Top 5 Reasons Why Perennial Vegetables Rule!

Can you believe it’s time to start planning the garden again already?!  {Well, unless you’re like me and have been planning it since January.}  While you are still planning, I just wanted to take a real quick second to plug integrating perennial veggies into your garden this year.  I could probably make a list a mile long why I think they are a fantastic addition to your landscaping and garden, but I thought I’d narrow it down–you know, so you can read it and still have time for other things, like sleep.

Plant it when motivation is high.  

Let’s face it, at the start of gardening season, you’ve got a case of cabin fever, you’ve forgotten the labor of the late summer/early fall harvest, and the dirt is calling to you.  This is the time to capitalize on those fleeting emotions.  Get out there and toil in the dirt.  Planting perennials now, when your motivation is peaking, ensures you’ll have crops for years to come, without any of the initial work.

Integrated edibles, anyone?

My favorite thing about perennial vegetables is that they really do double as landscaping.  Typically, they are very pretty {there are some exceptions, like I for one, think asparagus looks like a weed when it goes to seed}.  Overall, though, they provide color and texture to your yard, and substance to your plate. {I just made that up right this second, and I’m not going to lie, I like it.}

Perennials are the crock pot of the garden.

Perennials really are the crock pot of the garden.  It’s the “set it and forget it” mentality.  You invest in them, plant them, etc. only once, but they are there, when you are ready, year after year.  If life gets in the way of you planting the rest of your garden, you know, you’ll have your good old standbys, waiting to greet you into spring.

Regional magic.

The list of edible perennials is pretty regional.  If  you live in a milder climate, you’ll be able to integrate growing some of the cooler weather perennials all year long.  Some plants, which in colder regions might be considered annuals, will actually “volunteer” each year–which basically means they are considered perennials in your area.  Do some research, see if you are the lucky duck that can defy mother nature with your climate.

Low maintenance, high reward.

After you’ve done the initial planting, the only real maintenance you’ll need to provide  your edibles each year consists of water and compost.  Add the compost in the spring, ensuring your plants have plenty of nutrients and water regularly throughout the season.

What do ya say, are you going to jump on the perennial bandwagon?  HERE’S a list of perennial veggies to get your creative juices flowing.

~Mavis