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Medicinals in a Forest Garden
“Life is entrusted to man as a treasure which must not be squandered, as a talent which must be used well.” ~ St. John Paul II
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Lots of people in Seattle grow azaleas and rhododendrons in their yards, and people in Southern Utah and elsewhere, have oleanders, and both those are very toxic. But if you have little children who don't know better than to eat toxic plants, it might be wise to enclose them in a secure fence (the plants, not the children) At the same time, I think most folks would want to teach the kids to know they can only eat something if mom or dad says it is ok.
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Chris, I think you should be able to incorporate all medicinals in with your forest garden. Just don't intercrop the food with the poison that looks like food and you should be fine.
-CK
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
-Robert A. Heinlein
And fencing in the kids isn't a bad idea. But the four-year-old likes to climb…
“Life is entrusted to man as a treasure which must not be squandered, as a talent which must be used well.” ~ St. John Paul II
Idle dreamer
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The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings. - Masanobu Fukuoka
Most drug manufacturers will buy foxglove, because digitalis is one of the most common heart medications. That's the one I'm most worried about growing alongside food. Every part of the plant is capable of stopping your heart.
“Life is entrusted to man as a treasure which must not be squandered, as a talent which must be used well.” ~ St. John Paul II
-CK
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
-Robert A. Heinlein
“Life is entrusted to man as a treasure which must not be squandered, as a talent which must be used well.” ~ St. John Paul II
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I have handled them in every way possible (I rarely use gloves) and never even noticed the slightest heart palpitations. As for accidentally making tea from them, they are very distinctive and once you know what they look like you'll never mistake them for something else. I'm hard pressed to think of any other plant that resembles them -- maybe a mullein but their leaves are flat and foxgloves are very crinkly.
Once in early spring deer went through and ate everything that was green, including the foxgloves. I didn't see any carcasses lying around afterward. The foxgloves came back from the leafless crowns of the plant.
Just my observations.
We cannot change the waves of expansion and contraction, as their scale is beyond human control, but we can learn to surf. Nicole Foss @ The Automatic Earth
Also, I have two children who aren't quite old enough to know which plants to eat and to avoid – and I have a heart condition of my own. So a little paranoia seems prodent.
“Life is entrusted to man as a treasure which must not be squandered, as a talent which must be used well.” ~ St. John Paul II
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Best of luck,
-CK
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
-Robert A. Heinlein
Kota Dubois wrote:Chris I really think you're being too fearful of foxglove. I have them growing everywhere. They are biennials and self seed readily so if they come up in a place where they don't get in the way of some defined project I just leave them. They are beautiful and the bubble bees just love them.
I have handled them in every way possible (I rarely use gloves) and never even noticed the slightest heart palpitations. As for accidentally making tea from them, they are very distinctive and once you know what they look like you'll never mistake them for something else. I'm hard pressed to think of any other plant that resembles them -- maybe a mullein but their leaves are flat and foxgloves are very crinkly.
Once in early spring deer went through and ate everything that was green, including the foxgloves. I didn't see any carcasses lying around afterward. The foxgloves came back from the leafless crowns of the plant.
Just my observations.
I have to agree with this, we also have Foxglove all over the property. It comes in quickly as a pioneer plant, and I would never be able to control them, even if I had an inclination to. Besides, they are pretty and my bees like them.
Cliff (Start a rEVOLution, grow a garden)
Same goes for elderberry stems and leaves. All neighborhood kids were warned not to handle them or use the hollow woody stems as pea shooters bc they can cause hallucinations and severe intestinal distress.
I do like the earlier comment that if you are worried, you could plant them around the base of a prickly salmon berry plant, or behind some gooseberries. I don't necessarily recommend nettle (I love it, but get it from a friend's garden) bc I do not want to deal with the aftermath of my toddler accidentally stumbling into a patch of it. I will put some in when the kids are older.
Best of luck!
I am also from Portland, where digitalis is native and abundant. You don't have to try to grow it. You have to kill it on purpose. Despite its abundance here, I have never heard of anyone being concerned about it. I have two kids and a dog. I am not concerned at all. My two cents.
John S
PDX OR
Yes, I agree, it's not much to worry about. Chris seemed concerned, though. But since so much else is edible in our yard, I especially like to make a point of letting kiddos know what few things should NOT be eaten. If you want to eat the hollyhock blossoms and day lilies, go for it kids, but leave the digitalis alone.
However, despite my warnings, last summer a neighborhood kid ate two handfuls of raw elderberries from one of our plants and got quite sick to his stomach. Kids can be so impulsive...
I had foxgloves volunteer where I didn't want them, and so moved them to a shady out of the way place. Didn't buy them or anything. I do love how prolific they are along the roadsides in Oregon.
Good to know another Portlander. Your name sounds familiar. Are you an HOS member?
Thanks
John
Ultimately the safest thing to do with children is to ensure they know how to be safe (ID plants, stay away from what you don't know).... but of course there's always that one time....
If you're thinking of planting foxglove rather than dealing with self-seeding plants, I would definitely try to plant them separately behind some sort of fence (fence or thorny plants)
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yeah, but ... what would PIE do? Especially concerning this tiny ad:
Binge on 17 Seasons of Permaculture Design Monkeys!
http://permaculture-design-course.com
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