Perennial herbs, vegetables, fruits and legumes
By Michael Smith (Veshengro)
If you would like to enjoy home-grown food year after year without having to start your garden from scratch each spring then it is high time to discover the perennial food garden. Perennial food plants are the answer here and there are a lot more than most people may have thought.
All of the following herbs, vegetables, fruits and legumes (yes, we have listed them separately from the other vegetables) can be planted once and enjoyed for many seasons to come.
When it comes to perennial herbs we sure have quite a list of them. In fact, the great majority of herbs are perennial, though some will have to be either brought in over winter or kept and grown on the kitchen windowsill.
Basil, Chives, Coriander, Fennel, Garlic, Ginger, Horseradish, Lavender,
Lemon Balm (Warning! If not controlled this herb will take over your garden),
Mint (Same as Lemon Balm), Onions (Potato onions, Shallots, Egyptian onions, Japanese bunching onions, Welsh onions, Chinese leeks), Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme.
Some of those above will need a lot more tender loving care than do others. Coriander, for example, will have to come in during winter – I managed to kill a plant off in the winter we had in 2010/2011. Lemon Balm and Mint need no such consideration and neither does Horseradish and no, you cannot grow that one on the windowsill. No, don't even try to prove me wrong. Horseradish is a huge plant and, erm, watch that one... like Sun Chokes it will take over given half a chance.
Also watch and control mint and Lemon Balm – a mint relation – as both too have a way of spreading, and with the latter even if you keep them in planters. I have Lemon Balm popping up all over the garden and they are about as difficult as nettles to get rid of.
Talking of nettles and other wild foods; they too are perennial and the same is true for dandelion, a sorrel. Nettle tops and leaves can be used cooked, together with dandelion leaves, into what the Greeks call Hortes (which, I understand, just means “greens”) much like spinach and sorrel basically is wild spinach, though best in salads and here goes well with dandelion leaves.
Perennial vegetables
Artichoke (Jerusalem, also known as Sunchoke, and not to be confused with the Globe Artichoke), Asparagus, Broccoli (Nine Star, Purple Cape), Radicchio, Rhubarb, Spinach (Ceylon, Sissoo, New Zeland), Sweet Potato (which is not a potato proper), Swiss Chard, Water Cress, Yams
Perennial fruits
Apples, Apricots, Avocado, Blackberries, Cherries, Currants, Fig, Goji Berries, Huckleberries, Grapes, Kiwi, Lemons, Limes, Nectarines, Oranges, Peaches, Pears, Persimmon, Plums, Raspberries, Strawberries, (Ever-bearing varieties can be maintained as perennials in colder climates) and probably some that aren't included. As a note though: some don't grow well in all climes and thus you may not be able to grow oranges or even apricots above a certain latitude.
Perennial legumes
Beans (Winged bean, Scarlet Runner).
Though I have successfully grown runner beans, aka Lima beans, as perennials I, personally, generally restart them from seeds kept from the previous year. While I may be mistaken I do think that the yields are better from newly seeded plants. On the other hand, I may have not watered and fed the ones I grew as perennials properly.
Note: While all the plants listed above are perennials, they may not grow perennially, that is to say they may not perform with an annual repeat year in year out, in all locations. Check for compatibility with your region before buying seeds or plants.
© 2011
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