I recently moved from my apartment and had to abandon my vegtable garden. My new place has a front porch with very little light. I'm attempting some greens, but the lack of planting space has me eyeing a local public park. I have an idea to collect seeds and cuttings from local native edibles and sewing them in secluded areas of the park. My thoughts: 1.The native plants, being adapted to the climate, will be relitively low maitanance and--if I choose correctly--able to tolerate low light. 2. The plants will blend with the lanscape and be less likely to attract attention (read: destruction). 3. Being native, the plants will have little impact on the enviornment. The park is a sort of faux-wilderness. It was clearly plowed under many years ago and re-planted to look like a sparse forest--unfortunatly nearly devoid of the edibles I'm after. What I want to know is: Has anyone attempted anything like this? If so, do you have any tips or suggestions? -and- What haven't I thought about? I worry that screwing with the way plants have placed themselfes might be enviournmentaly hazerdos, native or not.
Have never tried what your talking about. We supply plants to the local Parks and Rec. Dept. If you want to plant native plants in a park, go for it. Now if you were planning on planting a garden there, I'd say dont waste your time. About the time your tomatoes start to rippen, they would be gone and be on someone table. I wouldn't introduce any non-native plants. They could get out of hand and spread like wild fire. Here at our green house several tourist from the lower 48 and elsewhere see a plant growing out in the woods and ask if they can buy a start or 2 to take home. I tell them no way. The plant in question is Devil's Club. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/51534/index.html I would feel like hell if it got started anywhere else. So my words are go for it, but be careful...............Dennis...Alaskan
Perhaps I didn't articulate well. I'm not proposing to plant non-native vegtables, just native edibles (ex. lambs quarters, blackberries, wild onions). All seeds and cuttings would come from local wildspaces, I would just be bringing them to a location more conveniant to my home.
do the parks and rec departments spray the parks? Most do! look closer: abandoned lots, sharing a plot in a community garden http://www.cityofseattle.net/neighborhoods/ppatch/ corners of neighbors' yards, inside, containers....
I'm on the lookout for that. It's a planned forest area, so I'm hoping some places are too remote or cramped for them to conveniantly spray. Also, I know their flower beds are pesticide free--but I don't know about the lawn areas.
Every park I know of sprays too. I'd go for a container here & there... but I'm paranoid about pesticides in my veggies And... I grow ALL of my veggies on my deck - right up against the side of my house and I STILL have people stealing my tomatoes. If they were in a park, I'm doubting much of anything would last. love, mom
i go to the parks around me just to eat their wild berries, so it's possible that you would be sharing the fruits of your labor with others and not know it!
I'm betting on most people not being able to identify wild foods. There will be no traditional vegtables in this wild garden, only plants grown from seeds and cuttings gotten in local wild areas. As for people who do know what wild sorral looks like? More power to 'em.
