vegetables that grow like weeds

[corbanzo]

If you were to be out where the land was a little harsh, the growing season was a little short, and wanted a food supply that would be there for most of the year, what would you plant?  Something that is nutritions for the body, and just grows and grows??

[jvs]

2 crops of Cabbage, Leaf Lettuce, Pole Beans, Spinach, Peas, Snow Peas, Garlic, Zuchinni and Brussel Sprouts.

[ironglow]

  Jerusalem artichokes ?

[ihookem]

 I planted sugar snap peas in early August in S.E. Wisconsin and they grew till oct. 10, but it was very warm and wet.

[ironglow]

  Corbanzo;

    Honestly; i wasn't trying to be funny or facetious..

   I don't know what your growing season is like around Seward, but here in rural NY state (zone 5) Jerusalem artichokes do very well.
  Once established, they do indeed "grow like weeds". They don't even need a special, cultivated garden plot, growinhg much like the infamous Golden Rod seen so commonly in the fields of the northern contiguous 48. They are not true artichokes but part of the sunflower family..not from the Holy Land either..but they are rich in potassium as well as other nutrients.
  Their roots are very nutritious (taste like parsnips) and require virtually no care...because they grow like weeds. You may want to do a Google on them..

                                                                                                    Ironglow

[corbanzo]

Yeah, that is actually what Im looking for.  It is for my property , which is north of seward a few hundred miles.  The thing is is that I wont be up there all the time, so caring for a plot of vegetables isnt really in the cards.  It would also have to deal with wild animals and the like.  there are things like fiddle heads and blueberries in the area that depending on the season can be a source of food, but i was wondering on something I could introduce, that would not spread like a disease (no dandelions)  I dont care about the patch growing, a few hours of work can make it back to its regular size, but no airborne spores.  But also that will grow without upkeep. 

Ill take a look at those artichokes. 

[corbanzo]

I just did some reading on those, seems like an interesting idea.  Though I would have to do a test plot that was well guarded after hearing of the weed problem, I do hate invasive species. 

[ironglow]

   Worth a try, Corbanzo;

  A "test plot" would be a good idea. Jerusalem artichokes have (to me) a delicious, satisfying flavor and can be cooked up like a "mess of potatoes"  ..basis for a whole meal..

  BTW: I have family that are long time residents of Anchorage area and others that are same in the Fairbanks/ North Pole area..
 
    So for an "outsider", I do undertstand that with the various ocean currents and trade winds and sheer mass of land area, the Alaskan climate can vary greatly from one part to another.

  May you have success in your food growing venture !

[Buckskin]

Asparagus and horseradish, winter onions and rhubarb.
I hope your living in seclusion because you will have some nasty odors extruding from your orifices.

[Drilling Man]

It is for my property , which is north of seward a few hundred miles.

  That would put you up on the Parks Hiway....  It's a rather short growing season there with VERY cold winters...  That will be a real challenge, that's for sure...  I always hated when the garden would just start getting decent and the moose would come in and destroy it!!  And NO you can't put them all in the freezer as there's always more!

  DM

[corbanzo]

drilling man... yeah, its up by talkeetna, cept way back in the woods in the trapper creek area.  Try and get ahold of some irish spring soap, and hang it on rope around your garden, the moose cant stand the stuff, and wont mess with your plants. 

short growing season is definitely a problem, that is why large leafy vegatables that grow fast are a good idea around here.

[hillbill]

will turnips grow in that climate?i know they will keep well in a root cellar and do well in cool weather but maybe not as cool as seward.

[WaitsLong]

I bought some J. Artichokes roots in the super market produce section
and planted in 3 on some land. They grew and were hardy. I did nothing
to help them. I had planted them in  bad places: bank of a dry wash.
I thought they were all finally dead from drought, (high planes, less than
  13 inches precip).
When a wet year came, I was amazed to see one still alive 10 years later.

Wild grapes and 1.5 inch crab apple would be other good perennials;
both their seeds and roots should grow true, which is not true of most
grapes or apples.
Even black walnut might grow in your area, I have seen it in northern Illinois.

Correct me if I am wrong.
Seward is a maritime type climate, not severe cold in winter. Not warm in
summer either, even with 18 hours sun. Lack of severe cold can be a problem,
because mild winter temps can allow some parasites, bugs, worms to over=winter.

Even without cold winters, some cold weather root crops like parsnips and beets
look good, because they can live in the ground for up to 18 months. They are
good keepers in a root-cellar also. Garlic and onions would be a good to have.

  Check with local gardeners as to what works.

Try cultivating a local garden, in the wild, as a nursery and experiment, then transfer
the plants to your land or adjoining land.

Deer love young trees and garden plants. If you have trouble, get field fence;
put it around the garden (vertically), also put it suspended it horizontally,
2 feet above the garden.
Deer hate  getting entangled in horizontal field fence. As an alternative or supplement,
you can also suspend field fence horizontally, around the exterior of your garden.

[corbanzo]

Oh Seward isn't the problem, we grow all kinds of stuff here, it is pretty mild.  The problem is up in trapper creek, in the southern interior, where the weather is harsher.  I am in Seward a lot, and have time to take care of plants, trapper creek is not the same, I own property which I dont live on full time, so am not there to take care of a garden. 

In Seward we have cabbage, carrots, brocolli, etc. 

[WaitsLong]

The problem is up in trapper creek, in the southern interior, where the weather is harsher.   
...
In Seward we have cabbage, carrots, brocolli, etc. 

You need to find what Zone you are in, look on a map. Hopefully your land is Zone 3 or larger.
You can buy some Shelter Belt trees that are hardy to Zone 3. IIRC, Nanking Cherry, crab apple,
wild plum, etc are available from Gurneys or your Dept of Ag in quantities and are CHEAP.
Split the order with some other guys.

For these trees, or root-crops (beets, parsnips etc) I would start them in Seward and transplant
later. I have not done this with root crops, but they can be hard to start and do believe they
can be translpanted easily.
I would only transplant, after deer protection (horizontal and vertical fencing) had been
established.

If you are really cheap, you can find wild plums and crab apples, etc., that will grow in the
interior, and grow them from seed in Seward. Then transplant.

[Drilling Man]

You need to find what Zone you are in, look on a map.

  There are so many climates and micro climates in Alaska that zone map means nothing in Alaska.

  There are no deer around Trapper Creek (or even Seward for that matter) but the moose are hell on gardens!  An electric fence is a joke to a moose, and the only way i ever saw, to "absolutely" keep them out is to weld a fence up out of "drill stem!"  (there's lots of it around used around Kenai)

  I've had moose take out every electric fence i ever devised, so either camp in your garden, or drill stem it is!

  DM

[WaitsLong]

You need to find what Zone you are in, look on a map.

  There are so many climates and micro climates in Alaska that zone map means nothing in Alaska.

  There are no deer around Trapper Creek (or even Seward for that matter) but the moose are hell on gardens!  An electric fence is a joke to a moose, and the only way i ever saw, to "absolutely" keep them out is to weld a fence up out of "drill stem!"  (there's lots of it around used around Kenai)

  I've had moose take out every electric fence i ever devised, so either camp in your garden, or drill stem it is!

  DM

The town looks colder than Minneapolis in winter and maybe
too cold in summer to let fruit develop. Ask some experts.
http://www.city-data.com/city/Trapper-Creek-Alaska.html

http://www.city-data.com/city/Minneapolis-Minnesota.html

Here is a very lousy (no detail) zone map, but they give a chart.
(Lots of Zone 3 is in the Rockies and not shown. Some Zone
maps do show it.)
http://www.burpee.com/contentarticle.do?itemID=754

Your Zone     ...            Zone 5       Zone 4       Zone 3
Your Lowest Temp (F.)    -20° to -10°    -30° to -20°    -40° to -30°
This chart may be optimistic.

Micro climates matter a lot. Micro-micro clitmates matter a lot.
Plant fruit trees on a slight northern slope.
Drifting snow is good, it protects from cold dry winds.

I figured Moose and Elk could be real problems, but had no direct
experience with them, so I hesitated to tell an Alaskan about Moose.
Likewise, Bears might dig up root crops.

Richard Louis Proenneke (1916-2003): I read the original book on (by)
him, and they had pictures of his garden results, SAD. A few carrots the
size of your thumb, etc. His cabin was at Twin Lakes (Upper Twin Lake).

Driller,
Can you describe "drill stem", I assume mild steal. Round? How thick?
Is drill stem a drill pipe from a water well or oil well?
This is a scroungers raw material that I have never heard of.

[corbanzo]

The drill stem is simply the pipe that connects the drill to the bit on drilling rigs.  They are big pipes, and if sunk into the ground, aint nothing going to take them out.

[B2crawler]

MMMM.....garden fed moose meat.