Add arugula to that list. It will self seed all over the place (including the neighbor's yard!) My niece (a farmer) calls it a "grows in the cracks of the sidewalk" kind of plant.

Also, mache is a great self seeder and lives through intense cold with no protection. Last winter I had it in over half my beds (got there on its own), just waiting to be gathered for salads. This winter it's under lots of snow, but last time I saw it, it had survived -31 with wind chills down to -45 with almost no snow cover.

"wild" blackberries and raspberries...horseradish...many edible mints...many "wild" mustards (such as garlic mustard)...

Be careful planting these (and the ones you mentioned). While they may set up shop wonderfully the first few seasons, strength of competition will eventually strangle out the mixture into less diversity. Many mints, for instance, are extremely aggressive and highly competitive for ground cover area and will easily out-compete other plants.

Catawissa top-setting onion is close to an invasive in favorable climate. As you say, sun choke, in my climate it appears to be effectively an invasive (I love them pickled, BTW, no gas).

Mint is a serious invasive in my garden.

Passion flower is sort of an edible, maybe more a medicinal, has proved to be wildly invasive. Although a very striking flower, I wish I had not introduced it.

I was hoping that perennial celery would prove to be an aggressive naturalizer, but it has not. I am having to gather seed and sow it in protected areas.

which zone are we talking about?

EIisa- have never tried growing arugula. I don't know why but I assumed it would be tricky. And I don't think I have even eaten mache. Thanks!

NC-crn- Yes the blackberries are a way too invasive around us (assuming you're from NC also). They grow around the perimeter of the woods but thankfully the goats keep them manageable. I have never grown horseradish. You just plant a root from the grocery store?

pnbrown- I have never seen those onions around here. Where might I get some? Have you made any tea from the passion flower? Why would you not grow it again? What if it was planted in an unattended flower bed?

Glib- I'm in zone 7b.

I have 15 5'x20' deep beds. I am very much a beginner, this will be only my 5th year with my own garden. In past years I have tried to grow too many varieties, many that were difficult to maintain. Last year I really started to appreciate the hardy plants that produced for me without much effort. The amaranth's leaves are so tasty and you get grain at the end of the season! So this year I'm going to stop fooling myself that I can maintain 1500 sq/ft of difficult veggies and plant some sure things! I really appreciate all the advice!

I wouldn't introduce passion-flower to a garden where the roots don't freeze out (warmer than z6) again, because it is so outrageously invasive. It's as aggressive as spreading bamboo (which I also have; I've done a good job of acquiring a goodly number of problematic invasives!).

Catawissa is not commonly seen in home gardens but isn't hard to find for sale by mail order. I think it will do nearly as well in NC z7b as it does for me in southern MA z7a. If you contact me in July I'll send you bulblets for an SASE.

Thanks for the offer! If I can't find any close to me I will remember that. :)

Arugula will spread only on clay soils. Dandelion and purslane will spread in any soil. In my clay soil, the worst spreading edibles are smallage ( a wild, very flavorful celery relative), dandelion, and cilantro. For herbs, mint and fennel take the cake. I also have a hard time eradicating sunflowers. I have some nettles in waste ground on my property. Lots of wild celery in our winter juices, as it freezes very well. I only need to weed it out of the places where I do not want it.

Clay is what I have! Most beds have been heavily amended but I'm always looking for things I can throw on new beds. I have plenty of dandelion growing in the yard but I had considered ordering green purslane. Is it too invasive to introduce to my garden? I don't want to plant truly invasive plants in the ground near my veggie garden. I just looking for productive hardy plants. I wish I knew a term that better described what I mean than 'near-invasive'. Survival garden?

Glib, that's interesting, smallage has a really hard time spreading in my garden. I hadn't thought of sandy soil being the reason, but it makes perfect sense, for the same reason that I have a dickens of a time getting carrots to germinate before weeds take over.

Purslane is never a problem, because it is so low to the ground. It is also very nutritious, and it provides some mulching effect. Here it is a bit too chilly for purslane, it grows in warmer spots such as sidewalk cracks, short season, but when living in warmer climates, it was a major vegetable for me. also goes well with ferry tomatoes in salads

Pat, smallage takes the cake here. I had a kale bed next to a reseeding smallage bed. By the end of last season there was little kale, all smallage.

Thanks for the great info Glib!

Purslane is a major weed in my gardens where the soil is low in carbon. This thread is reminding me that I need to increase my consumption of it in season.

+1 on mint.

But, Borage. Not a great edible texture-wise(kind of scratchy), but it does have a decent cucumber flavor. And the beneficial insects love it. I planted some in a large container(because I was told it was invasive) last year to attract them and placed in my veggie plot. Now I have many borage seedlings all over that plot.

The flowers are kind of pretty too.

Kevin

Mustard, "walking"/"Egyptian" onions and horseradish were among the several that my grandmother harvested in the wild.

I planted sunchoke here in central florida and they just showed above ground. Will be fun to see if they produce well here (and become invasive).