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  • From: Bob Waldrop <bob@bobwaldrop.net>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Planting ground nuts (apios americana)
  • Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2015 19:10:36 -0600

Thanks for this interesting update. I will go searching for some Stachys affinis seed and give it a try. I sent a FB message to Eric Tonsmeier and he replied that they are now using hog peanut instead of the stachys. http://apiosinstitute.org/amphicarpaea-bracteata-hog-peanut.

Most of mine are planted in tubs and that also is because I am on an urban lot of 1/7th acre with two buildings (1500 and 750 sq ft), a driveway, 240 linear ft of sidewalks (x 5= 1200 sq ft of sidewalks). So I have a bit less than 3K sq ft to work with, but we do a lot with that. I've been gardening in these tubs for several years, and its become a pretty rich soil environment. Lots of worms in the tubs. I also had 6 Chinese yam seeds someone gave me and I planted them in two tubs.

I had a message from Eric who said that they were now growing hog peanut with the sunchokes/Jerusalem artichokes. this was the first return in a google search. I am not sure if this was instead of the Apios or instead of the crosne.

http://apiosinstitute.org/amphicarpaea-bracteata-hog-peanut

On 11/9/2015 2:07 PM, Jason Gerhardt wrote:
Thanks for sharing your Apios experiences, Bob! I've tried growing Apios
americana for years in CO, with no success. Too much UV and too dry, not
the right rich floodplain soil they seem to prefer too. Eric Toensmeier is
now growing Apios in tubs/large containers due to their far spreading
nature. However, he is on a small urban lot. People with more land could
afford to let them run.

On Stachys affinis...I've been growing them for years and it is a winner
for me in Colorado. They grow easily. I let mine flower because the mint
family is great for pollinators. I still get a good harvest of good sized
tubers. They are drought hardy too. The only annual maintenance required is
harvesting. Since they are so productive they will crowd themselves out
leaving very small roots. The perennial three sisters of j-chokes, crosnes
(S. affinis), and apios is still somewhat ill-fitted however. Apios is
better as a harvest once every two years plant, whereas the others need to
be harvested each year.

My two cents,
Jason







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