Click on a photo to enlarge it. Click on the name to read more about it!
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African Blue Basil is a hardy perennial that will grow year after year with only a little care. Ours is a disease-resistant hybrid that grows plenty of leaves before the buds appear, giving you more basil than you can likely use. |
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Arrowroot is an attractive, shade-loving plant that produces edible tubers a bit like a medium size sweet potato but narrower. The fresh tubers can be cooked in soups or stews or even candied! |
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Arugula is a salad herb that is native to the Mediterranean region. It has been cultivated since Roman times and is rich in vitamin C and iron. The leaves add a peppery taste to salads or pesto; and eaten raw or cooked in many other dishes. |
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Callaloo is grown for its delicious large leaves and soft stems that are enjoyed throughout the Caribbean. It grows fast and tall, and will produce seed even if most of the plant has been eaten. Amaranths are full of vitamins and minerals, and even some protein. |
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The edible Canna or Queensland arrowroot plant is closely related to the garden canna. It grows 6 or more feet tall and has a small brilliant red flower so it is an excellent backdrop for smaller flowers and herbs. |
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Caribbean Oregano is a more succulent and aromatic version of its milder Greek cousin. It may be grown in your vegetable or herb garden or as a potted specimen. The leaves can be used fresh and chopped finely or dried for storage and crumbled. |
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The Chaya or Spinach Tree is about twice as nutritious as spinach. It is a dense shrub, native to the Yucatan peninsula. It takes a while to get established and then grows quickly to 6-8 feet tall. |
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The Cherry of the Rio Grande is an evergreen shrub that can grow to 10-20 ft high. Its oblong, sweet, dark-red/purple fruits are 1-2″ long and may be eaten fresh or made into a jelly or jam. |
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Chickasaw Plum is a low-maintenance tree or shrub that makes a nice addition to a back yard. The small, tart, plum-like fruits ripen in early to mid summer, and may be eaten raw or dried, or made into preserves & jellies. |
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Chinese Red Lettuce has been grown in the community garden at UF by people who brought it from Asia. It grows well in the winter and is frost tolerant. A healthy plant should reach about 4 ft tall. The leaves can be eaten in salads and the core is also edible. |
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Chinquapin is a small tree or shrub closely related to the chestnut that is drought and cold tolerant. It produces small edible nuts that can be roasted and eaten like chestnuts. |
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The Cranberry Hibiscus is a striking plant with dramatic purple-red leaves. It contrasts beautifully with green plants in the garden. The flowers can be made into a delicious lemonade. The pleasantly tart leaves can be eaten in salads and stir fries. |
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Elderberry is a shrub found in wet areas. Both the flowers and the berries are edible. The flowers can be battered & fried, made into wine, used for tea, or to flavor vinegar. The berries are best used in jam. They can also be dried and added to baked goods. |
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Fig trees are one of the easiest fruit trees to grow in our area. Our trees are small and bushy, and do well in moist, rich, well drained soil. They were propagated by cuttings from local trees that are growing and producing well. |
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Flatwoods Plum or Hog Plum is a small, cold-hardy tree native to the Southeast. Its beautiful, white spring flowers give way to equally attractive summer fruits, which can be enjoyed in jellies, jams, pies and preserves. |
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The India Lettuce, grown in the summertime, is a wonderful addition to soups and salads. Plant in moist soil in partial shade, and harvest leaves one by one from the bottom, as you would collard greens. Clip the head to encourage growth. |
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The Jamaican Sorrel, or Roselle, is a fast-growing hibiscus that grows to about 6′. Its calyxes are harvested in the winter and can be brewed fresh or dried to make a popular Caribbean tea. They can also be used in salads, syrups, jams, jellies, and chutneys. |
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Katuk is a popular vegetable in Southeast Asia, where its leaves, flowers, and asparagus-like tips are enjoyed cooked or raw. The plant should be pruned to 3-6 feet. Edible parts should be harvested during warm months, when flavor is best. |
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Lemon Grass is a fragrant herb popular in Asian and Caribbean cooking. The inner leaves can be chopped finely, the end of the stalk bruised to release the flavor. It is often used in curries, soups, and for tea. It is delicious with garlic, chilies and cilantro. |
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The Loquat is an easy-to-grow, low maintenance tree. It produces succulent fruit in the early spring that taste like a combination of peach and apricot. They are delicious in crumbles, pies, jellies, syrups, sauces, chutneys, ice cream and fruit curds! |
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Maypop Passion Fruit is a native vine that grows well in sunny areas and all local soil types. It has exquisitely beautiful, purple flowers in the spring. The fruits are uniquely delicious fresh off the vine or added to fruit salads and sauces or jellies. |
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The Florida Water Mint is a native that grows in sunny wet areas. It is commonly found in roadside ditches It may be covered by grasses in the summer, but being frost tolerant, it out-competes them in the winter. |
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The Moringa is a beautiful tree every part of which is edible including flowers, leaves, seeds, pods and roots. It is drought and neglect tolerant but frost sensitive so it needs care when young to survive a couple of Gainesville winters. |
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Red Mulberry is a fast growing deciduous tree that is native to our area and needs very little care. They fruit heavily in the spring. The berries are like a sweet blackberry: they are delicious fresh, in smoothies and fruit salads and they make a yummy jam. |
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Okinawa Spinach is an easy-to-grow, attractive perennial vegetable that has half purple, half dark green leaves, It makes a delicious addition to salads, or can be cooked as a potherb. |
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The Pindo Palm is a slow growing, cold-hardy tree which grows to 12-15 feet. Its delicious, abundant fruit is worth waiting for – it makes wonderful tropical-tasting jams, jellies, wines, & liqueurs. The seeds can be roasted and brewed as a coffee substitute. |
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Pomegranate, a small tree with beautiful spring flowers, grows 15-25 feet tall. Its fruit comprised a myriad crunchy, juicy kernels whose distinctive sweet and tart flavor make them wonderful addition to many sweet and savory dishes. . |
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Prickly Pear, the only cactus native to the eastern United States, is almost completely edible. The fruits are beautiful, sweet and tart, while the leaf-like structures resemble green beans in flavor. Harvest with care, avoiding the sharp spines, and enjoy! |
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Seminole Pumpkin is closely related to the butternut and calabaza pumpkins. It’s easy to grow and will keep for up to a year. This variety makes excellent pies, soup, bread, and anything else you might use a butternut or other pumpkin for. |
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Sochan, or green-headed cone flower, is a wild plant that is native to most of the continental United States. Its leaves are edible (one of the favored greens of the Cherokee) and are best in eaten in the Spring. |
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Sunchoke, or Jerusalem Artichoke, is a tall (7 feet) easily grown vegetable with a sunflower like bloom and an edible tuber which can be eaten raw or baked, fried, steamed, sautéed or mashed. |
11 responses so far ↓
1 MANON // Aug 23, 2008 at 1:01 AM
THE MULBERRY TREE LOOKS PRETTY AND THE FRUIT TASTES GREAT, JUST TO EAT OFF THE TREE OR IN ALL KIND OF DESSERTS. HOWEVER, THE BIRDS LOVE THEM TOO AND MAKE A BIG MESS AROUND THE TREE. WHEN EVER YOU STEPP ON A FRUIT ON THE GROUND YOU BETTER WASH OFF YOUR SHOES BEFORE YOU CARRY IT IN THE HOUSE, THE STAINS ON THE CARPET OR ON YOUR CLOTHES ARE PRETTY MUCH PERMANENT. IT TAKES A LOT OF PATION TO MAKE JAM OUT OF THIS FRUIT, A LOT OF WORK BUT THE END RESULT IS DELICIOUS.
2 heidi // Dec 15, 2008 at 5:37 PM
i just wanted to say some plants im having great luck with here are pinapples and peanuts growing like weeds..i love mulberries so much.. i have one tiny mulberry tree that should fruit this season and can not wait to have mulberries again.. i havent had them since i was a kid ..is there any way you could send me some seeds from your basil or your pumpkins? i still hope to get to visit you all sometime and trade plants..ive been swamped lately which is good..just did the farmers market for the first time and had a blast..im trying to get a farmers market started here in edgewater, the closest one is so far away. wish me luck..do you all have beautyberries there ? i just made a pie with beautyberries, blackberries and blueberries and it was fantastic, theyre such a neat color. we just made home made peanut brittle for the first time from our first peanut crop.. it was really good and easy to make..peanut butter too..hope you all are doing great and happy holly days !
3 Miranda // Dec 16, 2008 at 3:29 AM
hey heidi – my mulberry trees have fruited from the first year when they were just 2 feet high … each year more feets and more fruits! miranda
4 Jackie // Jan 24, 2009 at 8:19 PM
Gooooo loquats! By far one of the easiest trees to grow in the Gainesville area. The only problem I’ve ever encountered with mine is lack of space for the fruit I harvest! These past few years I’ve had to give in and let the birds and squirrels help!
My daughter and I both love to step outside for a snack, between our local oranges, loquats, and plum trees.
5 John Hayes // Oct 28, 2009 at 2:49 PM
Has anybody tried to grow Strawberry Trees (arbutus)? The fruits are bland alone, but take on a new dimension when roasted with honey and meat, or blended with elderberries, blueberries, and mayhaws, as was traditional in ancient Ireland.
6 Brian // Jan 3, 2010 at 3:53 AM
beautiful job!!
Check this http://trec.ifas.ufl.edu/fruitscapes/
Fruitscapes video & resource page
7 brian // Feb 15, 2010 at 9:55 PM
hi, for mulberries, just put a tarp under the tree, shake the hell out of the leaves & branches & catch them below. Then fold it up into a bucket. :0)
8 Nilda Sessler // Apr 2, 2010 at 4:03 PM
Hi. I thought I heard on the radio that edible landscaping plants would be available for sale on Saturday April 3,in Gainesville, Fl. Was this mistaken on my part? I work in Citrus during the week and cannot make it to the Wednesday market day. Is there any other way to buy some of these plants that are available for sale. Thanks.
Nilda Sessler, Dunnellon, Florida
9 jennifer simon // May 18, 2010 at 8:06 PM
I just love all he stuff i got from u guys.
10 miranda // May 18, 2010 at 8:10 PM
11 Linda // Jul 9, 2010 at 10:15 AM
Wonderful site! I am just discovering my passion for edible gardening; can’t wait till I can really dig in and digest all of this … 2 questions:
Do you sell Mulberry Trees or do you know who, in this area, does? I have been searching and desperately want one, and what are your nursery hours when I could come pay a visit? Thanks!
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