permaculture

[yarrow@sfo.com]

At 1:24 AM -0400 6/21/07, Lawrence F. London, Jr. wrote:
> Revised list:
>
> daylillies
> peppermint
> daylillies
> lambs quarters
> amaranth
> curly dock
> comfrey
> Jerusalem artichoke
> horseradish
> collards

I agree with the collards, but I doubt most of the perennials can get 
big enough soon enough, and I think it might be hard to find some of 
the weedier ones in the city -- unless you can ask your local 
freecyclers if you can dig up established plants.

Since the need is to cover up the soon-to-be-condemned crumbling 
foundation ASAP with greenery and to provide a substrate for 
inevitable urination this summer, I'd go with tomato, squash and 
collard plants. You can buy seedlings (from 6-packs to 1-gallon) in 
any local nursery now and, assuming your soil is adequate, have them 
reach a pretty good size within a month.

Whatever you plant, it won't be able to withstand a lot of abuse 
until the roots get going (at least a couple weeks or over a foot or 
so high), so you will have to coddle them in what sounds like a 
difficult situation at first.