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These plants enrich the soil by fixing nitrogen from the air
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a perennial flowering plant of the pea family that has been cultivated as fodder since Roman times, and has a ton of benefits for farmers, homesteaders and permaculture designers…
Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), also known as Japanese silverberry, is a nitrogen fixing shrub or small tree that carries a great abundance of juicy small fruits…
“The carob, the food of the Prodigal Son, of Mediterranean people, of the Mediterranean farm animals, and of the calves and dogs of America, also fed the cavalry of Wellington in his Peninsular campaign and that of Allenby in Palestine during the World War…
Siberian pea tree (Caragana arborescens), or Siberian peashrub, is a perennial shrub or small tree up to 6 m tall, with edible pods and seeds. The seeds are small but produced in abundance with 4-6 seeds per pod…
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale L.) is a perennial herb that is used as a fertilizer and as an herbal medicine. The most commonly used species is Russian comfrey (Symphytum × uplandicum), which is a cross or hybrid of Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) and Rough Comfrey (Symphytum asperum)…
Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is fittingly described as “a lumber yard in a single species” by whole systems designer Ben Falk. Garden historian Wesley Greene goes even further and calls it “the tree on which the US was built”…
The Common Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), also called the Seaberry, is a thorny shrub growing up to 6m that produces abundant fruit that is very high in vitamins A & C…
