One of the themes of our “Extreme Simplicity” book was that
anyone on any suburban plot of land can be a producer, producing not just some
food, medicine, and energy, but also producing a good and uplifting atmosphere
for people and wildlife. This theme of
grow-what-you-need was also continued in my more-recent “Self-Sufficient Home”
book. We are seeing that more and more people are getting this message as they
are removing lawns and putting in gardens, herbs, and native plants instead.
We recently did a Dirttime video on the subject of useful
trees and bushes in your backyard.
(If you’re unfamiliar with Dirttime, go to www.Dirttime.com and check out our forum
and videos.)
In one of the recent videos, Alan Halcon and I discussed the
fact that anyone with a landscaped yard is spending time, water, and money to
keep alive a variety of plants. Our
position is that each of us should be a part of the solution to our planetary
woes, and one way to do that is to grow some of the things we need.
During the recent Dirttime-Youtube video, we shared several
plants that grow in my yard. Each one
is drought tolerant, useful in some way, requires very little care, and is
attractive as a landscaping plant.
PINEAPPLE GUAVA
Pineapple guava are already frequently planted as
ornamentals, though most of the fruit is just left to rot. These flowers
attract bees, and the granular fruits are great eaten as-is. The plants require
very little care. I have seen them in old
homesteads in the Angeles National Forest where they have not been tended for
over 60 years.
LOQUAT
A loquat is not a citrus.
It has a large leaf, and is one of the first fruit trees to
produce. The fruit is golden colored
with a large brown seed. They are very
easy to grow with a seed, and again requires no maintenance.
LEMON VERBENA
Lemon verbena is a drought-tolerant perennial herb which
produces fragrant elongated leaves.
Though not a food, it can be used to season fish and other foods, and to
make “lemonade.”
BAY
The California bay tree is a native that grows along streams
in the wild. It is easy grown from a
seed, and is an easy-to-care-for evergreen tree. The leaves are used for tea
and seasoning in Italian cooking. The
leaves are also put into cupboards to repel bugs. The nuts in the fall are also edible, once roasted. Additionally, the long branches of bay can
be cut and made into bows. It is one of
the preferred local woods for bows.
GERANIUM
My mother grew geraniums because they required no care, were
drought-tolerant, and produced colorful flowers. Get the fragrant varieties
that can be made into teas.
SOCIETY GARLIC
Society garlic has become very popular in urban landscaping.
I’ve seen it around the Rose Bowl and in the little strips around strip
malls. It looks like a flat-leaved
onion, and produces a lavendar flower.
It grows easily and spreads quickly.
I have grown them for years, and our family often added the leaves to
soups, stews, salads, and egg dishes.
ALOE
Aloe vera is another drought tolerant plant that is
all-too-easy to grow. Plant one and
soon you’ll have a dozen. They are
great for cactus bed or borders, and they produce a flower spike once a
year. The fresh gel of the aloe is
excellent for poison oak rashes, burns, cuts, sunburns, and many skin
conditions.
These are just a few examples of how we can all be producers
and provide some of our daily needs with the flora just outside the door.
2 comments:
I have began doing this very thing. I'm in Oregon. I plant cultivated blue berries Salal thimble berry Oregon grapes coastal and wood strawberry just to name a few. I have actually purchased the seeds of typical garden weeds. Chick weed black mustard and such. My wife won't let me rip up the lawn. Oh well I work worth what agree on. Lots you can do with a quarter acre.
You got a really useful blog I have been here reading for about an hour. I am a newbie and your success is very much an inspiration for me.
Landscaping Virginia
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