Growing Good Nutrition in a Forest Garden

Throughout much of the world, there are small under-used bits of land. We’re learning how to transform these bits of land into micro-forest-gardens that can supply plenty of the nutrients that are most often lacking in our diets.

These forest-gardens:

Focus on some of the most nutritious of the more than 1000 species of plants with edible leaves
Use simple, low-cost organic gardening methods
Thrive in poor soil and the increasingly common hot weather
Support a wide diversity of plants and animals

Have a look at one of these gardens here in north Florida The garden is roughly 300 square feet (28 square meters) of extremely sandy soil.

For the past two years, we have been spreading wood chips over the entire area. If you look closely, you can see the fungal threads that are gradually breaking down the wood chips. The chips slowly release nutrients to the plants and allow the sandy soil to hold more water.

Let's have a look at some of the 20 edible leaf plants growing in this garden.

We’ll start with one of my favorites aibika or Pacific hibiscus. This is a beautiful perennial with mild-flavored leaves that is easily propagated from stem cuttings.
Sweet Potatoes — Can be grown as a ground cover with edible leaves as well as roots. Sweet potato leaves are a top source of lutein, an antioxidant that protects our eyes and skin against damage from the ultraviolet rays in the sunshine.
Quail grass or Soko — is a self-seeding annual in the amaranth family. Once it goes to seed it normally produces plenty of volunteers for the next crop, so you never need to buy seed again. It has mild-flavored leaves and pretty purple flowers
Okinawa spinach — is a sprawling perennial with very nutritious leaves that is easily reproduced from stem cuttings. Its leaves have a cool purple underside.
Lemon grass — the fragrant leaves of this newly planted Lemon grass can be used in Asian cooking and as an insect repellent.
Turmeric is a perennial crop that is well known for its bright yellow roots. Like its roots, turmeric leaves have strong anti-inflammatory properties and add a bright flavor to many dishes.
Mushroom plant (or Rungia klossii) is a shade-loving shrub from New Guinea. It has tender mushroom flavored leaves that can be eaten raw or lightly cooked.
We grow Anise hyssop because it is a strong attractor for pollinators and its sweet licorice-flavored leaves are good in a variety of teas.
Hopi amaranth — A pretty, self-seeding annual, Hopi amaranth is grown for both its nutritious leaves and its seeds. Its seeds can be eaten like grains and have more than twice the protein of corn or rice.
Garlic chives — Are a perennial and a close relative of garlic, sharing most of the flavor and health benefits. They are easy to grow perennials that propagate by root division.
Variegated cassava — is an edible ornamental plant. It is a variation on common cassava, that we’ll get to in a minute
Surinam purslane — is a fast-growing sprawling perennial that is very easy to propagate from stem cuttings. It can quickly fill in empty spaces in the garden and has a mild enough flavor to be eaten raw.
Cranberry hibiscus — is a beautiful short-lived perennial. Its tangy leaves add flavor, color, and nutrition to salads.
Sissoo or Samba spinach — is a perennial ground cover and a good hot weather substitute for spinach
Horsetail — Reportedly has many medicinal properties, but we use it mainly to make a tea or drench to discourage fungal and viral disease in plants.
Katuk — is a perennial understory plant that thrives in partial shade. Katuk leaves are a popular vegetable in southeast Asia. They have a peanut-like flavor and are rich in protein, vitamin A and C, calcium, and iron.
Vine spinach — also called Malabar spinach or Basella is a warm-weather climber with high-nutrient, mild-flavored leaves. It is a good hot weather substitute for spinach and can be eaten raw or lightly cooked.
Chaya — Sometimes called tree spinach or Mayan spinach, is a super-productive perennial leaf crop from Mexico. It is resistant to drought and insect attack and can be grown as a hedge or living fence row. It is one of the most nutritious of all vegetables but must be cooked for at least 15 minutes to make it safe to eat. It is ridiculously easy to propagate from stem cuttings.
Cassava — is called the “poor man’s friend” because it produces well in drought and poor soil. It is a primary source of calories for 500 million people in the tropics. It is a perennial plant with starchy roots and highly nutritious leaves. They should be cooked for at least 30 minutes to make them safe to eat.
Bamboo trellises — We grow climbing plants on bamboo trellises to take advantage of vertical space for crop production. This can result in yields up to three times as great. This is especially important when growing space is in short supply. Bamboo is a plentiful and often free resource in much of the world.
Seminole Pumpkin — One of the best of these climbing plants is the vigorous Seminole pumpkin. It is resistant to many of the insects and diseases that pester other members of the squash family. The leaves, flowers, immature fruit and mature pumpkins can all be eaten. It is easy to save seed for continued planting. The Seminole people planted the seeds below trees that could act as natural trellises.
Hyacinth or lablab bean — is an enthusiastic climber with edible leaves and beans. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental for its purple flowers and bean pods.
Moringa — Scattered throughout and anchoring this garden are several moringa trees. Sometimes called the “miracle tree” in Africa because of its drought resistance and exceptionally nutritious leaves. We usually cut it off at about 6 feet to encourage more leaf production on side shoots and make harvesting easier. Left unpruned moringa will make tall spindly trees whose few leaves need to be harvested by helicopter. Moringa leaves are easily stripped off to cook like spinach or to dry for later use. Moringa can be started from either seeds or stem cuttings.

Wrap Up

Well, that’s about it. We are learning from the garden as we go and having fun watching the plants try to form their own little community.

5 key points from this garden so far are:

Choose nutrient-rich leaf crops. The differences can be huge. For example, moringa has 17 X more iron than lettuce and Chaya has nearly 200 X as much vitamin A as cabbage.
Emphasize perennial plants. They don’t need to be replanted every year, have deeper roots to reach water in the dry season, capture more carbon from the air, and reduce soil erosion.
Choose plants that reproduce by stem cuttings or root division, or self-seeding annuals to minimize or eliminate buying seeds. The high cost of seeds is the big reason why many low-income people don’t grow a vegetable garden.
Mulch heavily to minimize weeds. The tedious labor of weeding is a common reason for people to quit gardening after they have started.
Encourage a diversity of life above and below ground by avoiding poisons, attracting pollinators, and providing perches for songbirds. This will make for gardens that are beautiful and interesting, as well as productive.

Thanks for coming along on the tour.

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