Perennials

[Holly]

Hello,
Can anyone explain the difference in planning for perennial crops to annuals, and how to ensure best results with perennials? In fact, how many crops are perennial, in the veg patch?

What do I need to know before I get started with something such as asparagus?

holly

[rustylady]

Main thing is to pick your site with care and prepare it well. Dig thoroughly and remove all trace of perennial weeds (dandelions, docks and bindweed to name a few). Add well rotted manure or compost. Remember, crops such as asparagus are going to be there for a long time, all being well. Research what you are growing to find out whether it needs full sun or will tolerate partial shade. Also make sure that your proposed asparagus bed, or rhubarb, or fruit bushes / trees will have enough room to develop properly and won't be in the way of anything else you will be using the plot for. e.g. an asparagus bed or gooseberry bushes scattered around the plot will almost certainly get in the way of annual plantings of veg. It's usually a good idea to keep one area of the plot for permanent plantings.

[Aberdeenplotter]

p.s. dandelions can be blanched and used as a vegetable

[Aberdeenplotter]

Rhubarb is also a perennial vegetable although some think of it wrongly as soft fruit. Parts of my plot are badly affected by white onion rot and I have planted my fruit bushes and my rhubarb in permanent beds so affected. It's reckoned it takes at least 15 years for ground to be safe to plant with onions (I doubt if anyone has ever had the patience to check) and perennial crops are a good use of this kind of ground in the interim. Artichokes, globe and jerusalem would be other perennial crops to consider but most people grow jerusalems like annuals in a simiar way to potatoes. It's been said though that if you plant jerusalems' you will always have jerusalems as they are incredibly difficult to get rid of.

[Florence Fennel]

I'm trying globe artichokes, but they're in with my perennial shrubs and flowers and not in my veg patch.

[Holly]

Great, thanks for this!

Does anyone agree with Mark Diacono that perennials also offer a low-carbon option for the climate-conscious gardener?

Perennial vegetables: Plant once and eat always - Telegraph

[rustylady]

I don't understand the low carbon reference, and he certainly doesn't explain it in his article. Unless of course he means growing your own instead of buying imported stuff.

[gojiberry]

Some of the herbs like horseradish and rosemary are perennial. Also chives although they do need splitting every few years. Can't think of any fruit that is not perennial.

Ian

[Aberdeenplotter]

In his article he says many allotmenters tend to graduate to perennials having served their apprenticeship on annuals. Poppy cock. If we have perennial crops in our allotments, it is an addition to the annual crops we have and not a graduation away from annuals.

[Holly]

Yes, this article caused me some confusion too. I was wondering if there was some cover-up about the carbon emissions of annual vegetables that I couldn't unearth! Hmm, possibly just a bit of liberal headlining there then.

[rustylady]

Let's face it, perennials will never replace annuals. Have you ever heard of perennial carrots, potatoes, lettuce etc?

[Aberdeenplotter]

Yes, this article caused me some confusion too. I was wondering if there was some cover-up about the carbon emissions of annual vegetables that I couldn't unearth! Hmm, possibly just a bit of liberal headlining there then.

If you are really keen on unearthing, you are welcome to come along to my plot when it's time to lift the spuds