Waterwise veggie garden & edible native plants

For a few years I have been thinking that it would be good to find out more about edible native plants as they are adapted to our soil and climate and thus are likely to good options for a sustainable food garden. Research is also showing that many of these plants are nutritionally superior to the standard commercially grown fruit and veg.

With this blistering dry summer I have begin to seriously rethink what I plant in my veggie patch. Coincidently I was recently given Simon Bryant’s Vegies cookbook which features many native plants. His blog on Going Native is a good argument for the incorporation of native plants into every veggie garden. The Outback Pride website provides a good starting list on what edible native plants. What I have found difficult is finding places that stock these plants. There are a number of native plant nurseries in SA (for list see Native Growers List BFWSept12). But I have not been able to find one that specialises in edible plants.

What veggies do you find survive best in our summers? Have you had any experience in growing bush tucker plants? I would be interested to hear how other SCSA members thoughts on this.

Warrigal greens (Tetragonia tetragonioides) – a leafy groundcover grown for edible leaves.