Meet the neighbours
Specific plantsthat you can eat
Every plant on the block has a personality, a schedule, and a few friends it grows better beside. And every single one of them, I actually grow myself, right here in my own backyard. Here's the introduction.
47 plants
Fruit
Black Currant
Small, dark berries on a compact, easy-care shrub — one of the most overlooked superfoods on the block.
Visit with Black Currant
Cherries (Evans Sour Cherry)
The Evans Sour Cherry — a genuinely cold-hardy variety developed for prairie climates, proof that cherries really can thrive this far north.
Visit with Cherries (Evans Sour Cherry)
Grapes
A fun, slightly experimental perennial — several varieties ripen in the Edmonton area once September cools things down.
Visit with Grapes
Haskap (Honeyberry)
The tough northern neighbour — blue-purple berries on a shrub that laughs at Zone 2 winters.
Visit with Haskap (Honeyberry)
High Bush Cranberry (Pembina Berry)
Not a true cranberry — a tall native shrub whose red clusters hang on right through winter.
Visit with High Bush Cranberry (Pembina Berry)
Raspberries
A beloved perennial in Cindy's garden and family history — she hopes to never be without a raspberry patch.
Visit with Raspberries
Rhubarb
The old neighbour in the back corner who was here before you and will outlast you.
Visit with Rhubarb
Vegetable
Carrot Tops
Contain more vitamin C and A than the carrot root itself — don't throw them away.
Visit with Carrot Tops
Garlic
Plant every fall for a mid-summer harvest — small bulbs, big flavour.
Visit with Garlic
Horseradish
A rugged, cold-hardy perennial whose sharp root is a kitchen powerhouse.
Visit with Horseradish
Radish Greens
Cindy's honest confession: she doesn't actually like radishes — she grows them for the tender, flavourful greens.
Visit with Radish Greens
Tatsoi
A cold-hardy, fast-growing Asian green Cindy discovered almost by accident from a seed swap — now a permanent fixture in her garden.
Visit with Tatsoi
Tomato
The loud, generous neighbour who shows up with more than you asked for.
Visit with Tomato
Winter Onion
Non-bulbing, hollow-leafed onions that are stronger than chives and among the first plants up each spring.
Visit with Winter Onion
Herb
Aloe Vera
A go-to first-aid plant kept close for decades — burns, scrapes, sunburns, and cuts.
Visit with Aloe Vera
Basil
A tender annual that wants full sun, heat, and consistent water — tomato's best friend in the garden and in the kitchen.
Visit with Basil
Borage
A hardy, self-seeding annual with prickly stems and purple-to-blue flowers that bees love — and a workhorse companion plant.
Visit with Borage
Chamomile
A common name for several daisy-like plants in the Asteraceae family — three chamomiles make a gentle, calming infusion.
Visit with Chamomile
Chives
Hardy, self-seeding, one of the first plants up in spring.
Visit with Chives
Comfrey
A hardy, deep-rooted perennial that's nearly impossible to move once planted.
Visit with Comfrey
Cornsilk
The silky threads found under a corn husk — usually thrown away, but they make a mild tea.
Visit with Cornsilk
Dill
Self-seeding but best resown yearly — a lacy, 3-foot-tall herb that loves to stand among cucumbers.
Visit with Dill
Fennel
Every part is edible — fronds, bulb, and seed — with a sweet, licorice-like flavour.
Visit with Fennel
Garlic Chives
Flat-leafed chives with a real garlic bite — a handy stand-in while the bulbs are still ripening.
Visit with Garlic Chives
Ginger
Not easy to grow on the prairies, but worth experimenting with in pots — and a kitchen friend beyond gingerbread.
Visit with Ginger
Lamb's Ear
The soft, velvety 'bandaid plant' with silvery leaves and pink flower spikes.
Visit with Lamb's Ear
Lavender
A fragrant Mediterranean herb beloved for drying, sachets, and soothing oil.
Visit with Lavender
Lemon Balm
A hardy perennial in the mint family with a fragrant, lemony scent — it resurrects itself every spring, no replanting required.
Visit with Lemon Balm
Lovage
A tall, parsley-celery-flavoured perennial where every part is usable.
Visit with Lovage
Mint
The refreshing neighbour who will absolutely take over the yard if you let it.
Visit with Mint
Oregano
One of the easiest, most forgiving herbs — it thrives in sun, shade, wet, or dry conditions.
Visit with Oregano
Parsley
Flat or curly, this vitamin-rich herb is worth the slow start from seed.
Visit with Parsley
Rosemary
A fragrant Mediterranean evergreen that grows as an annual here — but can winter over on a sunny windowsill.
Visit with Rosemary
Sage
A soft, greyish-green "semi-perennial" neighbour — sometimes it overwinters, sometimes it doesn't.
Visit with Sage
Savory (Summer Savory)
A cousin of rosemary and thyme with an intense but mellow flavour — the bean soup herb.
Visit with Savory (Summer Savory)
Sorrel
Often called 'Lemon Sorrel' for its bright, gently lemony flavour — prized in both European and Asian cooking.
Visit with Sorrel
Stevia
A calorie-free sweetener you can grow — sweet fresh in summer, and still sweet dried all winter.
Visit with Stevia
Wild Edible
Chickweed
A low-growing, self-seeding 'weed' Cindy calls one of her most valued plants — mild, nutritious, and worth protecting, not pulling.
Visit with Chickweed
Dandelion
Far more nutritious than its 'weed' reputation suggests — leaves, flowers, and roots are all useful.
Visit with Dandelion
Lambs Quarters
The spinach-like weed that comes up early, stands the heat, and quietly outperforms the garden row.
Visit with Lambs Quarters
Mullein
A tall, soft-leaved biennial that lines old roadsides and was once used as natural shoe insulation.
Visit with Mullein
Plantain
The low-growing "weed" that hitchhiked across the continent and became a first-aid staple.
Visit with Plantain
Flower
Calendula (Pot Marigold)
Hardy, self-seeding, vibrant flowers with edible, lightly peppery petals — great in salads and as a soothing tea.
Visit with Calendula (Pot Marigold)
Echinacea (Coneflower)
A North American native perennial used as an herbal immune remedy — though it tastes terrible.
Visit with Echinacea (Coneflower)
Nasturtium
A beautiful, peppery, edible flower that doubles as a sacrificial companion for the vegetable garden.
Visit with Nasturtium
Poppy (Seed)
A brilliant self-seeding annual with deep roots and tiny seeds that travel from garden to kitchen.
Visit with Poppy (Seed)
St. John's Wort
A yellow-flowered perennial with a long folk history — and a few important cautions.
Visit with St. John's Wort