Time to try edible perennials
Ten years ago, I planted a packet of asparagus seeds in a tray, and every one of them sprouted. After a year in a temporary bed, I transplanted half of the starts into a permanent location and gave the rest away. For at least a month every spring, I harvest asparagus spears regularly. I weed, mulch and fertilize the bed but I have never tilled it in ten years, yet the asparagus, an example of an edible perennial, never forgets to sprout tasty spears.
Gardeners during our northwest Arkansas winter are planning for another garden, so this is the time to consider adding a few edible perennials. Properly cared for, perennials will be back year after year like my asparagus, and they will require little maintenance once established. Add mulch regularly and they will require less attention to watering since they will have deeper roots than annuals, and these deeper roots contribute to a healthy soil environment.
According to A Brief History of Perennial Crops, “Perennial vegetable gardens build soil the way nature intended by allowing the plants to naturally add more and more organic matter to the soil through the slow and steady decomposition of their leaves and roots.”
Curly dock plants bear nutritious green leaves in spring before any of my transplanted annuals begin bearing. They also send roots ten inches or more into the soil which encourages earthworms, millipedes, fungi and everybody else to conduct soil business without the inconvenience of being shoveled and turned over. Sorrels are similar.
Edible perennials have a chance to absorb more trace minerals from deeper in the soil than annuals, and as their roots break down over the years these minerals are released closer to the surface for the benefit of nearby plants.
A Carroll County gardener who also owns property in Belize or Togo, for example, would know warmer winters allow for many more kinds of edible perennials, but all of us locals have plenty to choose from. Here are some choices.
Asparagus – Easy to grow, easy to harvest.
Chives, garlic chives and chives of all kinds – After a flurry of summer greens, garlic chives produce attractive white flowers on tall stems. I once had a neighbor who regaled highly the culinary value of the buds and young flowers. She might be the reason the flowers kept disappearing. Faster than you can turn around twice those flowers will produce black seeds that are excellent travelers and resourceful homesteaders – they sprout everywhere.
Sorrels and docks – Described above.
Horseradish – Delicious fresh but best grown in contained space because if left to its own devices, there will be no turning back.
Stinging nettle – Nutritious leaves.
Herbs – Oregano, sage, thyme and others will settle in for the long haul.
Chickweed – I have a robust stand of it in my greenhouse. In winter, it hovers against the rock borders in my garden. It has all the A-to-Zs plus manganese, etc.
Rhubarb – Arkansas weather might be too hot and cold for rhubarb. It is so sensitive.
Blackberries, raspberries, goji berries, etc. – I’ve never grown goji berries, but maybe this year. Blackberries and raspberries respond well to pruning in the off-season, and except for regular picking, that is all they require.
Fruit trees – of course.
Jerusalem artichokes – Known as girasole in Europe and not related to artichokes. These tubers multiply underground and send up tall stalks with daisy-like flowers. Harvest a few tubers in autumn and leave the rest for next year.
Globe artichokes – They are great if you live along the California coast. The flowers smell like alyssum.
Good King Henry – Related to lambs-quarters. Pick a few shoots at a time beginning in spring.
Brassicas – Daubenton’s kale is a perennial as is Nine-Star broccoli.
Besides these, there are many other edible perennials you can find online which will add character to your garden.