Edible Garden
Growing food is an important component of Sustainable Landscaping. Massasoit’s Edible Garden was planted by Environmental Science students in the spring of 2011 and fall of 2013, and replaced a lawn. Most food gardens consist of annuals like tomatoes, peppers, squashes, and greens that produce a lot of food but also require a lot of maintenance. In addition, gardens with low diversity are more prone to pest outbreaks. Therefore, the students’ goal was to provide a diversity of food with minimal maintenance. Their solution was to plant a diversity of perennial crops. They started with woody plants like fruit trees, shrubs, and vines, and then planted herbaceous perennial crops around them. They then left a few areas for planting the typical garden annuals. Today’s Edible Garden provides a variety of seasonal crops and, with its forest garden-like structure, is a wonderful place to explore and forage. The garden is maintained by volunteers of all stripes and work study students, and it is open to the community. Please feel free to explore, take what you need, and leave some for others — and if you know what a weed is, please pick it!
The following plants are in the Edible Garden:
(N = Native Plant)
Woody Plants
- Trees: apple, peach, cherry, pear, pawpaw, red mulberry, hazelnut
- Shrubs: blueberry, blackberry, raspberry
- Vines: grape
Herbaceous Perennial Plants
- Vegetables: rhubarb, asparagus, Jerusalem artichoke (N), horseradish, violet wood sorrel (N), walking onions, wild leeks, chives, wild ginger (N), wild hyacinth (N), spring beauty (N),
- Fruits: strawberries, wild strawberries (N), groundnut (N), hog peanut (N)
- Herbs: mints, lemon balm, oreganos, thymes, sages
Self-Seeding Annuals
- Nasturtiums, arugula, cilantro
Annuals
- Fruits: peppers, tomatoes, squashes, beans
- Vegetables: greens