Leaves to Live By
Food Plants - Perennial — by Craig Elevitch December 2, 2008
Perennial Leaf Vegetables
by Craig Elevitch (see bio at bottom), originally published in the Permaculture International Journal, #61 Dec-Feb 1997 page 31
There are two types of gardeners as I see it: the “master gardener” type who genuinely delights in the detailed tasks of garden management; and the “lazy” gardener who enjoys harvesting but who experiences other garden activities as drudgery. I belong to the latter category. For years I have been striving for the generous results of the master gardener without the continual effort. That’s what permaculture is about for me – abundant results for minimal effort.
The solution for me was to abandon the idea of building my garden around familiar annuals such as lettuce, spinach and peas. This happened when I learned about a whole group of perennial plants that have edible leaves, stems and often other parts. These are known as “perennial vegetables,” or “leaf spinaches.”
Comments (4)Nitrogen Fixing Trees – The Multipurpose Pioneers
Animal Forage, Food Forests, Food Plants - Perennial, Fungi, Plant Systems, Rehabilitation, Soil Biology, Trees — by Craig Elevitch September 29, 2008
The myths about the wonders of nitrogen fixing trees are many. Craig Elevitch (see bio at bottom) and Kim Wilkinson explain how to use them effectively.
Nitrogen Fixing Trees for Permaculture
 Flowers of the leguminous tree, Kowhai, the national flower of New Zealand |
Nitrogen fixation is a pattern of nutrient cycling which has successfully been used in perennial agriculture for millennia. This article focuses on legumes, which are nitrogen fixers of particular importance in agriculture. Specifically, three legumes (nitrogen fixing trees, hereafter called NFTs) are especially valuable in subtropical and tropical permaculture. They can be integrated in a permaculture system to restore nutrient cycling and fertility self-reliance.
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