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A couple days ago I was outside in my garden getting everything tidied up and ready for spring. Somehow it seems like no matter how neat I leave things in the fall, my beds are always full of baling twine and random bits of junk by the time the snow finally melts.
As I cleared the junk out of the beds, I noticed that little green garlic sprouts were poking their heads above the soil. While I carefully cleared around them I started thinking about how I’ve come to take them for granted.
Every spring they pop up. Every fall I harvest them. And then, the next spring, they’re back again.
It’s kind of like magic.
Perennial vegetables have always been my favorite part of a garden. They form the backbone of any good garden. They’re constant, steady and so easily overlooked.
Once planted, they require little from me. A little water and a bit of weeding is all they usually ask. Even when I neglect them horribly, they still give me a generous harvest.
Here are the perennials that I believe are an essential part of every garden.
Garlic
I love garlic. It’s a non-negotiable ingredient in my kitchen. I always have some on hand, partly because it is so easy to grow!
I have some in my flowerbeds, some growing under the lilac bushes and tucked here and there in other random places too.
I’m not entirely sure I could get rid of it if I tried, so make sure you’re happy with where you plant it. It really takes no work.
I basically ignore it till fall and then I dig a bunch up and let it dry. Once it’s dry I keep it in my cupboard with my other spices.
Herbs
I love growing my own herbs and lots of them are perennials.
Mint is one of my favorites. It’s super easy to grow, so much so that it really should be contained in a pot. If you plant it in the ground be prepared for it to take over your entire garden.
It is incredibly invasive so proceed with caution. Fresh mint is fabulous in smoothies or to make mint syrups and tea.
Sage is another great perennial herb. I like to add it to sausage. It’s also great for pork roast along with Thyme. Both are easy to grow and as a bonus they’re both pretty too.
Oregano and Rosemary are perennials as well but don’t overwinter well when it gets really cold. I bring them in the house for the winter here in zone 4 but if you’re in a warmer climate they will be fine outdoors.
Asparagus
This is a perennial vegetable that I actually have never grown. At least not intentionally.
It grows wild on ditch banks here, so I’ve never needed to plant it in my garden. I just cut some in the spring and it grows back.
When you harvest Asparagus, wild or from your garden, make sure to leave some stalks to go to seed. If you overharvest it, it won’t come back the next year.
Asparagus is easy to grow in the garden, but it takes a couple years to get really established before you can harvest it heavily.
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is an old-fashioned plant to a lot of people. It’s a plant that everybody remembers their grandparents growing, but they’re not quite sure what they did with it.
I like to use rhubarb to make strawberry rhubarb crisp. Rhubarb also makes really good jam, especially when combined with strawberries.
Grapes
Grapes are kind of intimidating to a lot of people, but they don’t have to be that complicated.
When you’re growing grapes at home you really don’t need to worry too much about pruning them perfectly. If you are in a vineyard and need to maximize production or sweetness for wine or eating grapes then it’s a lot trickier to manage grapes. For home use just trim them to fit the area you have and call it good.
I know that will probably make some people cringe, but it really doesn’t have to be so complicated. Simplify what you can, and this is one of the things you can simplify.
Berries
Berries are probably my very favorite perennials.
Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries. I love them all. I love making them into jam and freezing them for smoothies or cobbler.
Berries are pretty easy to grow most places, but they do like acidic soil which can make it difficult here in the arid high desert. Our soils are much more alkaline than most of the rest of the United States.
Strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries seem to be the most adaptable. Blueberries really don’t stand much of a chance.
Our soils are very well buffered naturally, which just means that they resist changes in pH. This makes changing the pH of the soil really difficult, sometimes impossible when you’re planting in the ground.
We can amend the soil a little bit, but the best way to grow plants like blueberries is to plant them in raised beds with heavily amended or brought in soil. I think that berries are well worth the effort to grow, even if they take a bit more work than other plants.
Homemade strawberry or raspberry jam makes it all worth it.
Fruit Trees
Fruit trees aren’t technically part of the garden, but they are perennials that I love so I’m including them on this list.
I love my fruit trees. They do take a lot more work than some of my other perennials, but they are so worth it. I have apple, apricot, cherry and plum trees and the amount of fruit that they produce blows me away.
Fruit trees do require pruning and some form of pest control. There are organic pesticides available for fruit trees if you want to grow your fruit organically. However, it is important to treat your trees for bugs.
Our home had fruit trees that were full of bugs and they were really struggling. Three years later, we’ve almost gotten the bugs under control, but it has been really hard and involved pruning a lot of branches that couldn’t be saved. It would have been so much better to prevent the damage to the trees in the first place.
While it has been a lot of work to get the trees healthy and productive again, homemade cherry pie with cherries from our own tree is the best thing ever.
Perennial plants are an inexpensive and relatively low maintenance way to increase the productivity of your garden. They consistently produce fruits and vegetables and are easy to grow and take care of. I can’t imagine my garden without at least a few of these plants in it.
What perennial plants do you have in your garden? Comment and share below!
