Plantago
The Plantago (virginica L.) growing throughout our low-lying field has always been a great food source for our chickens and tortoise. Aside from being edible,…
full sun
mexican petunia | ruellia simplex
Mexican petunia (Ruellia simplex) has gained popularity over the years as an ornamental plant, and anyone who has it understands why it is now listed…
growing watermelon
This was our first time growing watermelon in our Florida food forest, and it was a total success. The first week of April, we planted…
prickly pear cactus
We grow the spineless variety of prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ellisiana) for our sulcata tortoise. This plant is a hybrid, bred to not have large…
fleabane
Fleabane flowers are one of my favorite Florida native wildflowers. They spread randomly throughout my yard, and not only do the butterflies love them, but…
spurred butterfly pea
Spurred Butterfly Pea (centrosema virginianum) is a Florida native vining perennial. These fragile fines can grow up to 6 feet long or more at a…
chaya (aka tree spinach)
Chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) aka spinach tree is one of my favorite plants in our zone 9b food forest. For so many reasons: One of our…
Partridge Pea
Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) is a nitrogen-fixing, Florida native pollinator plant that feeds a wide variety of wildlife and is a host plant to many…
cowpeas
Cowpeas are super easy to grow, they provide a lot of edible beans that you can replant back into the yard each year for a…
candlestick cassia (senna alata)
I’ve been growing candlestick cassia, also known as the candelabra plant, in my yard for almost a decade. It’s an easy-to-grow, multi-functional plant that provides…