Food What is [The Most Invasive] food crop you have encountered?

[L.A.B.]

I’m thinking along the terms of seed crops, bean crops, corn, leafy greens.

I once planted some Arugula from tiny seeds in the back yard of my residence. It took off like a weed, showing up in my neighborhood front lawns in our breezy knoll.

The neighborhoods nice to perfect lawns were getting these little clusters of my favorite salad green, and I, well… claimed ignorance, as I was growing fava beans, and that stuff was messing up my yard too.

What obscure or generally unrecognizable food crops have you ever grown?

 

[packyderms_wife]

I’ve not been guilty of planting an invasive. My life has been focused on getting rid of invasives. I live in Iowa so you know shove that Johnson grass where the sun doesn’t shine!

 

[Alaskan_Leatherhead]

Dandelions are edible.

 

[Kathy in FL]

Kudzu. It is edible. So is dollar weed.

 

[briches]

Mint. (Does that count)

 

[summerthyme]

Amaranth!

Summerthyme

 

[West]

I'm proud to say, years ago we planted tomatillo, and now we have them sprout up all over. Spread by the birds....

And asparagus...

 

[BenIan]

Amaranth, buckwheat, and if you live semi-tropically (winged yam/ube).

 

[KMR58]

Jerusalem artichokes. Excellent hide in plain sight vegetable.

 

[mecoastie]

Jerusalem artichokes definitely. We had a volunteer lettuce/ greens bed for several years. It was nice just picked it. Pulled it out but still have volunteer arugala. 15 years ago I got the bright idea to use blackberries as a natural fence around the garden. Yup still fighting that.

 

[paxsim2]

Cilantro. It took a couple of years but we got rid of it!

 

[Illini Warrior]

damn cherry tomatoes can be bad .....

 

[summerthyme]

Also, Sweet Annie... Artemisia annua. I can't say I minded... it smells wonderful, and its really not aggressive. Pulls easily at almost any stage, and every handful of weeds smells so sweet!

Tomatoes can be a problem if you don't remove any fallen or leftover fruit at the end of the season. Heck, even garlic will self seed and spread... i had baby garlic plants all over the farmstead. Comfrey is another... although it wasn't ever a problem for me until the hired kid rototilled the plants in the kitcjen garden! In had comfrey everywhere after that.

Summerthyme

 

[EMICT]

The most invasive 'food crap' are the food consumers who cross the southern border uninvited.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Blackberries and garlic........Peppermint was a problem at one time, too. Does wild onions count?

 

[Samuel Adams]

Tolerance for government overreach.



Once planted.....only flamethrowers, bulldozers and a six inch layer of salt will kill it off.


Nasty, NASTY stuff.

 

[Josie]

Peppermint! Always put it in a pot!!

 

[mecoastie]

Peppermint! Always put it in a pot!!

We have peppermint and thyme that has taken over part of our yard. Only part I like to mow. Smells great.

 

[WalknTrot]

Oregano.

 

[L.A.B.]

Amaranth!

Summerthyme

And most wouldn’t know what they were looking at if they walked past it.

 

[winston]

Blackberries and garlic........Peppermint was a problem at one time, too. Does wild onions count?

"Peppermint was a problem at one time" ... how did you fix it ?!? i've got a peppermint problem. TIA

 

[SouthernBreeze]

"Peppermint was a problem at one time" ... how did you fix it ?!? i've got a peppermint problem. TIA

I had to keep pulling it up and out to keep it thinned, or it would take over my whole bed. Spreads like crazy, and each year it would come back as thick as before. I think I eventually sprayed it with something to finish it off. I may have used Round Up on it just to be rid of it. I won't plant it again, unless it's in a pot or some other container.

ps.......I don't like using Round Up on our property, and never on our garden beds, but it was used to get rid of the peppermint and oregano.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Oregano.

I forgot about oregano! The oregano and peppermint took over my whole herb bed! The basil, not so much. Seems like I had something else, too, but can't remember what it was.

 

[TxGal]

Mint. (Does that count)

Yes! I was told not to plant it in the ground, only in pots because it was so invasive. I didn't listen, and that was about 9 years ago. We're still trying to get rid of it in a pasture near the house.

 

[briches]

Hubby planted one mint plant last year in our front border. I told him it would spread (I’d had it beforehand). I’m not sure he realized how much. The entire front bed is filled with it now. He has potted some and will be getting rid of the rest. I tried telling him ….

 

[paxsim2]

I forgot about artemisia and mint.

 

[John Deere Girl]

Peppermint, lemon balm

 

[connie]

Garlic chives

 

[night driver]

Lemon Balm and Lemon Verbena (both VERY nice teas) which jumped out of the tubs I had dropped 3 or 5 seeds into, and have taken over half my backyard. The hard clay didn't even slow them down, so I enjoy when my guy comes and mows now.

 

[night driver]

OH, Right. State of Ohio has banned the planting of Bradford Pears as of this year.....

 

[ReneeT]

Well, they tell me that darned Creeping Charlie is edible, but I can't get past the smell of the stuff. Second on the list would be lemon balm - when I find it, I'm moving it to the flower bed that is near the black walnuts and filled with the Creeping Charlie - I'll let 'em fight it out to the finish

 

[33dInd]

Nothing
Cause I am the darth Vader to any plant
For example
When we bought the ten acres in eastern Oklahoma county wife son and I spent a weekend planting 100 bare root pine saplings on the property
Only three made it
The next year I planted a dozen weed mulberry trees
None made it
Then I planted a dozen on the south’s most infamous weed tree the pink mimosa
Only one made it
Heck I even sprouted over 50 mimosa seeds in plant pots. Only one has survived

if it’s green and I touch it it’s DEAD

 

[ReneeT]

Dear 33dInd, please come over and touch my Creepy, err... Creeping Charlie; thank you!!

 

[Chicken Mama]

Elderberries, and I blame Summer thyme.

 

[West]

Elderberries, and I blame Summer thyme.

Us too, but we successfully was able to transplant wild ones to our front yard orchard. If I didn't mow, around the 20x20 foot patch would take over the whole orchard.

 

[ioujc]

Mint.....but I drink prodigious amount of mint tea in the winter, so it isn't really a BIG problem.

 

[tech]

Gonna have to go with blackberries. Been chasing them around for years, but they always come up "somewhere"...
...more like anywhere except where they would be acceptable.

 

[Walrus Whisperer]

Goji berries, and I did not plant them. They have needle sharp spines that will break off in your skin. I've dug down 2 feet deep, ripped up the running roots down there. Poisoned them. They will NOT die.
GAH!