Easy Perennial Vegetables To Grow

What are perennial vegetables? If you want to grow more food with less effort in the garden you can’t go wrong with adding some perennial edibles to your garden. If you are a busy gardener working 50 hours a week at the day job and only have a little time for gardening then perennial vegetables are the plants you need to grow in your garden! Perennial vegetables and perennial edibles come back year after year with very little input needed! Read on to find out what perennials you need to plant on your suburban homestead this spring!

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Listen to the podcast episode or read on to learn more!

Why Grow Perennial Vegetables?

Perennial vegetables are the set-it-and-forget-it of the gardening world; plant the perennial once and it will come back year after year providing a harvest. Perennial vegetables offer many advantages for gardeners including:

Low maintenance/minimal effort to grow – plant them once in the right location and they will flourish year after year.
Increased yields – many perennials are ready to harvest earlier than their annual grown cousins meaning you can extend a harvest and grow more food!
Better resistance to pests and disease than annuals.
Better resistance to environmental changes like drought or later than expected frosts.
Soil retention and building – a perennial can help bind loose soil or improve drainage in a heavy one as well as develop soil ecology with worms, insects, fungi and bacteria.
Ornamental interest in a garden should not be underestimated in suburban homesteads! Many perennials add color and architectural structures as unique interest among flowers or in barren borders in early spring.

Easy To Grow Perennial Vegetables

There are many, many perennial vegetables available to grow. In fact, if you live in the Southern States you can probably grow far more perennials than those of us in the Northern States!

Cardoon

These are rather majestic, thistle -like plants that are related to globe artichokes. The blanched stems are eaten and are easy to produce by bunching and tying up the leaves of the plant then wrap around cardboard or straw to keep out the light around the sides.

Cardoons are harvested in fall through winter and can easily grow to 3 feet tall. Cardoons will grow best in a well draining soil and will tolerate a range of climates and soil types.

Lovage

Grown as a herb mostly but can be grown as a perennial celery for cooking. It grows well in a moist, partially shady area and are one of the first shoots seen in the garden in spring. Lovage can grow to 6 feet tall and when it flowers, will attract many beneficial insects. You can preserve lovage by dehydrating or drying in a cool oven then placing into jars. One large plant should be enough for a family of 4 in celery flavors for a year.

Jerusalem Artichoke (Sunchoke)

These edible tubers contain complex carbohydrates but a large consumption of them can lead to an embarrassing evening and their other name of fartichokes. Don’t go nuts eaten these if you are planning a hot date but fermenting them may ease the wind issue.

Jerusalem artichokes produce cheerful yellow flowers and the stems can reach 10 ft tall! They make a great windbreak and can cast shade if planted in the right location protecting veggies which prefer respite from strong summer sun. Learn to grow them here.

Add plenty of manure to the area you will plant for a bigger crop and these tubers will continue to grow year after year.

Rhubarb

Rhubarb is the flavor of my childhood! Rhubarb and custard, rhubarb pie and rhubarb wine are all delicious and thanks to this easy to grow perennial! Rhubarb can be a monster in a moist, shady area in the garden and will thrive in cool climates. The leaves contain oxalic acid and should not be eaten. Mulch the rhubarb and add well rotted manure in late fall to help your rhubarb plant to keep producing for years to come.

Many gardeners force rhubarb by covering the crown with a bucket and insulating with straw over winter. This will bring on the plant earlier in spring.

Tree Onions (Walking Onions)

Tree onions are also know as Walking Onions. The bulbs grow at the top of the plant instead of the root like traditional onions. The bulbs lower to the ground and plant or walk along the bed. Walking onions like sunny, well drained locations in the garden and appreciate adding compost or well rotted manure before planting.

Chinese Artichoke

I’ve heard this called mint root and it is something I am excited to add to my garden as the homestead garden grows. Small tubers grow beneath mint-like leaves which carpet the ground. The tubers are crisp and refreshingly sweet and surprisingly easy to grow in a rich soil in full sun or partial shade. They can even handle intense summer heat making them hardy zones 5 through to 9.

Seakale

Rich, well manured deep soil will set up these plants well in the garden. Seakale needs moisture and a cool, moist climate, it is not ideal for arid states. The shoots are eaten and are similar to chard.

Nettles

Photo Credit: Paul M on Unsplash

Some nettles can have a nasty sting but when cooked is spinach like and quite tasty. Nettles prefer a sunny site with a rich soil and will often grow near open compost bins. They make a great soup, addition to quiche, lasagna plus they also make a great beer!

Globe Artichoke

Photo Credit: Chang Duong on Unsplash

A beautiful, tall ornamental for any garden. They grow in a rich, moist soil in full sun with plenty of compost incorporated in it. The crowns will need mulching with straw to protect them over winter and the straw pulling off them on mild days so they can dry out a bit and not rot in the ground. Harvest the flower buds when they are small and tender.

Asparagus

Photo Credit: Stephanie Studer on Unsplash

Asparagus is the perennial for the long haul! It will take 2-3 years of transplanting the crowns before you can harvest your first crop. Asparagus beds need plenty of space and need to be mulched with straw here in the USA to protect the crowns from the harsh winters. Freshly picked asparagus is divine and worth the effort especially with a fresh poached egg straight from the coop!

Fuki

A vegetable for wet, shady areas of the garden and, just like rhubarb, it is the stems which are eaten. The leaves can be 16 inches wide and up to 6 feet tall so this plant needs a lot of space but can be a wonderful ornamental in a shade garden. It spreads with rhizomes and can shade out smaller plants. Fuki has a medicinal taste but is served readily in Japan.

Sorrel

A lemony spinach that is best harvested young and tender. Grow in semi shade to prolong the harvest before it bolts and sends up a flower spike. Sorrel can be eaten fresh in salads or added to soup, quiche and more. There are many types of sorrel available to grow including French sorrel, sheep sorrel and mountain sorrel.

Horseradish

More of a herb than a vegetable. Horseradish root when grated makes a hot condiment which goes well with smoked fish, cold meat and of course, roast beef. In hot climates, horseradish will grow as a perennial in the shade.

Grow this herb in a rich , deep soil. Horseradish can be a little notorious and spread in the garden, to confine it dig a hole and line with large tiles or pavers then fill in the hole with the soil and plant.

Important Points For Perennials

Perennials are a great addition to the garden and you should try to make space for them in your plot. There are some points to bear in mind when thinking about adding perennial vegetables to your suburban homestead:

Some perennial vegetables are slow to establish. This means it can take a couple of years before you can harvest.
A pest or disease may be difficult to eradicate and the whole plant may need to be replaced.
Unusual flavors or aromas may make your perennial vegetable unappealing to eat. See if you can try it before you plant it.
Food allergy may be a problem if the perennial is something new you have never eaten before. This can be a problem for annual vegetables too so be cautious when adding new produce to your diet and start small!
Might become too established and take over! Check for any listed invasive species in your State and don’t plant any that are prohibited or restricted.
They need careful placement in the garden for best harvests.

Learn more about perennial vegetables you can grow in the US with Perennial Vegetables: From Artichoke to Zuiki Taro, a Gardener’s Guide to Over 100 Delicious, Easy-to-grow Edibles by Eric Toensmeier

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