55+ Favourite Plants for Edible Forest Gardens in Ontario (Hardiness Zones 4b/5a)
A colleague asked me about my top plants for perennial polycultures in our region (hardiness zones 4b/5a in Ontario and Québec). This is also a popular question on our garden tours and in our classes! From our observations, here's what I came up with...
Favourite plants for moderate site conditions (sun to part sun; sandy clay to sand clay loam):
Toka plum (Prunus salicina?) – tree; edible fruit (ours fruited in 3 years)
basswood (Tilia americana) – tree; edible young leaves for salads; flowers for tea; apparently can be coppiced
red and white currants (Ribes rubrum) – shrub; edible fruit
elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) – large shrub; edible flowers and fruit for cooking and medicine
perennial onions (A. fistulosum), walking onions (A. proliferum), ramps (A. tricoccum), chives (A. schoenoprasum), garlic chives (A. tuberosum) – herbaceous; edible leaves for salads and cooking, among first greens in spring; for pollinators
bee balm (Monarda spp.) – herbaceous; flowers and leaves for tea; for pollinators and hummingbirds (prefers part sun)
oregano (Origanum vulgare) – herbaceous; edible leaves for salads and cooking; leaves for medicine
marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) – herbaceous; flowers, leaves and roots for medicine; edible leaves; for pollinators
echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) – herbaceous; roots for medicine; beautiful flowers for pollinators (apparently leaves and flowers are edible)
St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) – herbeceaous; leaves and flowers for medicine; for pollinators
purple top white globe turnip (Brassica rapa), red Russian kale (Brassica napus) and arugula (Eruca sativa) – herbaceous, reseeding annuals; broadcast seeds grow well on wood chips in part sun, as additional crop in edible forest garden
wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) – herbaceous ground cover; edible fruit
ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) – herbaceous ground cover, spreads quickly, easy to remove; leaves for medicine; among first flowers in spring for pollinators
lupin (Lupinus spp.) – herbaceous; fixes nitrogen, beautiful flowers for pollinators
Honorable mentions for moderate site conditions:
apple (Malus domestica) – tree; edible fruit, good for winter storage (however, can be prone to fire blight)
Asian pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) – tree; edible fruit, good for winter storage (however, can be prone to fire blight)
gojiberry (Lycium barbarum) – shrub/trailing vine; edible shoots, best in spring (however, other people have a hard time establishing it in the region – ours is in a warm sheltered microclimate and has not fruited much yet)
asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) – herbaceous; edible shoots (however, they'll take some space, so are best for a simple polyculture)
sunchoke (Helianthus tuberosus) – herbaceous; edible roots, best harvested in fall or spring (however, they'll take some space, so are best for a simple polyculture)
stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) – herbaceous; edible greens for cooking and tea, dries well for winter storage (however, choose a good location – it stings!)
comfrey (Symphytum officinale) – herbaceous; chop and drop for potassium, compost activator; for medicine and pollinators (however, choose a good location – it's there to stay!)
beetberry (Chenopodium capitatum) – herbaceous, reseeding annual; edible greens and small fruits for salads (however, reseeds like crazy)
daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) – herbaceous; edible shoots for salad or cooking, edible flowers and tubers; among first greens in spring (however, it spreads faster than we can eat them)
Upcoming hopefuls for moderate site conditions:
Manchurian apricot (Prunus mandschurica) – tree; edible fruit
false indigo (Amorpha fruticosa) – shrub; fixes nitrogen
sea kale (Crambe maritima) – herbaceous; edible broccoli-like flowers
maximillian sunflower (Helianthus maximilianii) – herbaceous; edible shoots; for pollinators; apparently good deer screen
perennial arugula (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) – herbaceous; edible greens for salads
mitsuba (Cryptotaenia japonica) – herbaceous; edible leaves for salads and cooking; for pollinators
Promising plants for drier site conditions (sandier soil and full sun):
sour cherry (Prunus cerasus?) – tree; edible fruit
pear (Pyrus communis?) – tree; edible fruit
alder (Alnus spp.) – tree; fixes nitrogen and fast-growing for wind-shelter
red currant (Ribes rubrum) – shrub; edible fruit
bee balm (Monarda spp.) – herbaceous; flowers and leaves for tea; for pollinators and hummingbirds (prefers part sun)
horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) – herbaceous; edible roots
gobo (Arctium lapa) – herbaceous; edible roots
oregano (Origanum vulgare) – herbaceous; edible leaves for salads and cooking; leaves for medicine
thyme (Thymus vulgaris) – herbaceous; edible leaves for salads and cooking; leaves for medicine
wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) – herbaceous ground cover; edible fruit
Honorable mentions for drier site conditions:
sunchoke (Helianthus tuberosus) – herbaceous; edible roots, best harvested in fall or spring (however, they'll take some space, so are best for a simple polyculture)
stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) – herbaceous; edible greens for cooking and tea, dries well for winter storage (however, choose a good location – it stings!)
Promising plants for wet site conditions (flood-plain):
high bush cranberry (Viburnum trilobum) – shrub; edible fruit for cooking
elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) – shrub; edible flowers and fruit for cooking and medicine
haskap (Lonicera caerulea) – shrub; edible fruit
alder (Alnus spp.) – tree; fixes nitrogen, fast-growing for wind-shelter
river grape (Vitis riparia?) – vine; edible fruit
mint (Mentha spp.) – herbaceous; for tea and pollinators; makes a reasonable ground-cover
daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) – herbaceous; edible shoots for salad or cooking, edible flowers and tubers; among first greens in spring
walking onions (Allium proliferum), chives (Allium schoenoprasum) – herbaceous; edible leaves for salads and cooking; for pollinators
lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) – herbaceous; for tea and pollinators
cattail (Typha latifolia, T. angustifolia) – herbaceous; edible shoots, flowers, pollen and roots for cooking; best on clean sites with no concerns of water pollution
Favourites for juglone-tolerance:
black walnut (Juglans nigra) – big tree; edible nuts (though hard to crack); nut husks and leaves for medicine; beautiful wood (this is one tree that produces juglone, so the other plants below are centred around it in the polyculture)
mulberry (Morus alba) – tree; edible fruit
ramps (Allium tricoccum) and perennial onions (Allium fistulosum) – herbaceous; edible leaves for salads and cooking; for pollinators
Solomon's seal (Polygonatum biflorum) – herbaceous; edible shoots for cooking (tolerates shade)
bee balm (Monarda spp.) – herbaceous; flowers and leaves for tea; for pollinators and hummingbirds (prefers part sun)
strawberry cultivated (Fragaria spp.) – herbaceous; edible fruit, covers the ground
Promising for juglone-tolerance:
raspberries (Rubus spp.) – shrub; edible fruit
valerian (Valeriana officinalis) – herbaceous; medicinal roots, flowers for pollinators
groundnut (Apios americana) – herbaceous vine; edible tubers for cooking; fixes nitrogen
cinnamon yam (Dioscorea batatas) – herbaceous vine; edible tuber for cooking
crosnes (Stachys affinis) – herbaceous; edible tubers
Check out our Edible & Medicinal Plant Tour and Edible Forest Garden course to learn more!
We'd love to hear your experiences growing these and other useful perennials in hardiness zones 4, 5 and colder!