Category: Edible Plants

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Edible Weed Online Resources

aka “Maypop” by rittyrats

Besides books and videos, there are some interesting sites on using edible weeds.

Remember that some weeds were brought here by people who wanted the plants in their gardens for food, medicine or dyes. Other plants grow as weeds in some parts of the country or another country and are so pretty some clever person realized those weeds could be sold to others as flowers. An example of a weed that this GardenLady wants in her yard is a plant called  or hardy passion vine that grows as a weed in the Midwest but is considered a pretty flower that few people have on the East Coast. Also, Passion vine has a seed pod that is edible, a treat really.This particular Passion Vine will grow in zones 6 till Zone 9 or 10, but it can become a weed in warmer zones.

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Ground Ivy – Another Edible Weed

Ground-Ivy by klm185

TheGardenLady has been writing about weeds in one’s gardens and lawns; but the weeds I have selected to write about are all edible. Some of these weeds are also medicinal and some are used as dyes for fabric or yarn. Many of the weeds were brought to North America by early settlers because they felt these were important plants that they wanted in their gardens.

Unfortunately these plants felt so happy here and have so few natural predators that they not only grew outside the garden but they have become invasive plants, pushing out the native plants. “An invasive plant has the ability to thrive and spread aggressively outside its natural range.” And some of our North American native plants have become invasive weeds in other countries. (When I visited Japan, I was told that goldenrod, Native to North America, has become an invasive weed in Japan.)

One plant that was brought to North America for medicinal and salad usage but mostly to flavor ale was known as ground ivy or creeping Charlie or ground over the gill, Glechoma hederacea. This plant which has attractive leaves and a pretty little purple flower and would make a lovely ground cover but it has become invasive in yards and lawns where it does not let grass grow. Ground ivy is very difficult to get rid of because it spreads in numerous ways, by seeds and by the vining stems which root at their nodes.

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Edible wild plants and weeds (Videos)

Wild Violet by Mr.Mac2009

TheGardenLady has been writing a series about weeds in your garden that are edible. There are many videos showing the edible weeds. Remember only eat weeds if you are with an expert- unless you are absolutely certain that you know what you are picking. In many cases the plant has poisonous lookalikes so one has to be positive about identifying plants. Remember that not all plant parts may be edible. And just because the weeds are edible does not mean they will agree with your digestive system.

This GardenLady knows it is fun to get something for nothing. But she never advocates doing anything that is unsafe. So always beware and err on the side of caution. Only when you know what you can eat safely, then you will have a way of enjoying Nature’s true bounty while saving money.

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Herbs and Edible Plants in TheGardenLady’s Garden

Dill by eye of einstein

TheGardenLady walks around checking her garden daily to see what is coming up. Though mostly this is a flower garden, I do have herbs and a few edible plants growing among the flowers and I want to see if there are spots where more vegetables can be squeezed in.

Coming up all over my flower beds is my favorite herb, dill. I didn’t plant it. It arrived a number of years ago, I assume, in some other plant I bought. Lucky for me. And I’m so happy it is spreading all over. I love the feathery leaves of the dill plant, I think it adds a nice dimension to the flower bed. A neighbor also loved the look and asked me what was that “exotic” plant I had growing. Imagine her surprise.

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