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Episode-1568- 15 Underrated Plants for the Homestead

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An Elder Planted From a Single Rooted Cutting in Its' Second Season. The Bamboo Stake is 6.5 Feet Tall!

An Elder Planted From a Single Rooted Cutting in Its’ Second Season. The Bamboo Stake is 6.5 Feet Tall!

Yesterday we had a fascinating discussion on the Facebook Regarians page about Mulberry, I know it is awesome, I am growing a lot of varieties but I didn’t realize how much it could really do.   In fact I considered just doing a show today called something like Magnificent Mulberries, because they do so much.  I simply realized though that I can’t take in enough on them this morning alone to do them justice, so that might come at a later date.

I mean if you just begin to look into the above linked discussion the sheer volume of data is insane.  So I decided instead simply to include it in a list of really useful but underrated plants by homesteaders and permaculturists.

What I tried to do with this list is be highly variable.  To provide things a person might grow for cattle or goats on a large scale but at the same time provide things that you might grow on a small lot.   Most not all but most of these you will have heard of before.  It isn’t that they are unknowing just that their full usefulness is largely unknown.

Join Me Today As We Discuss…

  • The marvelous mulberry
  • The elderberry, it is for more than just wine
  • Lemon balm, stop trying to grow citrus grow the flavor
  • Blackberry, so many uses, it will shock you
  • Medlar, what, med what, you will really like this one
  • Wild garlic, wild onion and garlic and onion chives
  • Lavender it is more then just something that smells nice
  • Jujube tough as nails, storable, highly sought by some
  • Roses wild varieties and old varieties
  • Native persimmon not just for people
  • Jute Mallow edible, naturalizes, asks almost nothing in return
  • Lambsquarters eat it when it is small, mulch it when it gets too big
  • Amaranth the seed is one yield the leaf is often a better one
  • Bee Balm you get tea, you get beneficial insects and it won’t die
  • Mints come one come all, from tea to candy, to salads to good adult beverages

Resources for today’s show…

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Comments

Episode-1568- 15 Underrated Plants for the Homestead — 18 Comments

  1. Ive found that our elderberries have been some of the hardiest plants I have ever grown. To much water, too little water, too warm, too cold. It just wont die. Easy to propagate too. Under the right conditions Ive gotten fruit from second year growth. They really do seem to love damp soil. Ive even brought cuttings from buffalo to Huntsville, AL and they are doing wonderful. I think they already are starting to grow berries this early.

  2. Great program! Elderberry wine wonderful. Elderberry pie super. Tree mulberries VERY fast growing and great quantities of fruit. Full of sweet juice. A great favorite with the birds. I think best to purchase “Illinois” variety for eating quality from a reliable nursery. Grow wild in Illinois. Other varieties may not be as palatable. Great plants!

  4. Hey Jack.
    Just wanted to say that I too am loving these kind of episodes!
    Can’t wait to get my own property and live the way I want to !
    Power to ya!
    KK

  5. Great show! I just planted three elderberries on our new little homestead in New Hampshire. They will grow wild here, but most of them have been destroyed in the logging of the forests. Excited to try mulberries now!

  7. Love shows like this. Ever since I heard you first mention medlar I’ve wanted to have one. Has anyone ever had success rooting medlar cuttings? Seems it may have to be grafted and I haven’t gotten around to learning that skill (yet).

    Thanks for this show Jack!

  8. When i grew up, we walked to school. There was a part of the road that was curved and on one side there were maybe 7 to 10 MASSIVE Massive mulberry trees. Trunks were 3ft wide or more. They were planted on the side of an irrigation ditch. Kids would pick the fruit when they were in season.

    I have been trying to duplicate that design, it was like being in a magical forest !

    can you tell me where you got your varieties from ?
    thanks !!!

    love this episode.

  9. Mulberry and Apple are my two favorite types of fruit trees. I would love an ep. just on mulberry. I will definitely look at your link on the mulberry conversation.

  10. Love these shows Jack. I have an everbearing Mullberry being delivered tomorrow along with some other plants from Burnt Ridge. The plan is to plant in my chicken runs, surrounded by a circle of wire, to provide shade and food supplementation to the flock.

    Awesome ending to the show.

    PS- Upgrayedd sired some chicks. Four hatched this week.

  12. Wow! Thanks for the lemon balm tips! I’ve had it tucked into an area for a few years now and it WILL NOT die, totally neglected. Had no idea of it’s usefulness. I think they based the scent of Lemon Pledge on it.

    Mulberry is really good at volunteering too. But most of the time people cut things as soon as they see it coming up if they didn’t plant it. There’s one in the back of my property that is full of berries, it’s basically in full shade too, not an issue. Did not know you could eat the leaves, I’m trying that with the chickens today. I’ve got volunteer morus alba all over my property. You never know what you might have it just take a little waiting and observation.

  13. Another thing that will get some stubborn smells out of your hands is stainless steel. We have a stainless steel bar of soap, and no kidding after cutting some garlic just playing like you’re washing your hands under running water with it and the garlic smell disappears. I’m sure it would work with a spoon too, but the stainless “soap” is a fun conversation piece and kitchen magic trick.

  14. Jack,
    I have a few mulberry trees that are growing right next to my driveway (The 3 foot strip between my neighbors property and mine.) About 10 feet tall.

    Any ideas about creating a new tree using a graft or transplanting? they have been there for about 10+ years but have been hacked up pretty bad. Or should I just save some seeds for a later property? I’m in Zone 4 in MN.

    Thanks

  15. I absolutely LOVED the end of the podcast. My entire understanding and viewpoint of life has completely changed because of the reasons you’ve stated. I realized something while planting my Reverend Morgan apple tree a month or so ago, that my body is becoming composed of my native surroundings. By spending the time outside, by physically touching, smelling, eating and interacting with my environment, I’m literally being transformed into a native of where I am at.

    My eyes have become so razor sharp adapted (and always improving) to my landscape that I see things I never saw before. They were there in plain ridiculous site, but yet, my eyes were not selecting and discerning enough to even see them. Crazy.

  16. A Diuretic is anything that helps produce more urine not poop, Jack.

  17. Jack mentions a mulberry bred for its leaves. Does this exist or is it just theoretical? If it exists, where could I get some?

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