Re: (permaculture) Hello

jeff owens (kowens@teleport.com)
Fri, 11 Apr 1997 08:00:23 -0700

>You might want to plant several varieties of eleagnus. Many of these bear
>profuse quantities of edible fruit. See the Plants For A Future plant
>database for background on eleagnus and its relatives.

I've read that some eleagnus are difficult to contain and thorny, so
it might be wise to use some caution here (think kudzu). We are
growing Eleagnus multiflora (goumi) which does not have thorns and I
can confirm that it is easy to grow and productive. The berries are a
small and useful for making jams. One question which is still puzzling
me about eleagnus is how different animals react to the leaves. We
have noticed that so far the deer have not grazed on it and our sheep
ignore it. Not sure if this is significant, but it is good to be
cautions with unfamiliar plants.

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Jeff Owens (kowens@teleport.com) Zone 6-7 Permaculture
Underground house, solar energy, reduced consumption, no TV