Perennial Vegetable Gardening

Perennial Edible Garden
The darkest hour is just before the dawn.  So it is with the end of winter when you love to garden.  Planting season is nearing quickly. The established perennials in the garden have been awakened by April’s showers. Now the sunshine of May will help them spring forth into another great season of growth. In addition to cleaning up winter’s waste from the landscape, now is the time to start dreaming about the food you can produce in your own garden. While a daydream cannot completely satiate the desire to get in the dirt, it can help tide us over.  This time can be used constructively to formulate plans for the year.  For instance, formulating a new perennial bed.  This year we are going to convert an underutilized 8’ x 8’ patch of our backyard into an edible perennial garden.

Fresh fruit and veggies will grow for my family and the families after ours every year in the backyard.  How is that possible? There are a surprising number of plants that will come back each year if given the real estate to do so.  Here’s a list of the plants that we will be testing out this year in our garden.

·         Asparagus – Jersey Supreme
·         Asparagus – Pacific Purple
·         Onion – yellow, Walla Walla
·         Onion – white, Ringmaster
·         Onion – red, Red Zeppelin
·         Garlic - variety
·         Rhubarb – Valentine
·         Horseradish
·         Strawberry
·         Blueberry

There are lots of other choices as well.  We based our selections on our climate, tastes and space available.  There are lots of herbs, shrubs, trees and other perennial vegetables to explore.  Check out these great articles about other perennial plants you can grow in your garden and other tips on perennial vegetable gardening. 

• Organicgardening.com - Edible Landscape Ideas
  
• Huffington Post - Perennial Vegetables
  
• Good Houskeeping - Perennial Vegetables
  

While you are out enjoying this beautiful spring day, start planning how you can grow your own dinner in your own perennial vegetable garden. What’s more, this garden grows back year after year.  All you need to do is give it some real estate, patience and care. Tell us about YOUR perennial garden experiences or dreams! In the meantime, Happy Gardening!

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