![Purslane plants portulaca oleracea vegetable common garden weed, nutritious veggie](/sites/default/files/styles/or/public/image_nodes/purslane.jpg?itok=OT3D_YWc)
An Edible, Nutritious Weed that Grows Like... a Weed!
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I've been growing purslane for years and absolutely love it; however, by the time the plants get to be about a foot tall, the leaves get pretty munched on by grubs, Japanese beetles, and what looks like leaf miners. Much of the foliage is still usable, but often full of little holes and not very pretty. Any tips for keeping away pests?
Hi Laura,
Sorry to hear about the pest issues with your purslane. The best approach is to be proactive and watch out for any of the pests you mentioned and picking them off before they get to munching on the leaves. Of course, it is not always easy to be consistently watching before you notice a problem. If you do notice any pests after the leaves have been affected, it is still best to pick them off and dispose of them promptly. If there is a severe infestation, you can try applying neem oil or an insecticidal soap to try and alleviate any issues once they have presented. Just make sure you wash the leaves well before consuming.
It’s not a perfect solution, but the best approach right now. Hope this helps!
My youngest grandson, 11, and I tried it straight from the garden over the weekend. He liked it enough to coax his picky eater brother, 12, to try it. My guess is they will be harvesting it for salads in the future. It was a hit.
Purslane tincture (made with vodka) is medicinal to get rid of fungal infections like athlete's foot or "crotch rot".
I had purslane in a flower basket and it was beautiful blooming pink and yellow blooms. I brought it in and planned it as an indoor plant. The pieces that have broken off, I propagated in water. Now that I look more closely at it I realize that I had it growing everywhere as weeds at my last home and killed it. Now that I live in a forest, I appreciate more of the wildflowers/weeds that are growing.
That is not purslane , it looks very much like it but its not. The same
What country did Purlane originate?
Purslane has a wide range. It’s though to have originated somewhere around the Mediterranean, the Middle East, or the Indian subcontinent. It has become naturalized in North America as a weed.
I just had some with my husband's mushroom, onion, hamburger stew. It made a great low carb substitute for noodles.
I started finding this plant growing in my garden about 3 or 4 years ago. It started out growing in little patches; but, then I was finding it everywhere and lots of it. I figured that it was a weed and constantly pulled it out so it wouldn't compete with my veggies. (I guessed from looking closely at it that it was some sort of succulent and didn't want it hogging a lot of the water from my plants).
I then heard that it was used in salads by some people; but, wasn't too keen on that because it's kind of fuzzy and thick-leaved. By last year, I pretty much eradicated almost all of it. This year, I've seen much more articles and conversations about it, its nutritional value, and other properties so just today I pulled-up some of it (it's back this year and I'm finding it poking-up more-so than last year) and I figured that I'd try it. Didn't figure out how though yet. Will come back and write about it after I've eaten it. (I have a question though--do you pick the leaves off or eat it stem [without the roots and just above] and all? For now, I'll play it safe and just eat the leaves! LOL ;o)