American groundnut (hopniss)

Apios americana. A nitrogen-fixing, perennial vegetable with edible tubers, native to NB, and hardy to zone 4. As a nitrogen fixer, American groundnuts generate fertilizer for your garden and therefore can tolerate poorer soil. However, do not plant them close to fruit trees if you’re planning on harvesting the tubers – trees don’t like their roots disturbed!

These vines will grow to 10 ft in length, so make sure to provide them something to climb. It is recommended to plant the tubers on a 2-year cycle and only harvest them 2 years after planting, to get the maximum tuber size. The seeds, on the other hand, can be harvested like peas in the summer and fall. To eat, both seeds and seedpods should first be cooked.

Price is for 5 small tubers.