Plant Wish List

It is January 11.  Time is slipping away to get everything done that we need to do for the garden.  Soon, it will be necessary that we start our early spring vegetables.  Therefore, I need to get my wish list in order.

I am interested in medicinal flowers and herbs.  Also, I would like flowers that attract beneficial insects and help to deter non-beneficial species.  We need herbs for cooking. Finally, I would like beauty in the annual garden, with sequenced flowering.

For vegetables, I start with those I know my family will eat.  The vegetables that we like.

With these guidelines in mind, here is my annual garden plant wish list:

Flowers

1. Sun flowers
2. Naturtiums
3. Marigolds (c)
4. Comfrey
5. Bee balm (moist soil)
6. Blue wild indigo (well drained)
7. Flax (perennial) (well drained)
8. Lavendar (well drained, alkaline)
9. Mullein (well drained)
10. Yarrow

Herbs

1. Dill
2. 
   

Annual Vegetables

Early Spring (frost hardy)

1. Arugula
2. Beet
3. Brussel Sprouts
4. Carrot
5. Kale
6. Onion
7. Radish, daikon
8. Spinach
9. Turnip
10. Sugar Snap Peas

1. Tomatos
2. Bell peppers
3. Hot peppers
4. Brocolli
5. Cauliflower
6. Beans
7. Swiss Chard
8. Sweet potatoes
9. Garlic

Perennial Vegetables

1. Jerusalem Artichoke, or Sunchoke (Helianthus tuberosus). Grown by Native Americans, sunchokes bear sunflowerlike blooms on 6- to 12-foot stems. The crisp, sweet tuber can be eaten raw and used like potatoes. An added bonus: Sunchokes attract beneficial insects. Plant tubers in full sun and well-drained soil. Harvest in fall and winter. Hardy to Zone 2
2. Sea Kale (Crambe maritime). Sometimes grown as an ornamental, this coastal native bears gray-blue leaves and white flowers on 3-foot-tall plants. Cover the plants in spring and harvest the blanched, hazelnut-flavored shoots when they are about 6 inches tall. The young leaves and flowers are edible, too. Plant nicked seeds in moist, well-drained soil in full sun. Hardy to Zone 4.
   
3. French Sorrel (Rumex acetosa). The lance-shaped leaves of sorrel add a wonderful, lemony tang to salads and soups, and they can be harvested from early spring to late fall. Look for sorrel transplants in the herbs section at your local nursery. Sorrel grows in sun or shade and average soil. Hardy to Zone 3.
   
4. wild leeks (Allium tricoccum) This onion relative grows wild in deciduous forests east of the Mississippi, emerging in spring. Leaves and bulbs are both edible. Grow in a shady border in moist loam, or naturalize beneath trees. Hardy to Zone 4.7.
5. Groundnut (Apios Americana). Native to eastern North America, this nitrogen-fixing, 6-foot vine bears high-protein tubers that taste like nutty-flavored potatoes. Grow the vines as Native Americans did: near a shrub (as support) in a moist site that receives full sun or partial shade. Harvest in fall. Hardy to Zone 3.
6. Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis). This familiar plant is long-lived and productive, bearing delicious green or purple shoots in spring. Asparagus thrives in full sun and moist, well-drained soil. For best production, plant male hybrids. Hardy to Zone 3.
7. Good King Henry (Chenopodium bonus-henricus). A traditional European vegetable known for its tasty shoots, leaves and flower buds, this spinach relative grows in full sun or partial shade and moist, well-drained soil. Plant seeds in compost-enriched soil, and harvest the tender shoots in spring. Hardy to Zone 3.
8. Lovage (Levisticum officinale). The young leaves and stems of this 6-foot-tall perennial are an excellent substitute for celery in springtime soups. The seeds and roots are also edible, and the umbel flowers attract beneficial insects. Lovage thrives in average garden soil, in sun or partial shade. Hardy to Zone 4.
9. Rhubarb (Rheum x cultorum). Although most people think of rhubarb for dessert, the reddish stems have a long history of use as a vegetable in soups in Asia. Caution: Don’t eat the leaves or roots, which are poisonous. Plant rhubarb roots in full sun and rich, well-drained soil. Harvest in spring. Hardy to Zone 1.
10. Crosnes, or Chinese Artichoke (Stachys affinis). Also known as mintroot, this little-known mint relative sets out runners that form a dense, 12-inch-high ground cover. The small, white tubers are crisp and sweet, and add a great crunch to salads. Harvest the tubers annually for best plant growth (just leave a few for the following year). Grow crosnes in full sun or partial shade in well-drained soil. Hardy to Zone 5. (For more info, see Crunch a Bunch of Crosnes.)
    
    Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/perennial-vegetables-zm0z12amzkon.aspx?page=3#ixzz2KV0lCp1R