By Alex Howard
Ever thought about planting some perennial food plants? If you haven’t maybe
I can convince you that it’s a great idea. Not only are perennials better environmentally
they are also much easier to maintain and pretty much worry free, all you have to do is
plant them once and reap the benefits for years to come! While some vegetables like
Tomatoes and peppers are perennials in warmer climates they cannot survive North
American winters… so, you may be wondering what kinds of edibles will survive our
harsh climate. Perennials come back every year and if properly maintained can last a very
long time yielding an abundance of fruits, veggies, edible root plants and leafy greens
year after year. What’s not to like about that?
From fruit trees to berry shrubs to herbs and even vegetables the wide array
of perennial food plants will leave you feeling like there’s something missing in your
garden. I will list a couple of them from Dave Jacke’s Edible Forest Gardens to get you
started thinking about which perennials you might like to have in your garden next year.
Some tasty and hardy small trees such as Asian pears (Pyrus bretschneideris)
and Wild Goose Plums (Prunus munsoniana) as well as shrubs like Saskatoon berries
(Amelanchier alnifolia), Running Juneberries (Amelanchier stolonifera), Black
Rasberries (Rubus occidentalis) and the extremely cold tolerant Siberian Pea Shrub
(Caragana arborescens). These small trees and shrubs can tolerate our colder climates
and begin flowering again every spring without any help!
Another great variety of perennials are herbs such as Lemon Balm (Melissa
officinalis), Mountain Mint (Pycanthemum spp.) and all sorts of perennial onion plants
such as Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum), Nodding Wild Onion (Allium cernuun) and
Welsh Onion (Allium fistulosum).
These are just a few of the many perennial edibles that will thrive in colder
climates. Look up some more awesome perennials that will survive in your gardens
climate and start planning which ones you want for next season. I promise you won’t be
disappointed!
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