Edible Plants that Become Invasive

Continuing her series on invasive plants, Cathy Isom lets you know about a few edible plants that can also turn into invasive plants. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.

Edible Plants that Become Invasive

There are so many great edible plants to have in your garden. But if you don’t stay on top of them, they’re likely to take over!

Mint is more of an aggressive species than an invasive plant. It spreads quickly. In a garden, it’s important to keep it separate from other plants as it can soon outpace and choke nearby residents. Grow mint in a separate container.

Garlic mustard seeds are prolific, can scatter a long distance, and are known to survive in many conditions. Better to forage garlic mustard then plant it, since it grows wild in many areas.

Wintercress – part of the mustard family, and also a cousin of watercress – is one to avoid if you’re looking for an edible plant with pretty flowers. While it may be bee friendly, It is considered a weed in many areas, and thankfully not hard to get rid of.

Purslane and Claytonia are also fast-spreading invasive edible plants to keep out of your garden.

I’m Cathy Isom…