As we get closer to spring (February is the bridge from winter to spring!) I thought I’d give you guys some interesting plants to consider planting if you haven’t already.

Some of these I have been growing successfully for a few years now, some of them still haven’t quite reached maturity, and some I just planted last fall!

In each section if I have previously written an article on the plant, I’ve linked it in the title of each section!

These are a must-have for any Midwest food forest.

If you like tropical fruit and are a little adventurous, I highly recommend this fruit!

They’re the biggest native fruit in North America and taste kind of like vanilla/banana custard! Some cultivars taste more tropical/mango-ish but if you’re choosing a named cultivar you will most likely get fruit that tastes great.

These trees do take awhile to mature so the sooner you plant them the better! I have foraged them for years but I finally planted my first ones this past fall.

Elderberry is not only an easy-to-grow shrub, it is a staple medicinal plant in my house.

Once again, it’s hard to go wrong with elderberry although I do recommend getting a native elderberry cultivar rather than the European ones since they will perform better here.

I have gotten berries in my second year after planting, however that depends on your local conditions. Either way, this is an easy win and pollinators love elderberry.

Apple trees take a surprisingly long time to grow but are incredible staple fruit that can produce abundantly!

In my family we use apples for so many things; apple cider vinegar, cider, applesauce, baked goods, fresh fruit, even the peels for fruit leather and the pectin for jams!

There are literally thousands of cultivars of apple that exist, so picking a resilient variety that is disease resistant is crucial. If you’re like me, you don’t have time or energy to waste on caring for a tree that is constant upkeep and requires babying!

I expect my first berries from seaberry (also called “sea buckthorn”) this coming season.

They are an incredible berry that is very high in vitamin C and has healthy Omegas and essential fatty acids that make it a uniquely oily fruit (in a good way!)

This fruit is extremely hardy and can even handle salty water and runoff if necessary!

This is an especially great option for soils that are low in nutrition.

Nut trees take a while to produce as well so I wish I’d planted some several years ago!

My top picks would be hazelnut and chestnut since they both make some pretty amazing staple crops.

At some point I’ll write about the power of perennial staple crops and I’ll cover both of these in a “nut tree series” following my article on walnuts.

Here are some honorable mentions:

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