This is more of a speculative question than you usually see on ECOLOG--dare I say "fun"?--but I figured this would be the perfect community to ask.
If you were planning to establish a settlement that needed to be self-sufficient, what species of plants would you select? Leaving aside basic food crops, what species would be best to supply materials for everything needed for a homespun lifestyle? Or put another way--if plants were your only source for absolutely everything in your daily life, what seeds would you want to propagate? For simplicity's sake, we can assume a temperate climate, plenty of sunlight and ready access to freshwater. Fast-growing and highly productive species would be preferred, but I'm open to anything easily cultivated and worked by hand. Please send all suggestions to me off-list, and I'll compile and post a summary. - J. A.
