Unusual food plants

Ludi · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 12:31 pm Post subject: Unusual food plants

Recently I've been looking into trying to grow some subtropical edible plants such as Bananas, Taro, and Bamboo.

Is anyone else in Zone 8 and warmer growing any edible subtropicals?

Many of these prefer wetter conditions, so would be more suitable for east of here - East Texas, Louisiana, and other gulf areas.

Shannymara · Master Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 5103 Location: Oklahoma

I have some giant gray bamboo (closely related to black bamboo) growing on my land. I neglected it and it survived even during the drought last summer. We have a ton of some smaller bamboo growing as a weed in this area, too.

And as I've mentioned elsewhere there are various edible bananas that do well here, although I managed to kill mine by letting them freeze in pots.

I've got kava kava in pots, which I bring in for the winter. They get a little scorched during winter because they want more humidity, but they make it through just fine. Kava isn't edible, the leaves and stems are toxic, but the root is a wonderful relaxant when powdered and brewed as tea, and it's a good topical anesthetic.

What about avocado? They grow like mad, but I think they're hard to fruit in Texas.

Passion fruit? Passion flower is another mild relaxant, less potent than kava kava.

I've got a passion flower vine, but it's not the kind that makes edible fruit.
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Ludi · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 12:54 pm Post subject: Re: Unusual food plants

We have the passionflower Maypop Passiflora incarnata which is native to somewhat east of here. It grows like mad and makes a few fruits. It does so well, but has proven to be more invasive than I'd like, popping up all over the place yards from where I planted it. The fruits are tasty but very seedy. I've used the dried leaves as a relaxing tea.

It's not quite warm enough here for avocadoes to grow outdoors, but I hope to try a dwarf avocado as a part-time houseplant.

The bamboo I'm planning to try is Sweetshoot Phyllostachys dulcis which is supposed to be one of the best tasting and quite nutritious.

There's a house in the town a couple miles away with a huge patch of Taro (Elephant Ear) growing in the front yard for years, so it's definitely growable here. That's one which should do even better for you, Shanny, with your more acidic soil and higher rainfall.

Fishman · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 12:58 pm Post subject: Re: Unusual food plants

Ludi
I have numerous figs which are doing well. More on the tropical front I have a pomegranate near the house which is still young and thus not bearing fruit yet. I think they handle hot weather well. Several edible bamboo exist which grow even to Zone 6. My bamboo experiments are still a struggle. This in Zone 8 NC

Shannymara · Master Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 5103 Location: Oklahoma

Oh yeah, figs - I have 5 and they are doing great. Two of them fruited this year (the other 3 I've only had since April). Smile

Persimmons are another one that do well here. Ludi, yes, taro grows like crazy here when it gets enough water.
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Ludi · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 1:07 pm Post subject: Re: Unusual food plants

Figs should do well here but have not done well so far for me, I think because I initially planted them in clay soil, which they don't prefer. I replanted one in rocky soil and hope it will do better.

I have one little pomegranate bush which hasn't done much yet. I hope to plant more of them because I think they are such pretty fruit.

I also have a couple of Jujubes which seem to be doing well, though only been in the ground for a few months.

One plant I was very excited about a couple years ago but which hasn't done as well as hoped is Hardy Yam Dioscorea batatas. I think again it doesn't like the heavy clay soil. It's actually a temperate species and might prefer it a little cooler than here. My plants are growing but certainly aren't thrilled here.

Sweet potatoes Ipomoea batatas, a subtropical and tropical plant, have perennialized here and are mature enough to bloom now with beautiful purple morning glory flowers. I'm guessing there's some pretty big tubers under there as they've been in the ground for two or three years!

UncoveringTruths · Intermediate Crude Joined: Nov 04, 2004 Posts: 848

Heineken · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 2:38 pm Post subject: Re: Unusual food plants

I'm in zone 7.5, soon to be zone 8.

I have three fig "bushes," each two years old.

The difficulty I've encountered so far is that, although they fruit abundantly, the fruit doesn't have time to ripen before it starts getting cool in the fall. They fruit late and the fruit grows and ripens slowly, despite the intense heat of summer.

One plant is covered with green figs right now; I'm hoping they'll ripen before the fall chill closes in.

Another plant is covered with embryonic buds that will develop into figs if they get the chance. Since it's too late for them to do so this year, I've covered the plant with shade cloth to start moving the plant toward dormancy. The embryonic figs on it will then have a chance to grow and ripen early next summer.

If you have unripened figs on a plant and fall begins before they ripen, the figs have to be pruned off.
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gnm · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 2:51 pm Post subject: Re: Unusual food plants

I have tried yucca root but not sotol... Even well cooked its rather like a bland vaguely soapy yam...

Another one to look into is the Jerusalem artichoke. A potato like plant which grows well in arid areas and also tolerates a fair amount of cold. I have grown it successfully in zone 6a.

-G
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Ludi · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 4:19 pm Post subject: Re: Unusual food plants

I haven't tried Sotol yet though I transplanted some here from a large patch a few miles away. The edible sized plants are quite large, and the stem part that you eat takes a very long time to cook (10 hrs in an underground oven!). I consider this a true emergency food, though folks here lived on it for thousands of years as a staple part of the diet.

Jerusalem artichokes didn't grow for me, very disappointing since they are supposed to be unkillable (ha!). I don't know how their heat tolerance is. Maybe I'll try them again some time.

I'm going to be planting a lot of Daylilies this Fall. The flower buds, flowers, and tubers/rhizomes are edible, and the plants are supposedly drought, flood, heat, and cold tolerant. Regular lilies also have edible bulbs and are grown as a food plant in Asia. I'll be planting some of those as well.

Shannymara · Master Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 5103 Location: Oklahoma

Ludi · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 4:30 pm Post subject: Re: Unusual food plants

I can't remember who I ordered mine from....

Shannymara · Master Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 5103 Location: Oklahoma

Well it probably doesn't matter, as long as you didn't get them at a grocery store. If you want, you can PM me an address and I'll mail you some of my tubers. Or I can meet you somewhere next time I'm down that way.
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gnm · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 4:36 pm Post subject: Re: Unusual food plants

gnm · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 4:37 pm Post subject: Re: Unusual food plants