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| Best Plants for Survival Gardens in the Southeastern U.S. |
My top seventeen survival garden plant types and my top one hundred twenty survival garden plants are included in the following lists.
To be clear these plant selections are my opinion only. What you end up putting in your survival garden is appropriate for you. There are no wrong choices other than not planting anything at all.
- from all three photosynthesis pathways (C3, C4 and CAM) as risk management for unexpected climate effects (yes the unexpected can occur for sure),
- tolerant to a variety of sunlight exposure levels,
- adapted to both saturation and drought,
- offering pollinator attraction (a side note here is that over the years I've had so many people tell me they've had no luck growing vegetables or fruit. When I ask them if they have an abundance of flowers in their growing area they reply,'some'. We must think in terms of pollinator perspectives if we are to have a successful survival garden. Without pollinators our garden won't produce. If I am a pollinator and there are two yards I am considering visiting, one has a nice selection of flowers and the other is crammed with blooms I am heading for the fullest buffet. Bottom line is the more flowers there are the more produce you will harvest),
- resilient to allelopathy and plants that do not allelopathicate,
- including varieties that are wind desiccation adapted for windbreaks (slow steady winds can destroy a garden through desiccation),
- that are of use to us humans from a number of perspectives,
- offering nitrogen fixation,
- providing seed production for use, commerce, food and forage,
- and are adapted to the Southeastern U.S.
Aloe vera; medicine for sores, cuts, burns, ulcers & skin
Bamboo, clumping; food & structural material & perimeter protection
Berries, blueberries, blackberries, mulberry; food, perimeter protection
Echinacea spp., Purple coneflower; medicine & pollinators
Garlic chives; food, medicine (sulfur) & pollinators, this plant will always be there for you
Ginger family, Zingiberaceae, turmeric & ginger; food & medicine
Leafy greens; kale, shiso, Okinawan spinach, collards, amaranth, cilantro, arugula, chenopodium. etc.; food & nutrition
Sprouts, all types; food & nutrition
Grain; rice, oats, ancient wheat, barley, rye, sorghum, teff, amaranth; food & nutrition
Root vegetable, sweet potato, yam, cassava; food & medicine
Seeds; chenopodium, sunflowers, cilantro, squashes, amaranth; food & nutrition, oils
Squashes, Cucurbita spp., especially Seminole Pumpkin; food & nutrition
Plantain & bananas; food & medicine
Prickly pear cactus, food & perimeter protection
Sugarcane, food
Asters, Sunflowers, Helianthus annus, sunflower and Bidens alba, Spanish needles; pollinators, food, oils & nutrition
Elderberry; because anyone can grow this plant & it is full of medicinal, drink & food uses
Top One Hundred Survival Plants
Aloe vera; medicine
Apples; food
Bamboo; clumping, food & structural material
Bananas & plantains; food & medicine
Basil, Sweet; food, tea & medicine
Basil, Thai; food, tea & medicine
Basil, Africa blue; food, tea & medicine
Beans, yard long bean (Red noodle or green); food & nitrogen fixer
Beans, cow pea; food & nitrogen fixer
Beans, pole beans; food & nitrogen fixer
Beans, limas; food & nitrogen fixer
Beans, pigeon peas; food & nitrogen fixer
Beans, cold weather beans; food & nitrogen fixer
Beautyberry, attracts birds for pest control
Bidens alba & B. pilosa; food, pollinators & medicine
Blackberries, raspberries and dewberries; food & perimeter protection
Blackeye Susan’s, Rudbeckia, cut flowers and pollinators
Blackgum, tupelo; pollinators (esp. bees for honey) & structural material
Blazing star, Liatris; pollinators
Blueberries; food
Broomsedges, andropogon grasses; fabrication material
Butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa; pollinators & butterflies
Cannabis; medicinal
Carolina jessamine; early spring pollinators & evergreen screening, medicine
Catbrier, saspirilla, Smilax spp; food, perimeter protection, larval food
Coral honeysuckle; pollinators and evergreen screening
Citrus, Myers lemon; food & medicine
Citrus, ruby red grapefruit; food & nutrition
Citrus, satsuma; food & nutrition
Citrus, kumquat; food & nutrition
Citrus, calamondin; food & nutrition
Comfrey, bone knit; fertilizer and medicine
Corn, grits, cornmeal; food & nutrition
Coreopsis; pollinators & bees
Cucumber, Cucumis sativa; food & medicine
Datura, Jimson weed and Angels trumpet; medicine & night pollinators
Dollarweed, Hydrocotyle; food, medicine & clean water
Duck potato; food, clean water & pollinators
Echinacea, Eastern Purple coneflower, medicine & pollinators
Elderberry; medicine, food & drink, pollinators
Eggplant; food
Fennel; food & medicine
Fig trees; food, heat island moderation
Gaillardia, blanketflower; pollinators
Garlic, Allium; food, medicine & pollinators
Garlic chives; food & persistent border plant with beautiful flowers
Ginger, Zingiber officinale; food and medicine
Grapes, sugars, wines; food and medicine
Gourds, Luffa sponge; commerce
Gourds, birdhouse, dipper; commerce, utensils, wildlife
Grasses for weaving, sweetgrass, muhly grass, juncus; fabric material, nets
Horsemint, Monarda punctata; tea & pollinators
Inland sea oats, Chasmanthium latifolium; food, wildlife
Iris, Louisiana; cordage, water purification
Jerusalem artichoke, Helianthus tuberosus; food, pollinators
Leafy greens, arugula; food, seeds, pollinators
Leafy greens, cilantro; food, seeds & pollinators
Leafy greens, collards; food, seeds & pollinators
Leafy greens, kale; food, seeds & pollinators
Leafy greens, spinach; food, seeds & pollinators
Leafy greens, cabbages; food, seeds & pollinators
Leafy greens, Swiss chard; food, seeds & pollinators;
Leafy greens, lettuces; food, seeds & pollinators
Leafy greens, amaranth; food, seeds & pollinators
Leafy greens, Malabar spinach; food, seeds & pollinators
Leafy greens, Okinawan spinach & shiso; food, seeds & pollinators
Leafy greens, Egyptian spinach; food, seeds & pollinators
Lemonbalm; tea & medicine
Lemongrass; tea, medicine, fabric material
Loquat; food & nutrition
Marjoram/Oregano; tea, medicine & food
Mints; spearmint, peppermint, chocolate mint; tea, medicine & food
Moringa; food, medicine, nutrition & water purification
Morning glory, moonflowers; pollinators, heat island mitigation, larval host
Mulberry; food, wildlife, shade
Oak, acorns and tannins; structural materials, tannins, medicine, food
Oats; food
Okra; food
Onions; food, medicine
Parsley; food, medicine
Passionflower, maypop; butterfly larval, pollinators, food, tea, medicine
Peanut; food & nitrogen fixer
Pecans; food & structural material
Peaches & Plums; food
Pears; food
Peas, snow peas; food
Peas, sugar snap peas; food
Peppers; banana, bell, chili, poblano; food & medicine
Persimmon; food
Pickerel weed; pollinators, water purification
Pineapple guava; food, screening
Pine tree; fuel, structural material, nutrition, resin, pine nuts
Poison ivy; perimeter protection
Prickly pear cactus; food & perimeter
Pumpkin, seminole pumpkin, butternut squash; food, seeds
Radishes; food
Rice; food
Rosemary; food & medicine
Roses; tea, perimeter, medicine
Sage; food & medicine
Saw palmetto/cabbage palms; food, medicine, structural material
Sprouts; food, nutrition
Squash; food
Sugarcane; food
Sunflowers; food, pollinators, seeds
Tobacco; medicine, pollinators
Thyme; tea, medicine
Titi; bees, pollinators, screening
Tomatoes; food
Turkey tangled frog fruit; erosion control & pollinators (esp. butterflies)
Turmeric; food & medicine
Turnips; food
Vanilla plant; Carpheporus odorata, incense, tobacco
Virginia creeper; fast growing screening plant, cordage
Walnuts; food, structural material, shade
Waxmyrtle; wax for candles, evergreen screen
Willow; blood thinner & aspirin
Witch hazel; skin tonic
Yarrow; promote blood clotting, stop bleeding
Yaupon holly; wildlife value & caffeine tea, perimeter protection
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