There is nothing better than being able to harvest vegetables between the end of March and May without having to plant them every year! This is the concept of the food forest! Plant your vegetables and perennial herbs, fruit trees, etc., once and harvest them forever!
Introduction
Permaculture aims to create sustainable agricultural systems by mimicking natural ecosystems. A food forest is a central part of this approach. It involves planting perennial species that regenerate themselves each year and provide continuous food. In this article, you’ll learn about the essential plants for an early spring harvest, as well as their other uses in the garden.
Early Harvest Plants
Sorrel (Rumex acetosa)
Sorrel is a valuable plant for your food forest. In zone 5 in Ontario, it is ready to harvest in late March or early April. It has a tangy flavour that will enhance your salads. In addition, animals and insects do not appreciate its lemony taste, which makes it an excellent planting companion to mask the odours of other vegetables.
Common sorrel also serves as a pollinator plant, producing thousands of flowers. You can harvest its seeds and use them for replanting or grind them to make flour, adding fiber and protein to your diet.
Spring Onion (Allium fistulosum)
Spring onion is another plant that comes back every year and provides an early harvest. By harvesting every second or third leaf in early spring, you allow the plant to continue growing. Spring onion provides edible leaves as early as March and can be harvested as late as June.
Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale)
Dandelions are multifunctional. Young leaves can be added to salads, while the roots can be roasted and ground to make a coffee-like beverage. The flowers, when steeped and sweetened, make a delicious honey substitute.
Additionally, dandelion greens make an excellent mulch, rich in nutrients, they nourish the soil while preventing weed growth.
Nettles (Urtica dioica)
Nettles are an incredibly nutritious food source in early spring. They require gloves to harvest because of their stinging hairs, but once cooked they are delicious and can be used like spinach. Nettles are also known to repel certain pests.
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