Plant suggestions?

A few years ago I purchased a small homestead, 4 acres of grass. Each year when I mow I choose two areas to leave alone. Different areas each year, although that might change eventually.

Each year I find new plants and even trees popping up in those areas, suggesting that this may have been forest at one time. Wild grape, oak and mulberry don't just pop up out of nowhere--they must be in the seed bank.

As I leave these areas strictly alone (except for removing Canads Thistle and a few other nasties) native plants are starting to re-establish.

My plan is eventual forest garden. That being the case, I am trying to think of plants that might take the niche of some of the "nasties" that I can seed in my circles.

Artichoke? Stinging nettle? Whatever it is has to be either annual and capable of reseeding itself, or perennial and capable of handling wet springs, arid summers, and dry winters with temperatures below 0 F.

Any suggestions?

Yes queen. You're doing great. Keep following your intuition. To what the ground knows what she likes. Won't hurt to grow stuff you always wanted to or have a taste for.

Apple trees, fruits, black locust for firewood, etc. if you like forest style go with them fruit tree guilds.

Much love. Keep on creating love.

Berry bushes are an excellent plant for the under story layer of a forest garden.

Maybe some Jerusalem Artichokes?
I think "our" Mr Lofthouse sells varieties that self seed.
A none sterile variety of comfrey might work for you.
Nope scratch the last two, they die to ground in the winter


Alfalfa is endemic in my front yard, in the garden beds, I'm not sure if it self seeds or not.

Add some nut trees? Pecans, walnuts, hickory. Whatever you like.
Kansas makes me think wind. Consider an evergreen wind belt along the sides.

There is definitely wind. That's part of why I'm encouraging a bush form for my fruit trees. The north and northeast wind is brutal during the winter, and the south and southwest during the rest of the year. It seldom stops.

I am planning walnuts, pecans, oaks, sugar maple and chestnuts as the primary trees for the shelter belt.

I have jerusalem artichoke. That's a good idea. Berry bushes would need to wait until I can propagate whatever survives the winter, but definitely something to think about.

Initially all the planted trees kept dying, and I had resigned myself to being stuck with grassland, but year 2 all this other stuff started popping up that belongs to forest, or savannah at minimum. That definitely expands the possibilities.