Edible, Medicinal and Permaculture Plants
There are hundreds, even thousands of Edible, Medicinal & Permaculture Plants available!
Designing a regenerative interconnected system requires using a variety of plants that serve multiple functions. Perhaps no function tops that of being edible or medicinal for humans. Plants may also be companions for others in the system – providing vital nutrients or creating a health insect environment. We may call these guilds or polycultures. Simplified, these may be described as permaculture plants and systems.
A system may start underground with edible tubers of Groundnut – Apios americana. This nitrogen fixing plant feeds the heavy requirements of the fruits above. In the spring, moist ground is covered by the elegant Fiddlehead Ostrich Ferns; perfect for your salad. Upright Echinacea flowers and Monarda Bee Balms attract pollinators and beneficial insects, while serving medicinal value in teas or tinctures. The hardy Kiwi vine wraps itself over a trellis entrance to the garden and produces a tasty low maintenance treat! Low growing bush Currants, for pie and jams can take a little shade, along side the Paw Paw and Serviceberry. Perhaps there are edible Miatake mushrooms and Shitake logs nearby. Meanwhile high-bush Blueberries, semi-dwarf Apples and Peaches bask in the sun. Along the upper canopy we find nuts such as Butternut and Walnut….
Food is fun.
Nature is nourishing.
Here are just a few edible and medicinal plants in our repertoire.
For more on these systems as a whole visit our
Edible Landscapes & Permaculture section.
Also see our Network & Resources section
for more permaculture resources.