Veg patch 'in the wilds'

[nickliv]

There's a bit of land that I've got access to, and I'm considering making the leap from a hunter - gatherer existence* to eating a cultivated locally diet.

Are there any crops which will tolerate being left untended, and unharvested until such time as I can get out there and pull them up?

What I'm looking for, ideally is a zero maintenance crop which on't have rotted before I get to it.



* Hunter - gatherer - whatever foodstuffs as I can locate and liberate from the cupboards at home

 

[Trackeraz]

where in the UK

 

[Trackeraz]

Sorry just spotted your location,My suggestion would be learn your local wild edibles ,you can always introduce them to your veg patch !

 

[nickliv]

There are wild rasp canes, which I shall transplant and net up, the same with a patch of blueberries, they'll just be netted / fenced off for a smallish area, 5m square probably. Tons of wild garlic about, and mushrooms in abundance, I shall obtain a detailed reference book, was wondering about bunging a strip of turnips / spuds in too.

 

[Trackeraz]

There was a book I had years ago called self sufficiency[/U][/U] ,by Marrica hanberry tennison very good info source !

 

[nuggets]

you could plant most things -root crops -cabbage etc but its how to stop the rabbits/deer coming in and eating ya crop !!

 

[locum76]

Yeah rabbits would probably nab the lot if you went for domestic crops. Like Trackeraz said you'd be best to 'tame' some wild grub.

 

[slowworm]

I would also go down the wild route to start with, things like burdock, wild garlic, sorrel, lime trees for the edible leaves etc, etc. Then I would consider some common perennial garden plants like rhubarb.

Please think carefully about introducing plants as they can get out of control in some places and overtake the native plants.

If you want to do something more adventurous then start looking for some less common perennial vegetables, for example there's some perennial brassicas that'll grow over 2m tall and should get out of range of rabbits!

There's some useful lists over on the PFAF site: http://www.pfaf.org/user/edibleuses.aspx

 

[twisted firestarter]

you might want to read about Permaculture which is loosely based on growing maximum food crops with minimal effort

.

 

[locum76]

you might want to read about Permaculture which is loosely based on growing maximum food crops with minimal effort

.

...and with difficult harvesting.

 

[tobes01]

Hmm. I have a friend who claims to have a wild veg patch, in an undisclosed location, where he plants out, erm, 'aromatic hemp' in the spring and returns in the autumn to harvest it. Ahem.