Perennial foodtopia

Due to my unsuccessful gardening season, I have decided I don't need to work harder, I need to work SMARTER!!!!

So I decided to go with perennials. Even if 2-3 are successful this year, I will have 2-3 food products for YEARS with very little work.

I didn't go this way initially because we are in a rental home, but I still chose to plant a few perennials anyway. After very little work but a lot of seeds, I have 4 moringa oleifera plants THRIVING with no additional work and just occasional watering. They don't seem to be bothered by pests, and are very nutritious. We planted them just 4 months ago, and there is one that is already 4 feet tall!!!!

I am so proud of my little trees! To me, these guys were a TOTAL SUCCESS! 4 trees will meet many of our family of 6's nutritional needs while we are here, and I will be sure to root cuttings from these trees when we move so we can bring them with us. These trees are extremely useful trees!

I will never give up my garden because of failures. Because with my HUGE failure has come one success.

That being said, I am moving to perennials. My requirements for my new challenge are simple:

fruits in under 2 years
perennial
good reported taste
can be grown in containers

This eliminates MANY mainstream fruits and veggies. I found a few fruits though that met my criteria, and I placed my order.

White raisin bush
Goji berry
Red Mulberry
Pigeon Pea
Tree tomato
Aunt MOlly's Ground cherry
SIerra Leone Ground cherry
Dwarf Pomegranate
Cocona
Walking onion

I didn't count the moringa. These are already growing and thriving. Once I line my fence with successful perennials, I will work on my garden again. There is definitely enough for 50-75 bushes along our fenceline, which will give us a LOT of food for little money and work. It is definitely the world's cheapest food!!!!!

Mini foodtopia was NOT a success!

Mini-foodtopia was full of learning experiences! Most of them are NOT positive! After throwing every seed under the sun into the ground, and watering and weeding for weeks, the only thing I feel great about is thanks to me there are going to be a hundred butterflies around the house. Caterpillars ate through nearly every vegetable I grew!

On a brighter note, my jalapenos are doing great, and so is the lettuce. The beans and green beans did just OK. I have to say, if I put it ALL together and made them into meals for our family, we would have 1-2 meals. The pumpkins and tomatoes got demolished by caterpillars, and unfortunately, I do not have time to pick caterpillars off one by one for hours on end.

The corn's growth was stunted. Not many successes anywhere... which brings me to my next mission and my next post...