Cultivating edible wild plants

[CountryQueen]

We have a wide range of native plants that grow wild that are edible or used medicinally like polk salad, broad plantains, ginseng, and dandelions. Have you ever tried to intentionally cultivate them for consumption?

 

[firelily99]

A few but not with any great success. Those type of plants are used to a certain soil consistency in the wild that is different then in the garden. Dandelions are not something that I would want to cultivate!

 

[lemonzest]

I've never planted any, but I've encouraged the growth of the mustard greens that were already in my yard when we moved in. Likewise the nastrutium, though that's less of a wild plant I guess

 

[happyflowerlady]

I have a lot of beautiful wild violets in my yard, and i have been encouraging them to spread. They actually grow better in the deep shade than the grass does , and they are edible as well as pretty.
I have dandelions in the yard, too, so i have been going out and gathering the spring leaves for mixing in with my spinach greens.
I am pretty sure that some of the other weeds out back are also edible; but i have to learn more about them before I try eating any others.
I also found some ramps growing wild in an empty lot, so I dug some of those and planted them in the yard by the kitchen side of the house. I am hoping that they will grow and spread. Ramps are like huge green onions, but flat; and are great for winter soups and stews.
This is a dandelion and violet salad.

 

[lemonzest]

Oh wow, that's beautiful. Rather miraculously I have no dandelions that I've noticed. But I might just have to let them stay if they do show up.

I recently read somewhere that oxalis (sourgrass) is edible as well, I might try some on a salad sometime since it threatens to take over for a period every year.

 

[claudine]

We had had a few wild poppies in our garden, but my mother decided to get rid of them Unfortunately, growing poppies is forbidden in my area
I also have violets and some lovely weeds, but I've never tried to eat them

 

[lemonzest]

There are a number of edible flowers, so you might check into some of those. Not poppies, obviously! But carnations, marigolds, nasturtiums, even roses