Crops You Hate to Love: What invasive plants have won your heart?

I have a thicket of blackberries that sit next to my garden area which I always considered a nuisance because of their borderline invasiveness and always having to cut them back.  This year I gave them a little water by accident--due to  errant overhead irrigation--and I realized I love vine-ripened blackberries and they produce prolifically all summer long with pretty much zero effort and inputs. I can't believe I turned up my nose at them. (The ones I bought in the store were never ripe.)  

Are there any other (borderline or completely) invasive crops or useful plants that Permies secretly love even though they would be ashamed to admit it publicly?

Your secret is safe with me.  I won't judge you.

I love them all. If a particular plant causes problems in a particular place, I weed it out (goatheads in my barefoot lawn). Other than things like that, I welcome all plants to my farm and the surrounding wildlands.

Bamboo.  Mint.  Locust.  

Errant comfrey. Depends on where it "crops" up. Usually I chop it for the compost (tea), sometimes I just drop it and otherwise if it's gone too far I uproot it (yeah, good luck with that), and use it for a salve. Have learned to live with its relentlessness. Next up sunchokes...

Like Joseph, I love them all.

Especially blackberries as I love all things blackberry.

I really hated bur clover until I made peace with it.  It went away though this year it thought it would come back, though Mother Nature had other ideas and got it with heat and drought.

Mint, comfrey, lemon balm, oregano, blackberries, sunchokes, feverfew.

Bindweed.
I still hate it, but I have been making progress in using it for tying up tomato plants.
Wild mulberry.
I thought it was only good for feeding chickens.
Turns out it's almost as durable as locust wood, plus it has edible leaves along with the fiddly fruit.
I am propagating as many as possible.

Dandelions of course.

When I bought my first house I was ignorant and thought these are pests that need to be removed. I was at least not dumb enough to use chemicals, but I went around like an idiot and dug them out wherever I saw them. By the time I'd moved into my second house I was smart enough to know it wasn't worth the effort. And now in my third house I welcome them, they bring me utter joy. So pretty. And of course they attract pollinators (I love watching the bumblebees browse, I could do that all day), enrich the soil, let me know what my soil health is, create fun for my kids (they like to whack the ...what do you call'em? seed balls?), etc. If I could replace all my grass with dandelions, clover, and other eco-friendly lawn-coverings I'd be a happier guy, plus I could sell my stupid lawn mower.

I walk around my suburban property most days bending down and plucking the choicest dandelion leaves and popping them right in my mouth. "Lawn salad" I call it. Very healthy. I hope my neighbors see.

Squashes XD I really don't care for the taste or texture but it's just amazing to see them growing!!

Lamb's quarters and goutweed.
The only way I found to control their spread is eating them.

Daylilies used to be a much-maligned weed in my mind for the longest time and it still does compete with native species in my area. They are virtually everywhere and it is impossible to miss the huge patches when they are in bloom. I'm still not planting them intentionally, but now that I eat them I can appreciate their vigor and abundance. Plus I can harvest them quite destructively, as their elimination is also a goal.

There is only one weed I really hate, Russian Knapweed.  Everything else I can live with.  Its my belief that they all help extract P,K and trace minerals from the rocks and stones for other plants to use later.  Russian Knapweed though, I dont care what it extracts , its got to go.

There is of of course one invasive 'weed' that I have definitely grown to love in recent years since its legalization. ;)    

Bamboo.  Edible shoots for us.  Edible leaves for my livestock.  Biochar for my other plants.  Provides a cool retreat in the summer.  Has absolutely stopped erosion on our stream bank. We’ve used a bit for garden stakes and I’ve given some away for fences and poles.  

I prefer to describe it as “locally invasive” as it only grows where planted.  No worries about birds transporting here, there, and yonder.

Joseph Lofthouse wrote:I love them all. If a particular plant causes problems in a particular place, I weed it out (goatheads in my barefoot lawn). Other than things like that, I welcome all plants to my farm and the surrounding wildlands.

Having a love for all plants is a beautiful outlook. If you can give me some tips on how to love Poison Oak, that would be fantastic!!

William Bronson wrote:Bindweed.
I still hate it, but I have been making progress in using it for tying up tomato plants.
Wild mulberry.
I thought it was only good for feeding chickens.
Turns out it's almost as durable as locust wood, plus it has edible leaves along with the fiddly fruit.
I am propagating as many as possible.

William, Using bindweed as cordage is ingenious.  I like thinking outside the box on what to do with these invasives. While researching "how to snake-proof a yard", I learned that rattlesnakes--and maybe all snakes-- don't like thorny things because it is painful to slither over thorns. This got me thinking about how to re-purpose all the blackberries cuttings I have after I cut them back.  I'm thinking of weaving the long blackberry canes between the wires of the fence around my house-- maybe 12 inches off the ground--and see if that keeps out rattle snakes.  

Ned Harr wrote:Dandelions of course.  And now in my third house I welcome them, they bring me utter joy. So pretty. And of course they attract pollinators (I love watching the bumblebees browse, I could do that all day), enrich the soil, let me know what my soil health is, create fun for my kids (they like to whack the ...what do you call'em? seed balls?), etc. If I could replace all my grass with dandelions, clover, and other eco-friendly lawn-coverings I'd be a happier guy, plus I could sell my stupid lawn mower.

Ned, I loved hearing your dandelion journey. Watching the pollinators frolicking on your "weeds" versus fighting your weeds is such a healthier, happier place to be.

Oliver Huynh wrote:Lamb's quarters and goutweed.
The only way I found to control their spread is eating them.

Oliver, I had the same experience with Mallow aka Cheeseweed.  One year I was fighting mallow continually in a garden bed and then when I realized it was edible and healthy, I changed my motto to "If you can't beat it, eat it!"

Jeff Marchand wrote:
There is of of course one invasive 'weed' that I have definitely grown to love in recent years since its legalization. ;)    

Alright, Jeff, I've got my eye on you.  😀 J/K
We'll have to figure out something good we can do with Russian Knapweed.

Gray Henon wrote:Bamboo.  Edible shoots for us.  Edible leaves for my livestock.  Biochar for my other plants.  Provides a cool retreat in the summer.  Has absolutely stopped erosion on our stream bank. We’ve used a bit for garden stakes and I’ve given some away for fences and poles.  

I prefer to describe it as “locally invasive” as it only grows where planted.  No worries about birds transporting here, there, and yonder.

Gray, You've convinced me to plant some bamboo.  I just need to find the least invasive variety. 🤪

There was bamboo on this property when we bought, and I was apprehensive, but it’s not hard to keep under control since we can mow all the way around it. We use it for fence posts and stakes. The leaves are edible for chickens or dried out make good bedding.