The phone kept ringing this week. It’s the time of year people are making garden plans for the year. Vegetable beds full for as much of the year as possible, it’s what we want isn’t it!?
As my 5 year old son said earlier in the week, “I know, we could grow loads of food near home, then we wouldn’t have to go to the shop as much and we could eat loads!” Yes.
Growing loads of food
I used to grow lots of annual vegetables – in a planter, in pots, in an allotment plot full of couch grass. It’s hard work! Then, I had kids and grew less food. Yet we needed more food! It’s a sad dichotomy.
We want lots of food, year round. Without pesticides on it because our gut microbiomes can’t survive the attack, the evidence on that is piling up. And let’s have enough to share with others!
Discovering perennial vegetables from permaculture projects, authors, and videos transformed how I view food growing.
Perennial vegetables provide a resilient baseline of food supply in the garden. (And in the wild).
That is the main reason we grow and sell perennial vegetables. You can buy them from us mail order, from our nursery, and at a select few events.
What are the main benefits of perennials?
Perennial vegetables are great soil builders
Perhaps the best ecological benefit from perennials is their beneficial effect on soil. Bare soil quickly dries out, and can be eroded by wind and rain, especially in sloping gardens. Disturbing the soil also kills many beneficial elements of the soil food web, particularly some of the best kinds of beneficial fungi that share nutrients with crop plants.
Perennials improve organic matter, soil structure, and water holding capacity through the slow and steady decomposition of roots and leaves. Perennial vegetable gardens build soil the way nature intended—by allowing the plants to add more and more organic matter without disturbance, and letting the worms do the work of mixing it all together.
Perennials provide ecosystem benefits
Perennials provide critical habitat to a number of animal, fungal, and other life forms, many of which are highly beneficial in gardens.
Perennial vegetables extend the harvest season
Perennials often have different seasons of availability than annuals, perennial vegetables can “pad out” those times of the year when your annual garden doesn’t have much to offer.
On our Discover perennial edibles workshops you can see how perennial veg grow and have a taste.
Source: Eric Toensmeier’s Perennial Vegetables.
My must-have veg
Kales
- Taunton Deane
- Cavolo Nero
- Red Russian
- Son of Purple Kale Tree
- Purple Kale Tree x Nero di Toscana
These are some of the varieties of kale we are growing at Earthed Up! this year. From cuttings and from seed.
Kale went through a period of being trendy. Apparently it’s not so much now. Maybe it will just take a reel with a trending soundtrack. Meanwhile, kale continues to provide, a reliable stalwart. And a hardy, attractive, tasty one!
That’s one reason why Guy Singh-Watson of Riverford is giving space on his farm to growing Taunton Deane perennial kale, the giant of the kale world.
Sorrel
I’ve written about sorrels before and the same warning applies: the lemony flavour comes from the presence of oxalic acid. Be wary if you have kidney issues. For most people, the nutrient density outweighs any risks from the oxalates.
- Green de Belleville
- Profusion
- Patience Dock
- Mountain Sorrel
- Red veined sorrel
Different sorrels to occupy different niches. Greens for different times of the year, for salads and for steaming or stir frying. I like these plants a lot.
Roots
This category is a bit of a cop out because there’s loads of perennial root crops. The ones I love to have loads of (yet rarely have enough of) are:
- Oca
- Skirret
- Mashua
- Sunchokes
Whatever perennial veg takes your fancy, know that adding more edible plants to your garden can only be a wise choice. In the face of polycrises, having food options at hand increases our food security. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll find great pleasure in growing something a bit different!
Bonus video
As a juicy bonus, here’s a half an hour video of me talking through some considerations of what to grow, including brief introductions to perennial veg.
Earthed Up! is an agroecological plant nursery, growing all our own plant peat free without harmful chemicals. We offer mail order perennial vegetables, herbs, and fruit and a select range of seeds too.
Earthed Up! 