Edible Plants for Shady &/or Wet Areas (especially in temperate climates like the Northwest)

Nicole Alderman wrote:

Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus): Fruits in part shade

Thank you so much for this tidbit. I'm a bit obsessed with thimbleberries, but I've had some difficulty pinning down their habits. I've finally got one of my own in the ground and I really hope it goes well.

You're welcome! I've found that my thimbleberries will fruit in full sun, but as summer progresses and it gets hotter, most of the berries dry up. Meanwhile, the ones in the woods/part shade, have delicious berries all through their bearing season.

I LOVE thimbleberries. I've found that my in full sun grew quickly over the years, and now I have to thin it. So, I take the thinnings and plant them in my woods and hedges. I love that I have an abundance of them, and hope yours do well. If they start looking sad, they might need more water. But, even if they look like they died (a few of my transplants did that a few years ago), they will probably spring back the following year (as mine did)

What do you think about larger food producing trees on a wet site? I've heard that American persimmons, black walnuts, and apples grafted onto pacific crabapple can do ok depending on the site

How about the chokeberry?

https://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Aronia+melanocarpa

A "superfood" that is expensive to buy, they seem good for this list.

I went to Growing Value Permaculture Nursery in Cincinnati looking for nitrogen fixing shrubbery, and I found them, but my wife found the Aronia.
She liked that they don't mind standing in water.
We have that at our yarden, so we  bought two for the yarden, but I've not had time to plant them (I'll need a pick axe,such is the soil).
They are sitting in the shade,in a dishpan of water, visibly thriving!

I've tried Ostrich fern fiddle heads for the first time this spring there were also Lady fern fiddle heads in the same spot but the Ostrich are supposed to be superior because they don't have hairs that need to be removed.

Growing not far from the fiddle heads was False Solomon's Seal, I picked a few shoots but didn't get to try them.
A fair bit of Devils Club was also in the same area but I wasn't aware of it's medicinal value till this thread. - Thanks

Learned about the fiddle heads and False Solomon's Seal on a little trip hosted by Steph and Teresa of https://adventuresinself-sufficiency.blogspot.com/

William Bronson wrote: How about the chokeberry?

https://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Aronia+melanocarpa

A "superfood" that is expensive to buy, they seem good for this list.

I went to Growing Value Permaculture Nursery in Cincinnati looking for nitrogen fixing shrubbery, and I found them, but my wife found the Aronia.
She liked that they don't mind standing in water.
We have that at our yarden, so we  bought two for the yarden, but I've not had time to plant them (I'll need a pick axe,such is the soil).
They are sitting in the shade,in a dishpan of water, visibly thriving!

I'll add that to the list! It's not native (I need to get around to color-coding the native vs non-native plants!). My aronia also seemed to do great despite getting flooded for a week. It's also bearing fruit in part shade. WOOT WOOT!

Speaking of things that don't mind being drowned, my service berry bush also survived and seems to be unharmed by also being flooded for a week!

I have one patch of very wet soil and the vietnamese mint thrives in it, it can be used as a substitute for fresh coriander in cooking. When you go to a vietnamese restaurant and order a bowl of pho they give you a bunch of it and you can pick the leaves off and pop it in your tasty noodle soup.

Thimbleberries may be my favorite food.

Devil's club has many medicinal uses (according to Pojar, the "devil" is a derogatory reference to its use by native shamans/medicine people doing "non-christian" things with it). When very young (before thorns emerge or harden), the leaf buds are delicious and juicy, tasting like a carrot-radish combo.

The native pecans we have in Missouri can stand wet soils much better than black walnut. They thrive on flood ground. All the pecan farms here are on flood ground.

Grafting them or buying grafted trees is worth the expense.  Grafted trees produce nuts 5-10 years sooner and a named variety of northern pecan will have bigger nuts. We don’t like thin shelled southern pecans as well here. Our pecans have a higher oil content and more flavor.  People from farther south may disagree. Of course, if you’re too far south for northern varieties, then southern varieties will be better. I don’t know if they like wet soils or not. I think some varieties are from Texas and might like it dryer.

James Landreth wrote:What do you think about larger food producing trees on a wet site? I've heard that American persimmons, black walnuts, and apples grafted onto pacific crabapple can do ok depending on the site

I honestly don't know! I had a plum tree that was doing alright next to a wetlands, but it got choked out by salmonberries before it got too big. Apples grafted onto pacific crabapple sounds like a good combination! I'd love to know if any one has any personal experience with large trees that can stand wet feet!

I've been lusting after dwarf chinkapin oaks.
Ive read they are good in dappled shade and moist ground.
The acorns reportedly don't need to be leached of tannins,and the tree produces in just a few years.
There is even a history of chestnuts being grafted onto oaks!

I've heard mayhaws can do ok in the Pacific Northwest, both on drier sites and on wet ones. Burnt Ridge carries two varieties that supposedly do well here. I planted both this February and they seem healthy. They look like small apple trees. I'm hoping that more can be done with them than just make jelly, which is what people traditionally use them for. I've heard of people using them in bundt cakes

Red Alder: You can tap it, but supposedly doesn't taste good. Leaves and catkins are also technically edible. Haven't tried them yet.

There's an excess of red alder on our property, so I've been experimenting. I carved some taps this year and drilled to collect some sap. I have no experience with this so only managed to successfully tap 3 trees. I collected about 8 litres which is now being stored in the freezer.

The sap tastes a little like mineral water, with just a tiny hint of sweetness. The sugar content in red alder (40:1) is half that of sugar maple (20:1), which would make boiling for syrup a task.

I'm planning on using it for a primitive "tree beer" this year when the spruce tips come out.

Also of note, the catkins are supposed to be high in vitamins and protein - which make them a good survival food, but they're extremely bitter and taste of citrusy chlorophyll. Might try to pickle some next winter/spring, as I think with some salt and vinegar they may make a nice substitute for capers!

This is a fantastic wiki for me, having recently moved to the PNW, I'll definitely add some of my findings after this planting season!

FIRST: WOW! This is so very useful. Now to figure out which of these will grow in Oklahoma in a Hickory-Oak forest! Thank you SO VERY MUCH!

James Landreth wrote:What do you think about larger food producing trees on a wet site? I've heard that American persimmons, black walnuts, and apples grafted onto pacific crabapple can do ok depending on the site

I can tell you that wild persimmons in Oklahoma prefer to grow right next to wet-weather and running creeks. They typically are not IN the stream, but they are so close to it that their roots definitely run under it. They spread in areas where water stands.

Ken W Wilson wrote:The native pecans we have in Missouri can stand wet soils much better than black walnut. They thrive on flood ground. All the pecan farms here are on flood ground.

Grafting them or buying grafted trees is worth the expense.  Grafted trees produce nuts 5-10 years sooner and a named variety of northern pecan will have bigger nuts. We don’t like thin shelled southern pecans as well here. Our pecans have a higher oil content and more flavor.  People from farther south may disagree. Of course, if you’re too far south for northern varieties, then southern varieties will be better. I don’t know if they like wet soils or not. I think some varieties are from Texas and might like it dryer.

Pecan trees in Texas tend to be in open fields (not in standing water).  In Oklahoma, they grow not far from running creeks and wet-weather creeks, but not as close to them as persimmon trees. I suspect they don't like to be in standing water, but don't mind being close enough to tap into it with their roots.

Great post Nicole! Early American persimmons do best on wet side of PNW.  If you are very coastal, might want some very early ones.

I have grafted Winter banana apple on malus fusca a couple of times. It takes. Then you can graft any other apple onto winter banana.  

Pecans generally need to much heat to do well in PNW.  Down south, it's hot all day and all night for half the year at least. Not so here. You can call Burnt Ridge Nursery. I think they recommend to E OR and E WA only.

Many currants and gooseberries should do well in part shade.

Berries in general.

Many, many green leafies too.

These are the healthiest things you can grow and eat.

Expensive to buy, rot quickly.. Grow them at home!

John S
PDX OR

Pecans generally need to much heat to do well in PNW.  Down south, it's hot all day and all night for half the year at least. Not so here.  

In Tacoma, WA opposite the St. Joseph Hospital the street is lined with pecan trees. The produce abundantly and the nuts mostly just spout in the gutter.  I brought some home to transplant but never got them to where they were supposed to be.
So with climate change toward hotter dry er summers and if you are above the fog I think the Pecans are viable. I hope to try again.

Hans Quistorff wrote:

Pecans generally need to much heat to do well in PNW.  Down south, it's hot all day and all night for half the year at least. Not so here.  

In Tacoma, WA opposite the St. Joseph Hospital the street is lined with pecan trees. The produce abundantly and the nuts mostly just spout in the gutter.  I brought some home to transplant but never got them to where they were supposed to be.
So with climate change toward hotter dry er summers and if you are above the fog I think the Pecans are viable. I hope to try again.

That's great news!

I know people who have grown pecan trees to maturity here in western Washington, they just had problems of not getting enough heat to ripen them. I think it's worth planting a few because climate change will probably change this, but I'd definitely have most my planting be walnuts, which we know will ripen here

Good point Hans,
If they were selected from nuts that grew in the PNW they will probably do better.

I know with my fig tree, Desert King, it used to just get one harvest in the summer, but now we get a fall harvest too, every year.

When I started really growing food about 25 years ago, they told me not to grow Concord grapes in PNW.  Now the other grapes are all done in Sept and early Oct, so having COncord is great to get another harvest for later Fall.
John S
PDX OR

Simon Gooder,
If you have the red alder sap in the freezer, you might have some luck with partial thawing to concentrate the sweetness. The sweet melts first. Think of popsicles. That could reduce the boiling needed to make syrup. Maybe.

James-
Mayhaw is a hawhtorn. There are many good tasting hawthorns that will do well here.  Of course, there are many others that taste bad.

My favorite is the carriere hawthorn, which I have grafted, as it is a common street tree.  

I have another one that keeps better but doesn't taste as good. I don't know it's name but I also grafted it from a street tree.   I am still eating it from last fall.

Remember, you don't have to buy hawthorn rootstock.  The birds offer it freely for you.

John S
PDX OR

Brazilian Cherry does well in shady, wet areas and is generally very hardy - not sure about its tolerance for cold though.

John--
If you have time would you mind potting up any hawthorn seedlings you find? I don't have any on my property. I want to use them as rootstock for the church projects I've mentioned. My Italian plum and feral cherry trees are making seedlings all over the place, and that's what I plan on doing with them

We don't have to pot them up James. I'll dig them up when you need them. I don't want to have to keep watering them until you get them.
John

Excellent Post!!! Great to have this written comprehensive list.
My personal native PNW favs:
salmonberry
blackcap respberries
thimbleberries
huckleberries
and native red elderberries (as i sip my [black] elderberry tea)

M

Nice guide, will definitely help me out.

Here's what has worked for me in Iowa in dappled to full shade:

Pawpaws
Gooseberries
Currants
Honeyberries
Black raspberries
Elderberries
Comfrey
Burdock
Nettles
Caucasian Mt Spinach (CMS)
Hosta
Mushrooms
Violets
Mint
Lemon balm
Linden
Mulberry
Autumn olive
Aronia
Chives
Garlic chives

Cheers,
Kirk

I'm in Southern Oregon on some dry (from May through October) wooded property with decomposed granite soil... Makes great paths but it takes a lot of compost to grow most things... I don't get much more than 3 hrs. of sun anywhere in the half acre I am gardening, but am amazed at how much food grows in spite of it.  I grow most of what has been mentioned already and can add a few things - apples, pears (asian), prunes and Shizandra vine (does very well).

I have just added some perennial vegs I grew from seed: Caucasian Mountain spinach vines, Korean Celery, red-leaf Plantain, Good King Henry scullcap and perennial kale. Have narrow and broad leaf plantain volunteers that do well so I thought I would add the red leaf. I grew Sea Kale from seed a few years back - and just discovered it will grow from pieces of it's fat, brittle root - which is lovely because I found it very hard to start from seed (only managed the one). Now I have several starts going. It's a beautiful plant I think so it's nice as an edible ornamental. I grow LOTS of kale - many many kinds - they all do well here and are one of my main staples year round. I am working at developing plants well adapted to my place so save seed from especially nice plants each year.

I also grow native coastal strawberry as a lawn and groundcover along with the wood strawberry and Seascape everbearing and Alpines - red and yellow. They all seem unphased by shade and bear fairly well. The same with raspberries and thornless blackberries. Blueberries on the other hand - simply won't bear. The plants do fine, but they rarely bloom and fruit. I don't know if it's a shade issue or what. I have them in about 6 different places and 7 or 8 different varieties. The only variety that bears anything is Southern Blue - a dwarf semi-evergreen.

Tubers work well here - Jerusalem artichoke and yacon and oca don't seem to mind the shade (they don't bloom but make nice tubers and plants), I store the yacon in a tub over the winter - it will actually store for nearly a year with no extra fuss!. I'm also growing Apios american in a pot because I have mole and rat issues and want to get enough going before I take a chance of putting them in the ground. It is doing fine on my deer fence in a fair amount of shade.  Comfrey, fennel and many of the Mediterranean herbs also do fine.

I have an Illinois Everbearing Mulberry - a truly delicious berry - growing crowded in amongst a grove of native hazelnuts with just it's top sticking out and it bears from it's lowest branches on up! It's fast and pretty and seems to need no coddling from me at all. I highly recommend it for being a very carefree and attractive food bearing tree.

I grow asparagus in several beds, evergreen onions (Egyptian?), french sorrel, Angelica and Lovage. St. Johnswort and tall native evening primrose volunteered around the garden, along with tall mullien (I love the look of it and always leave a few!) and masses of Shooting Stars in early spring - which I understand are edible although I have yet to try them. I have a couple China blue vines which are very pretty and easy care. They have not yet bloomed or gotten fruit but since they are evergreen they are nice to grow where you see them in the winter. I can't say yet if they will fruit with so little sun.  I have Lingonberries and wintergreen, but they have yet to bear fruit either. But they grow and do well. Chicory, yarrow (native and cultivated), sweet woodruff, Solomons seal, and the native false Solomon's seal do well in my dry shade.

Oh dear - this ended up being very long... I should have made a list I guess. I didn't realize there would be so many things, until I got to thinking about it all. Sorry.  I just love coming to this website and just losing myself for an hour or two in all the wonderful posts and discussions.  Thought it was time to jump in and join you all.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.    I have just hit upon your post.  I have a wild garden on a north facing slope at about 8500 feet under aspen.
there are wild geraniums and leaves of wild strawberries and what I think is valerian,  also dandelion and grasses oh and bedstraw.    I have weeded around  the strawberries a and rooted daughter plants from runners.  I water them.  One plant put out flowers that never bloomed.  ie, no strawberries.  Ideas?  Do you suppose they need more sun?   Other sites say need 10 yours of direct sun.   I forgot, service berries volunteer there too.  They have made some berries.  

Thank you so much! New to food growing, and now have a new space that is very shady. This will truly help out.

We have a wet mild climate similar to the PNW, probably a bit cooler generally in summer (20 deg C is warm for us) and windier.  A few other plants I would suggest are worth a try for the damp herbacious layer that do particularly well with me (acid soil):
Good King Henry (Chenodium bonus-henricus): edible, slightly strong tasting (but I like them) leaves and flowering shoots - cook because they contain saponins
Sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata) aniseed flavoured leaves, seeds and (allegedly) roots.  The green seeds are like sweeties!
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) does pretty well in partial shade, as does angelica (Angelica archangelica)
In a sunnier site pignuts (Conopodium majus) grows happily in grass turf.  Tubers are tasty cooked and edible raw, but take a while to reach a good size and harvest means the whole plant gone.
Rhubarb (Rhubarb rhaponticum) is a nice early "fruit" can be used a vegetable too, if a bit sour.  Gunnera tinctoria grows too well here so I've not tried it (ditto shallon Gaultheria shallon, which otherwise seems ideal!)
Oca (Oxalus tuberosa) is growing pretty well for me outside (didn't like the polytunnel, which Yacon prefers), although I tend to get lots of small tubers and volunteer plants.
Alpine strawberry (Fragaria vesca: the non running kind) is my favourite, although you have to divide or propagate from seeds to propagate it.
In a wetter site marsh woundwort (Stachys palustris) has tasty tubers, similar to smooth crosnes (another Stachys).  I was surprised how nice this is, again needs digging, but easy to leave bits to regrow.
Did you miss silverweed (Potentilla anserina)?  These roots are really nice, a bit difficult to harvest though.  Probably prefers a sunnier spot with me that's better drained.  It spreads and can be replanted at harvesting.
My chokeberry fruited for the first time this year.  I really like the fruit - it's like slightly sweeter cranberries.  Lovely autumn colour too.
Berries: raspberry (Rubus idaeus) fruits and spreads well, Blackcurrants (Ribes nigrum) are my heaviest fruiter- better for juice and preserves generally, although I like a few raw too  Gooseberries (Ribes uva-crispa) too can be eaten raw if properly ripe.  I like to make cordial from these.
Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is flowering well, but no fruit yet.  My oldest tree is in a windy spot and I think either it is too windy, or it needs another tree to pollinate it.
Hoping for a lovely canopy layer of monkey puzzles (Aracaria aracaria)  probably no nuts though for another twenty or thirty years.
Agree with the comments on kale, (edit) sorrel and hazel, although I have struggled keeping seakale.

Great lists! Could plants such as winterberry do well in wet and shady areas? Are there other plants that will help all types of wildlife during the winter besides winterberry?

Hi, Blaine

It looks like winterberry is an excellent choice for wet areas.

It has pretty red berries that make a nice indoor arrangement and would probably attract wildlife during the winter.

If you want to learn more here is an article from Clemson University:

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/rain-garden-plants-winterberry-ilex-verticillata/

I agree that is an excellent list of edible plants for shade.

Many thanks for this exciting, extensive list. Sage and fennel have grown happily under my fruit trees for many years. Apologies if you already have them on the list! Best wishes, Gemma