Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Best edible plants in Zone 5 rain garden?

nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Matt Demmon <mdemmon@gmail.com>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Best edible plants in Zone 5 rain garden?
  • Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:59:11 -0500

In my admittedly limited experience, lingonberries cannot tolerate wet
heavy soils. Didn't mind a drier clay soil with lots of organic
matter, but the wet clay loam killed them very quickly. I'd imagine
most vaccinum species would be fine on wet sandy soils though.

Matt
z5 se MI

On Wed, Feb 17, 2010 at 12:29 PM, Brungardt, Sam (MPCA)
<Sam.Brungardt@state.mn.us> wrote:
> It seems that most of the Vaccinium species will tolerate some flooding,
> particularly American cranberry and lingonberry, as will American elderberry
> (S. canadensis), American highbush cranberry (V. trilobum), American black
> currant, chokecherry (P. virginiana), and possibly Saskatoon serviceberry
> (A. alnifolia).  Red mulberry (M. rubra) may be another flood-tolerant
> species.  Many dogwoods are flood tolerant, but I don’t know about Cornus
> mas.  Also, it seems as though I’ve read where mayhaws were tolerant of
> seasonal flooding.
>
>  – Sam Brungardt, St. Paul, Minn.
>
>
>
> From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
> [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Mathew Waehner
> Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 10:47 AM
> To: North American Fruit Explorers
> Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Best edible plants in Zone 5 rain garden?
>
>
>
> Groundnut (apois americana) is a fast growing vine that lives in
> bottomlands.  It produces starchy tubers, edible seeds, and fixes nitrogen.
> It has pretty flowers, but might get a bit too large for a home rain
> garden.  It climbs other trees.
>
>
>
> Arrowroot (wapato) was a native american staple food that could grow well in
> the bottom part of a rain garden.  Although we sometimes think if it as an
> aquatic plant, it grows well in soil that in only periodically flooded.  It
> might need supplemental water during a drought.
>
> I'm not in a climate where I can grow cranberries, but I think they would
> thrive in zone 5.  They are similar to blueberries, except that they
> tolerate being completely underwater for a few days at a time.
>
>
>
> Mulberries love to grow on steep creek banks, with their trunk sticking out
> horizontally just above the normal high water line.  They grow incredibly
> fast and produce lots of fruit.  They are unpopular in residential
> landscapes because they lead to purple bird poo on everyone's car.  I like
> planing mulberries, because I feel that in an indirect way I'm pooping on
> all those cars.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Feb 17, 2010 at 11:19 AM, Matt Demmon <mdemmon@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Elderberry. American black currant (not a heavy producer). Hazelnut
> will do just fine, the native species is often growing in certain
> wetlands or right at the edge of rivers.
>
> I would think pawpaw would be just fine with flooding. I've actually
> seen them growing in the floodplain at Aman park near Grand Rapids, in
> the understory of sycamore and silver maple.
>
> Most rain gardens, especially once the plant roots go down and aerate
> the soil during the first year, do not hold water for long. Only if
> the soil is very heavy clay or the water table is already high would
> they hold water for that long. Young plants are most susceptible to
> flooding death.
>
> On 2/16/10, Douglas Woodard <dwoodard@becon.org> wrote:
>> A lady in Grand Rapids, Michigan has written to a permaculture list
>> inquiring about edible plants suited for an area that is subject to
>> flooding in, I gather, thunderstorms, torrential rains etc.
>>
>> I've thought of suggesting nannyberry, Aronia (for juice), groundnut and
>> spicebush (I've heard of a gourmet chef using the fruit in a kind of
>> relish).
>>
>> I wonder if pawpaw and just maybe northern pecan might suit. I gather
>> that they are bottomland plants. Can they tolerate occasional short-term
>> flooding when in active growth? Does anyone have any suggestive
>> experience?
>>
>> Other suggestions welcome.
>>
>> Doug Woodard
>> St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
>>
>> **********
>>
>> Joan  wrote:
>>> Many residential and organizational property owners in our area are
>>> planting
>>> rain gardens, mainly with native ornamental plants. Can anyone recommend
>>> (native) edible perennials that would do well in a rain garden in Zone 5
>>> (hardy to -20 F)? As I understand it, rain gardens sometimes hold water
>>> for
>>> up to 48 hours in their deepest sections, so I'd also like to know
>>> whether
>>> recommended edibles can take standing water for two days or whether they
>>> should be planted more toward the rain garden edges.
>>>
>>> Grand Rapids, MI  USDA zone 5
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nafex mailing list
>> nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
>>
>> Reproduction of list messages or archives is not allowed.
>> This includes distribution on other email lists or reproduction on web
>> sites.
>> Permission to reproduce is NEVER granted, so don't claim you have
>> permission!
>>
>> **YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO POST!**
>> Posts from email addresses that are not subscribed are discarded.
>> No exceptions.
>> ----
>> To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the bottom of this page (also can be
>> used
>> to change other email options):
>> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
>>
>> File attachments are NOT stripped by this list.
>> TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COMPUTER VIRUSES!
>> Please do not send binary files.
>> Use plain text ONLY in emails!
>>
>> NAFEX web site:   http://www.nafex.org/
>>
>
> --
> -matt demmon
>
> _______________________________________________
> nafex mailing list
> nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
>
> Reproduction of list messages or archives is not allowed.
> This includes distribution on other email lists or reproduction on web
> sites.
> Permission to reproduce is NEVER granted, so don't claim you have
> permission!
>
> **YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO POST!**
> Posts from email addresses that are not subscribed are discarded.
> No exceptions.
> ----
> To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the bottom of this page (also can be used
> to change other email options):
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
>
> File attachments are NOT stripped by this list.
> TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COMPUTER VIRUSES!
> Please do not send binary files.
> Use plain text ONLY in emails!
>
> NAFEX web site:   http://www.nafex.org/
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nafex mailing list
> nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
>
> Reproduction of list messages or archives is not allowed.
> This includes distribution on other email lists or reproduction on web
> sites.
> Permission to reproduce is NEVER granted, so don't claim you have
> permission!
>
> **YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO POST!**
> Posts from email addresses that are not subscribed are discarded.
> No exceptions.
> ----
> To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the bottom of this page (also can be used
> to change other email options):
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
>
> File attachments are NOT stripped by this list.
> TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COMPUTER VIRUSES!
> Please do not send binary files.
> Use plain text ONLY in emails!
>
> NAFEX web site:   http://www.nafex.org/
>



--
-matt demmon




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page