Gardening as Resistance: Three Common Easy Edible plants

 We can use gardening outdoors and indoors- plants, trees  and food forests to lessen the impact and fight against the growing pressures of capitalism, urbanization, materialism and industrialization which corrupts our food systems, depletes and destroys  the earths resources and green spaces, exploits human beings and malnourishes us. 

Here I highlight three common edible, highly resilient plants  that are easy to care for and very easily propagatable. 

I chose them at random and grouped them together because i had been looking at and reading about them by chance as I do. Also because they seem like a great trio aesthetically and nutritionally (strange word)

Tree spinach

Tree spinach, also known as iyana iPaja or Chaya and by its botanical name, jatropha tajorensis is  a very edible evergreen tree/shrub which is easy to grow and does well in most conditions. Native to South America-Panama-Mexico and very naturalized here in Nigeria. 

A very potent and prolific plant that can get up to 8 feet, can be used against many ailments and is mostly pest and disease free/resistant

They have higher amounts of protein than  most other spinach and leaves we eat. They are tender stemmed and can be used as a planted as a shade tree, hedge or bush. 

Can be toxic if you brush against the leaves on exposed skin and if you don’t boil for 15 minutes before eating

This has great potential as a home garden crop which most should have. 

Gardening  and growing plants and food is a radical departure from the norm and  and act of rebellion against the system, against the loss of natural green space especially in a highly urbanized  area. Many drops make a mighty ocean. This can gradually bring about a system that is healthier, inclusive, vibrant and just.

Taro

Taro also known as cocoyam and colocasia esculenta by botanical name is a perennial plant native to West Africa and across other tropical regions, known mostly for their roots which are eaten boiled, fried or roasted as well as for many other edible uses.      

They can grow up to 2m tall and do well under shade and under both dry and moist fertile conditions, the latter being the most preferred.  

The leaves and stalks are used as leafy vegetable in soups and sauces in West Africa and across the Caribbean. 

They are generally considered as an inferior food/crop compared to other roots and tubers and Historically it was known to be a woman’s crop because of their inferiority and simplicity. (I got that from chinua Achebe’s things fall apart)

Regardless they are an excellent multipurpose food crop and and attractive ornamental plant. They come in different varieties and colours and they shade and screen plants  below and behind and also protect the soil. 

Gardening is not only limited to the elites as some people think. We were all once people of the land but we got separated from it and it got flipped over and seemingly became a thing for the elites. Take that place back. It is about starting from somewhere and growing anything, something and not following trends and reaching beyond your means. Nature and knowledge is available to everyone if you seek it.

All these above ideas may seem complicated or easier said than done, yes but looking at it again they are simple and practical. But nothing comes easy. That is why an idea is an idea. You have to work to bring it to manifestation. 

Cassava 

Cassava also known as manihot esculenta is a perennial shrub known mostly for their edible starchy tuberous roots, native to south America  but naturalized across all tropical regions. They can grow up to 3m tall And have been one of the most cultivated food crop for many centuries.

They are so well in both dry and moist well Drained soils and love sunshine but can do with a bit of shade to protect the leaves from burning. 

The leaves are also cooked as vegetable and used medicinally. The leaves contain appreciable amounts of  phosphorus and iron. The leaves roots are highly toxic but edible when prepared and cooked well. 

They are a very attractive ornamental too and is naturally bushy, eventually growing tall and spindly with leaves at the top forming an umbrella. They have a very sculptural stem when mature and beautiful leaves

“Gardening teaches us to become less reliant on others for our survival”, to be responsible, to work for ourselves  towards a goal, towards something beautiful and beneficial. “It highlights the symbiotic relationship we have with the land and our place within nature. A part of an not just a spectator”. Not a cog in the wheel of the system machine that can be replaced anytime. 

The Fiery Flamboyant Tree bloom

We can all bloom at once together, everytime , if and when we want to. 

Flamboyant Trees- Delonix Regia are blooming all over Lagos and I’m sure across Nigeria at this time of the year. They bloom fully from April to August and I started growing some this year from cuttings and from seed. 

They are a very popular and most beautiful ornamental tree native to Madagascar but have been very widely introduced to tropical countries around the world. They love full sun, can tolerate a wide range of soils and are drought tolerant when mature. Generally grown as ornamentals in parks and gardens, as avenue or roadside trees, and also in residential and school compounds for shade and shelter, They can also be planted as a multipurpose tree on eroded sites for erosion control, and for soil rehabilitation and improvement through atmospheric nitrogen fixation. They are, like other shade trees very effective in conserving soil moisture and reducing soil temperature. 

Unfortunately They have a spreading root system which can kill other  plants in competition around them, thus rendering the surrounding ground bare to the detriment of other native species. If used and handled well, this shouldn’t be much of an ecological problem. 

In other good news about this tree, they are also an important naturalized pollinator plant/tree here in Nigeria, especially in the North, though I’ve seen it personally in the south. A few sorts of bees especially honey bees, and other insects frequently visit the flamboyant tree for pollen and nectar. 

I think it is amazing how it has been ordained and set up that trees  mostly bloom and fruit at/around the same time, indicating the times and seasons of the year to us and other creatures. No matter how old or young they are, they are all in sync and eventually catch up to each other’s rhythms.

Not sure if it’s a perfect metaphor or parable but the point I, as well as God and Nature are trying to make is that we are all one and we should be one- when we all come together as one in agreement to do something, there is nothing that can stop us. That thing will surely manifest and be realized. This applies to the general problems we face as a society.

Just like the biblical story of the Tower of Babel where men had one goal and God said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them”. 

If we want to make our country better, reduce poverty, hunger, have a cleaner environment, stop/reduce plastic use, have a better improved education system, security, no corruption, reduce/stop deforestation and climate change and much more, they are possible. A group of people  have to agree to make it work and we all also need to agree and take action towards the goal. 

But unfortunately we tend to be so divided and all have our different ideas, opinions and each his/her own selfish agendas. We all speak different languages literally and metaphorically. We are our own problem and we have been doing this for a long time. Going round in circles. Maybe one day we can come together and agree and/or maybe it’s just a myth and unrealistic? I don’t know. That is up to us. These are my thoughts as I look up at the trees that line the streets and dot the landscape in clusters of fiery red.

Gardening as a Sacred Art

Reading Gardening as a sacred art by Jeremy Naydler again. A gift from SandnClay . Forever grateful. 💚One of my favorite books that helps put things into perspective and inspires and confirms my ideas concerning my Gardening and my Art.
Here are a some ideas and notes from my reading. Would like to know your thoughts. 

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There is a tension upon us. We have divorced and alienated ourselves from the natural world and we are still trying to find the gap between nature and ourselves. There is an intrinsic bond between nature in a higher sense and the soul of man. That is why we love plants and nature, that is why you are curious and can not deny it. 

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A plant is not just a trend or an object or a thing or raw material to be used shaped and designed to fit our human ideas of what is beautiful and profitable. A plant, a garden is a living, breathing conscious being. 

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We need to re-educate our senses and develop a keen appreciation and consciousness of the innate beauty and life of the natural world. We need to engage and really look at plants to become more sensitive. Give in and adjust our aesthetic choices and decisions to nature instead of the ego and control. Only Through the cooperative effort of human beings and nature can we have paradise within and without(environment).

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There is a mysterious invisible inner life/realm of Nature and within ourselves to access, and to know intimately. And it is constantly calling. Now . From the past and from the future. Nature blatantly inevitably points you towards the Divine. 

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The skill of the gardener is to utilize nature to promote human wellbeing. The purpose of gardening is to enhance Nature’s Glory
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The Dilemma/Paradox of The West African Oil Palm

Since plants provide the ultimate power base for all the food and energy chains and webs that hold our natural world together, they also form the hubs of community structure and thus the centers of our focus."
- John Eastman


Palm is life. The West African Oil palm- Elaeis Guineensis is a multipurpose tree of major importance in the world and more precisely, culturally, West Africa of which they are native to, as far as central Africa. We have been using the Oil palm for centuries and thousands of years and they have been an essential staple food, ingredient, material and symbol on the West African diet, ceremonies and rituals, and economy till today.

The Oil palm are cultivated especially for their oil bearing seeds and fruits and can be planted as a garden ornamental and also indoor potted plant. The oil palm is used for a million things to almost everything that we cannot do without it or avoid it. The fruits are rich in beneficial carotenoids and antioxidants and produce one of, if not the best edible medicinal oils in the world.

The Oil Palm thrives best in moist, humid conditions, in a wide range of tropical humid rich soils and very bright to partial sunlight. They come in male and female. Mostly males producing palm wine and females producing flowers and the fruits.

It is a shame that the Oil palm now, is linked to the destruction of native forests worldwide especially in Asia. Man has used large scale cultivation of this dear palm to terribly destabilize our environment and cause environmental and biodiversity degradation. There are ways to sustainably practice oil palm agriculture but that’s another talk for another day. 

However the oil palm tree is ironically actually good for rehabilitating degraded areas and supports insects, bats , birds and other rodent like animals and more... especially when they are in their native environments or naturalized and cultivated sustainably. 


If you have or ever get an oil palm in your home or garden, male or female, they should be a symbol and reminder of what is happening to our forests, climate change, and the little personal things we can do to push against the destruction of our environment. They are a beautiful palm with rich beautiful fruits. That’s why I love them.

The Bush butter pear tree/Ube/Purple Safou

It is important to buy, collect and preserve our indigenous fruits/foods, trees and plants because they are tied to our culture and heritage and are our possible link to knowledge and solutions peculiar to us, for us now and in the future. 

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This is Bush butter pear/tree or Ube or Purple Safou. Botanical name is dacryodes edulis. They grow naturally in the forests in the south, west and east of Nigeria , Ghana and all the way to Congo. It can be grown as a shade and ornamental tree in gardens and around farms. A small not too big tree with very edible and medicinal fruits...and maybe leaves. The fruit is like a smooth oily berry or oil bean. I can’t really describe what it tasted like and I won’t say it’s my favorite yet. I think it is an acquired taste.

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They can grow in a wide range of soils but thrive best in shade and good enough soil. Trees come in mostly male and female. It has one of the highest and richest sources of oils and protein than most fruits in the world. Fruiting can take 5 to 6 years and I haven’t heard about any other ways of propagation apart from seed. Any others might prove difficult. I have a few acquired young ones that I am raising. This tree is strongly seasonal, fruiting especially during the wet season when other fruits are abundant and fruiting season is short.

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Though the flowers are not showy, they attract masses of pollinators most of which are honey bees so this tree would be a good addition to your garden or farm if you care about such things. Also the leaves and fruit remains provide rich organic matter to improve soil fertility. Given the trees uses it can contribute both great environmental and nutritional benefits and has great prospects.

Image source: tropicaltheferns-safoutier


#purplesafou #ube #bushbutterpear #nativeplants #YoungChamps #pollination #environment #edibleplants #fruittrees #stewardoftheearth

The Velvet Tamarind tree/fruit/plant

The plant never dies. She lives in and through the earth and within us, taking many different forms and always evolving and adapting just to serve all. The plant has always been there. The plant was there before, now and after. The plant has seen all and knows all. The plant is immortal. Plant is life. What is plant to you?

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This is the velvet tamarind tree/fruit/plant that some know as ‘awin’ with the velvet shell and orange vitamin c insides. I had a lot of them last year and planted the seeds which turned into seedlings and this year I came across a place in Ikoyi with the mature trees. Large and spectacular. Haven’t seen the trees elsewhere.

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Also known as dialium guineense, it is an evergreen shrub or tree with edible, medicinal and domestic fruit, leaf and bark/wood. Native to West Africa as far as the central and Sudan.

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A plant/tree of the drier areas of the tropical forests and grows very slowly as it is a very hardwood tree. One thing I love about velvet tamarind tree apart from the fruit is that they fix nitrogen into the soil helping with fertility restoration and Agroforestry practice. The edible fruit is a popular local food especially among children. 

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Some Source and image from tropicaltheferns and Africanplants.seckenberg.de

Our Forests and Native Plants

Initiating and starting a brief series/conversation on more native plants, our forests and environment and all other associated topics
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Since the Amazon forest is being burnt, for farmland and ranches, apparently 95 % of our forests in Nigeria are gone, and the Congo basin forest is disappearing at an alarming rate for minerals, energy and wood resources, our environment is bound to get hotter, drier, and we might have less oxygen and less carbon in the atmosphere. Therefore we have to strive to regain what we have lost and are losing. We have to generate our more of our own oxygen, with the little we can do. We need to grow our own forests where we are and create our own little ecosystems, create shade and air conditioning, grow flowers and native flowering plants for pollination, grow all sorts, grow trees, grow fruit, grow some food. Healthy, ethical, environmentally conscious agriculture needs to be practiced as well. One day soon, we will realize how important and intrinsic this is to who we are as human beings. Im trying my best/what i can and I can even do better. 💚

Lagos is the most populated city in Africa and the third most stressful city in the world according to many sources and as a result we are losing a lot of our trees and plants- (especially native), biodiversity and wildlife and land to urbanization, deforestation, desertification and all sorts of pollution to accommodate the growing desires and need for food, shelter, recreation and infrastructural facilities.
Our environment and especially our cities are bound to get hotter, drier, and we might have less oxygen and less carbon in the atmosphere. Our lifeline and solution we need are the things we are destroying.

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We have to strive to regain what we have lost and are losing. We have to generate our more of our own oxygen, with the little we can do. We need to grow our own forests where we are and create our own little ecosystems, create shade and air conditioning, grow flowers and native flowering plants for pollination, grow all sorts, grow trees, grow fruit, grow some food. 

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Healthy, ethical, environmentally conscious agri/horticulture needs to be practiced as well. Replicate and recreate the forests in our own spaces. One day soon, we will realize how important and intrinsic this is to who we are as human beings. Im trying my best/what i can and I can even do better. 💚



loveplants #lovenature #nativeplants #YoungChamps #naturalizedplants #environmentalconservation #nature #forestgarden #urbanforest #urbanjungle #stewardofthearth #okeigboforests