75 Edible Perennial Food Forest Plants for Central Florida

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This list isn’t all the way refined, but I generally consider it my master list of permaculture food forest plants to try to keep in stock at my nursery that are appropriate for central Florida, specifically our zone 9a. Most of these plants are the cold hardy varieties listed and may get knocked back in very cold spells like what we had in the 2022-23 season, but should sprout up again quickly in the warmer weeks following. I’ll link each one of these in the near future with their appropriate planting and care blog article here on this site. For now, use this to get some ideas for your food forest to get started on your design. Or, if you’ll be visiting our nursery, use it to highlight your priority plants you’d like to acquire.

75 Edible Perennial Food Forest Plants for Central Florida

  1. Moringa Oleifera PKM1
  2. Cranberry Hibiscus
  3. Elephant Ear (Malanga)
  4. Taro
  5. Blackberry/Raspberry
  6. Florida Cranberry (Roselle)
  7. Seminole Pumpkin
  8. Longevity Spinach
  9. Okinawan Spinach
  10. Malabar Spinach
  11. Basil
  12. Culantro
  13. Ginger
  14. Turmeric
  15. Sweet Peppers
  16. Hot Peppers
  17. Sweet Potato
  18. Papaya
  19. Star Fruit Tree
  20. Avocado Tree (Del Rio, Pryor, Fantastic)
  21. Passion Fruit Vine (Purple possum or Maypop)
  22. Blueberry (Rabbiteye or Southern Highbush)
  23. Banana (Cavendish, Grand Nain, Orinoco)
  24. Fig Tree (Celeste)
  25. Barbados Cherry (Acerola)
  26. Surinam Cherry
  27. Red Mulberry
  28. Aloe Vera
  29. Loquat Tree
  30. Katuk
  31. Chaya
  32. Cassava
  33. Lemon Grass
  34. Citrus Trees (Satsuma orange, kumquat)
  35. Pomegranate Tree
  36. Pineapple Guava
  37. Mango Tree (Edward or Haden)
  38. Pineapple
  39. Mint
  40. Peach Tree (Florida Glo, Florida Prince, UF Best, And UF Gem, Tropic Snow, Tropic Beauty)
  41. Beautyberry
  42. Everglades Tomato
  43. Tea Plant
  44. Jerusalem Artichoke
  45. Sunflowers
  46. Chayote Squash
  47. Pygmy Date Palm (Roebelleni)
  48. Walking Onions
  49. Elderberry Tree
  50. Native Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)
  51. Strawberries (Sensation, Brilliance, Medallion)
  52. Olive Tree (Arbequina)
  53. Pecan Tree (Curtis, Elliott, Excel, Lakota, and Sumner)
  54. Chickasaw and Flatwoods Plum
  55. Tree Collards
  56. Sorghum
  57. Amaranth
  58. Carlos Muscadine Grape Vine
  59. Elderberry Tree
  60. Jujube Tree (Chinese Date)
  61. Bamboo
  62. Sugar Cane
  63. Ashwagandha
  64. Mushrooms
  65. Pigeon Pea
  66. Dioscorea Yams (Name, Alata)
  67. Cuban Oregano
  68. Strawberry Tree
  69. Macadamia Nut (Waimanalo, Beaumont, Vista Hybrid)
  70. Prickly Pear Cactus
  71. Jaboticaba
  72. Goji Berry
  73. Curry Plant
  74. Yaupon Holly
  75. Cherimoya