trees.  Tilia cordata is very good.

There are vegetable varieties of wolfberry.

As lower growing there are many to choose from ... campanulas, chicory, good king Henry, mitsuba, some sedums, sorrels, sweet cicely, turkish rocket, violets ... and bamboo (seasonal).

Hibiscus?  I don't think they are that great to be worth the efford.  Crossing with hardy relatives and getting something good and edible won't be easy.

Don't forget to read "Russian Comfrey: A Hundred Tons an Acre of Stock or Compost for Farm, Garden or Smallholding"

Comfrey: toxicity depends a lot on which species and which clone you are growing.  Some as bocking 14 Russian comfrey is safe in small amounts.  In any case, they are too valuable as stock feed and specially as mineral acumulators to eat them.  They have very deep roots that dig for minerals, specially potasium that becomes available to nearby plants when leaves are cut or decay (think around a fruiting tree).  It will also grow in quite fresh manure, so it's a way to get those nutrients around (like in using humanure).

To be sustainable, don't forget trees, there are many edible ones.  Not many crops last as long and are so resistant to changes.  Among these, acorns should be widely grown.  Easy to grow, productive, nutritive and good tasting (those that are not are easy to process).

Boiled wheat is quite good. 

If you can grow your own food easily ... it's worth it.  It also makes good stock feed and are very ornamental.

Would you consider acorns a grain?  Probably not, but huge potential there ...

Yacon is not day length sensitive, so early frost is not a problem as it is with other plants from the region.  The same with its tolerance to high temperatures (oca, ulluco, mashua etc... can't take high temperatures, specially at night and for long periods). 

Many highland plants need low night temperatures and a clear temperature drop between day and night to "rest" and do certain processes.  Devoided of the night rest, they get exhausted and finally die.   Arracacha is the other one with similar capabilities.  I don't know if makua will behave the same.

Mine flower for many months, so there are hundreds of dry flowers to check.  I think I've seen seed before, but it's very rare.  I'm growing two varieties. 

If I'm not successful in my search, I'll try to add a couple more varieties available in Europe and hand pollinate the flowers among all the varieties.

They can make seed, as if I remember well, a new variety was developed in Japan from seed ("Sarada-Otome").  Sad history around it ...

My family calls them "carrots".