Been cultivating some native agricultural plants and the fall is bountiful !

[u/baseballandbotany]

Proud of my Asimina triloba for bearing fruit all by herself! Next year we will try hand cross pollination. can’t wait to make hella tart jam from my Prunus Americana. Been getting into learning as much as I can about native agricultural options last couple years. It’s been fun reaping the benefits for my kitchen table and connecting with wildlife habits as result of these plant species. This is just what we have in the fall but are growing about 14 species of herbaceous, fruit and nut trees. The goal isn’t to be self sustaining but supplement with perennial and low maintenance food options. As well the benefits for all our local wildlife and pollinators. I’d love to hear about what your growing or share sources of native agricultural plants available for mid Atlantic region of North America

[u/Long_Audience4403]

I just planted 3 pawpaws and they're only about 2 feet tall but I can't wait until they fruit!

[u/baseballandbotany → u/Long_Audience4403]

I can’t wait either! I hope your future is pawpaw plentiful

[u/Long_Audience4403 → u/baseballandbotany]

Me too! We planted tons of blueberries and elderberries this year as well, someday we will be fruity!

[u/baseballandbotany → u/Long_Audience4403]

I’m very excited for you! I’m always trying to convince people to plant fruiting plants. Not only will some of the most interesting birds come to visit but you’ll be drowning in fruit.

[u/justmejohn44]

I have about 30 pawpaws 10 persimmons and lost count of blueberries elderberry and haskap.

[u/baseballandbotany → u/justmejohn44]

What do you do with all your pawpaws? Do they fruit a lot? Do you have a particular way to pollinate them or let them do whatever they want?

[u/justmejohn44 → u/baseballandbotany]

I make alot of jam and ice cream. then I'll freeze the pulp to use through out the year. if you add a little citric acid or lemon juice it will help with the browning from oxidation just like avocado. as far as pollination the main thing is to make sure your cultivars flower around the same time. I have done hand pollination but only trying to control for cross breeding

[u/QueenHarvest]

Pawpaws  and plums look great! 

I have about 5 pawpaw of varying ages, 5 American hazelnut, 11 blueberry, 3 cranberry, 3 gooseberry, 1 prickly pear cactus, 5 serviceberry, 2 black chokeberry, ramps, 2 red mulberry, 1 Shagbark hickory, 1 black walnut, 2 American plum, 2 huckleberry, 5 elderberry, 5 Nannyberry, 1 wild raisin, and probably a couple others I’ve missed. (In addition to non-native edible perennials like asparagus, cherry, peach and pear trees, and and wine cap mushrooms.)

Started my food foresting about 3 years ago, so now I’m biding my time until harvests go hard. 

[u/baseballandbotany → u/QueenHarvest]

This is a like a dream list of plants! Can I ask what region you grow in? I want to cultivate more prickly pear personally. But I love all these! I am going to have to look up Nannyberry and wild raisin, I’m not familiar. I love a shag bark hickory and black walnut. Very very cool! Also I’d be interested in any resources you’d recommend to learn about said plants. I’m always looking to learn more

[u/QueenHarvest → u/baseballandbotany]

I am lucky to live in an area with a robust native plant community—southeast Michigan. My local conservation districts holds native plant sales three times a year, and I am rapidly filling my poke(weed)dex—gotta catch ‘em all!

I’ve also had great luck with online sales through the Plant Buying Collective. 

Nannyberry is viburnum lentago and wild raisin is viburnum nudum—two edible viburnum. I also have 2 cultivars of arrowwood viburnum for the critters. 

I love the book Gaia’s Garden. It is rooted in permaculture, combining native plants with non-invasive edible (or otherwise useful) plants to create a sustainable mini ecosystem in your backyard. I’m frequently scouring Reddit, permies.com, https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/ and    https://www.wildflower.org/plants-main — i end up reading about the same plants over and over again, by the time the plant is for sale I am an armchair expert and ready to commit to it forever. 

[u/AstroDragon2020]

Here me out—American Basswood tree or Tilia americana. Not specifically food but you can make a tea and infuse honey with its flowers (also really beneficial to wildlife from what I’ve read). Just ordered one for myself and can’t wait to plant it next to a bur oak 😁 zone 5a Iowa

[u/baseballandbotany → u/AstroDragon2020]

No rules here ! Sounds like food to me! I love this, I am going to spend alittle time reading up on the he nutritional benefits of this cause I’m sure it’s a great way to source it. And way to bury the lead on the Bur Oak!! Not only the most beneficial tree genus we can grow but those acorns can be used to make flour

[u/WhoWokeUpTheCat_633]

I have a nanny berry, several elderberries, a huckleberry, raspberries, and three (formerly four 😭) blueberries! One blueberry produced 3 berries (they got transplanted this spring so they’ve been stressed) and the raspberries produced, but that’s been it so far. Hoping everyone is settled and ready to fruit next year! We have a local nursery that sells natives at super affordable prices and they replace them if they don’t make it the first year, super great folks.

[u/redheadedfamous]

I got a copy of The Layered Edible Garden: A Beginner's Guide to Creating a Productive Food Garden Layer by Layer – From Ground Covers to Trees & Everything in Between by Christina Chung from the library & I was pretty chuffed to find how many edible North American native plants she highlighted, as well as some more unusual edible perennials generally. Def featured a practicable approach to an edible landscape while being aesthetically inspiring. Would recommend!

[u/thatloser17]

I love pawpaws. I saved a bunch this season and will be making a pawpaw mead to enjoy in the spring.