Question How many edible plants do you grow?

Ash

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Awesome Mark - and you are building confidence in so many people out there like myself who feel in over their heads with this hobby farming stuff.

Just added two Monty's surprise apple trees to the orchard. Hoping they'll survive...
 

Flatland

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WOW some people's lists make me feel small.
Veggies-- carrots, beans, leeks, tomatoes, pumpkins, capsicums, and spinach that the red spider mite ate.
Fruit trees 1 year old-- 5 different types of citrus, peach, nectarine, apricot, cherry, almond, apple, plum,
Berries-- currant, raspberry
Well I'll be happy if I can beat the snails and the red spider mite
 

Mark

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5 different types of citrus, peach, nectarine, apricot, cherry, almond, apple, plum
You wouldn't have to worry about chill factors with your fruit tree selection (I assume) unlike us in the subtopics?
 

Flatland

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I'm not sure about the chill factor for the cherries but the others will be fine
 

Mary Playford

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I think this comes to 79 or I can make 80

OMG, we are all coming to live at your house Mark :eat:

I know this is an old post but its a goodie and I am yet to finish reading the other posts. Then, I will physically go outside and count what I have growing in the garden to share :D
 

Mikielives

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a rough list from me.
Dandelion weed ?
Wilted dandelions...mmmmmmm. My Grandma use to make this when I was a youngster. Young dandelion greens served with a hot dressing made from fine chop bacon and onion browned in a pan then add some vinegar and a touch of sugar, stir and immediately toss into the greens. Great on any greens!
 

Mary Playford

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Mango (still a stick with few leaves lol), pineapple (that is lazy to fruit in Adelaide), apple, fig, onions, garlic, spring onions, mint, strawberry, guava, apricot, grapes, parsley, tomato, sugar cane, pepino, avocado, orange, peach, nectarine, plum, mandarin, pepper, chili, corn, beans, kale, celery, carrot, cucumber, zucchini, mulberry, spinach, feijoa, potatoes, taro, ice cream (maybe someday it will grow into a huge tree and fruit for me LOL), basil, rhubarb, nashi pear, beetroot, pecan nut and herbs.
 

Mark

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Mango (still a stick with few leaves lol), pineapple (that is lazy to fruit in Adelaide), apple, fig, onions, garlic, spring onions, mint, strawberry, guava, apricot, grapes, parsley, tomato, sugar cane, pepino, avocado, orange, peach, nectarine, plum, mandarin, pepper, chili, corn, beans, kale, celery, carrot, cucumber, zucchini, mulberry, spinach, feijoa, potatoes, taro, ice cream (maybe someday it will grow into a huge tree and fruit for me LOL), basil, rhubarb, nashi pear, beetroot, pecan nut and herbs.
The real surprise for me was not the ice cream lol... but the sugar cane! Does it grow ok where you are Mary? I've never tried growing it - yet :)
 

Mary Playford

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The real surprise for me was not the ice cream lol... but the sugar cane! Does it grow ok where you are Mary? I've never tried growing it - yet :)

My friend gave me mine, she had it growing in a pot. They are better off in the garden somewhere. I killed mine with neglect. I bought it from the same local gardener that my friend got hers from. I left it in one of my garden and forgot all about. You still have to baby them to get it going. I guess once the plant is happy in the ground, you leave them be.

They do better up there Mark. I like the look of them in the garden. I am growing it as an ornamental plant.
 

LoveInNature

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I have downsized a bit recently to turning over and re invigorating my garden bed.

In pots
Kaffir lime
Tamarillo
Dual washington navel/meyer lemon
Jap pumpkin
Sprouts - broccoli, wheat, lentils, the choys, leafy greens
 

LoveInNature

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It is such a slow grower. I doubt whether I will see any fruit for another year. I will just have to imagine their juicy goodness till then!
 

David - coona

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Here is my current list
sweet potato
lentils
tomato
carrot
peas
beans dwarf and climbing
cauliflower
Brussels
cabbage
capsicum
egg plant
cucumber
corn
zucchini and patty pan
Sorghum
spring onions
leeks
pumpkins
Cape gooseberry
tea
coffee
strawberry
raspberry
passionfruit
Apple
lemon
lime
grapefruit
mulberry
olive
pine nuts
peach
apricot
borage
comfrey
parsley
mint
thyme
Majoram
bay
rosemary
lavender
lemon grass
artichokes
sunflowers
lemon balm
lemon verbena
-----breaking the rules-----
rainbow trout
Mussels
lamb
chicken and eggs
 

ClissAT

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So David ... we know where to go now for the best local produce supermarket! :D
That's an impressive list.
 

Mataeka

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Hmm, 9 at the moment - and for a balcony garden/tiny area of common area unit garden I'm a tidge proud of that!

- Broccoli (mostly for the leaves since the flowers were tiny!)
- Garlic (no idea how the roots growing but turns out the leaves are amazing!)
- Spring Onions
- Tomatoes (self sown and just ripening... Winter? What winter?)
- silverbeet
- carrots
- lettuce
- Parsley
- sage

And the just begun growing haven't harvested ones, or will take a looooong time to fruit

- lemon
- pineapples
- raddish
- kale
- beetroot
And I also have native violets which flowers are apparently edible but I haven't tried... And common sow thistle and nightshade berries ... And my neighbour grows chillies, rosemary, mint and basil that I can have access too but generally don't.
 

ClissAT

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Wow Mataeka, that's enough for anyone's balcony garden!
Your broccoli should put out many small flowerets from each leaf node that will be quite edible also & continue to branch & flower for months.
Once you have shallots (spring onions) you never have to plant them again.
Just never pull them, just cut off what you need & leave half the white stump of the onion growing.
Your garlic may or maynot develop a bulb a the bottom, but in any case the leaves are great & they also develop a white onion/leek like stem which you can harvest several times.
Of course lettuce should also only be harvested a few leaves at a time taking always the oldest until the plant flowers whereupon they get a bit bitter.
But even then they are not lost. You can make long soup or add those bitter leaves to any stew or soup & once heated are nowhere near as bitter.
Plus the flowers of all lettuce, kale, cabbage, broccoli, radish, silverbeet, beetroot, rocket, etc are all edible too.
I wish I could find a way to get carrots to come again from their stem!:D Although you can harvest the leaves as they grow to add to salad.
Similarly to parsley, always harvest the outer leaves whilst still young enough so the plant continues to produce full sized leaves. If you take the youngest middle leaves they will get shorter & shorter until the plant stops growing then dies.
Radish leaves are fine to add to salad also & your lemon tree will provide kaffir like leaves for your asian cooking.
So you have much more than 9 edible plants growing! :twothumbsup:
 

Mataeka

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Your broccoli should put out many small flowerets from each leaf node that will be quite edible also & continue to branch & flower for months.
Yeah we've harvested about 4 or 5 but they are TINY probably due to mild neglect on watering them since they're not conveniently on my balcony heh ;)

Once you have shallots (spring onions) you never have to plant them again.
Just never pull them, just cut off what you need & leave half the white stump of the onion growing.
Oh boy don't I know it! We've had them growing from store bought offcuts for at least a year now! One even bolted and still kept growing (giving me even more seeds if I so choose!)

Your garlic may or maynot develop a bulb a the bottom, but in any case the leaves are great & they also develop a white onion/leek like stem which you can harvest several times.
We only tried that for the first time last night - I think I'm going to have to plant the remaining bulbs we acquired that haven't yet sprouted! The leaves are so much nicer than I predicted they would be - we already have plans to make garlic bread with them :D

Of course lettuce should also only be harvested a few leaves at a time taking always the oldest until the plant flowers whereupon they get a bit bitter.
Yeah we've been doing that although I think I have a red mite infection or something (yet to google but there are red looking bugs on some of the leaves). I had one bolt recently and then self sowed everywhere! Eating it's offspring now :D Good to know it can be edible after its bolted.

Plus the flowers of all lettuce, kale, cabbage, broccoli, radish, silverbeet, beetroot, rocket, etc are all edible too.
I cannot wait till the beetroot grows - it's only maybe a week or 2 old at this stage though :) I've been too chicken to eat any of the carrot leaves as of yet - Just no idea what to cook/prepare them into - but my budgies are enjoying their greens (and the lettuce as well ;) )
 

ClissAT

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"been too chicken to eat any of the carrot leaves as of yet - Just no idea what to cook/prepare them into"

You cant go past a nice salad of fresh young leaves with all different flavours in a mild French dressing with soft boiled eggs & some fresh picked cherry toms.
Add some weeds from nearby vacant lots. So many of our weeds are fine to eat.

Actually that reminds me that I was going to do a pictorial of edible weeds that grow at my place.
The trouble is they are seasonal so I need to keep remembering to check for new weeds of the season. :rolleyes:
 

Mataeka

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I'm slowly growing my repertoire of identifying edible weeds but I wouldn't dare pluck any outside of what I grow in our own yard due to the councils love of pesticides :/ pretty confident in identifying purslane and common sow thistle now - oh and the nightshade berries you can eat when black - which name escapes me!
 
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