5 Must-Grow Perennial Vegetables: Harvest Year After Year... 👩‍🌾

I’m from the Faroe Islands and my great grandfather brought a ‘Victoria’ rhubarb root back from the UK when he was there selling fish sometime in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. The same plant is still in the family. We have split the roots many times over the years, to get more of them. My grandparents have sold their excess for decades. They often harvest over 100 kg a year. My mom has a more modest garden, and harvests around 10 to 15 kg a year. We moved to Denmark 12 years ago, and my mom took the roots with her to Denmark. It has sentimental value at this point, lol. 😋

My family has a rhubarb plant that’s been around for at least forty years. My grandma planted it.

I wasn't ready for the "thrusting eruptions of glaucous foliage" But I'm ready now

Thank you for including both metric and imperial measures! It really helps.

5 perennial plants- Globe artichoke Rhubarb Babbington leek Perennial kale OCA -New Zealand yam-Jerusalem artichoke Asparagus

One of my favorite, low maintenance perennial herbs is actually chives. They are practically no maintenance once established, deer-resistant, and reliably are one of the first plants to come up in spring. I also like how they can serve double duty as both a fresh kitchen herb and a lovely, bee friendly ornamental. The one potential drawback is that they will happily self seed, and can take over a yard if not careful. (we started with one, and now we have at least three, and I even split the largest one a few years ago.)

I'm glad you didn't forget asparagus. My great-grandmother planted some on her farm long before I was born, and we still haven't it every year. It just keeps coming back.

This might sound weird but when I grew up in northern Maine my Memere had a rhubarb field -my sister and I would peel a rhubarb and put some salt on it and eat it as is. It’s sour without the salt but it’s such a delicious snack with it. Weird combo I know but it was normal for us 😂 we’d just be flying by on the four wheeler with a salt shaker and a handful of rhubarb 😂😂

A greenhouse tucked away behind the trees, foliage. A beautiful garden. A cute dog. 🙂

Several of my neighbors in my rural neighborhood in Georgia grew asparagus. I made a raised bed, using railroad ties but now realize that due to the chemicals in the ties, 1 layer of concrete blocks would be better. I bought some asparagus roots from a local feed store, 3 packages, 2 green and one purple variety. I purchased 3 year old roots. I planted them in the fall and had some the following spring. They grew at about the rate of 15 inches a day from April until august. Neighbors had good producing asparagus for about 15-18 years from original planting. I used a mattock to dig five 8 foot long trenches in soft fill dirt . The purple asparagus was the best. To my amazement it turned green in the olive oil and garlic pan. The asparagus grew in about 1/2 inch diameter which is twice the diameter of most store bought. I found out that it should be harvested at 6 to 8 inches tall about 1/2 inch below the surface with a broccoli knife or a cheap hook knife, the dirt is hard on the knife. When it gets 12 inches tall the 1/2 of its length is tough. The last few weeks beginning around august first, stop harvesting, let it grow to about 5 feet and cut it down , I used a 5 horsepower weed eater that I used to trim pasture at the fence line. This growth looks like weeds and is provides necessary nutrients for the roots and allows the roots to grow for the next spring crop. I fertilized it around august first. Had for about 10 years before moving to Florida. It tasted so much better and was softer that store bought asparagus. So easy to maintain, I wish all vegetables were perennial.

I'm in SW Pennsylvania, and can highly recommend the Egyptian/Walking onion. I started with 2 plants on clearance at a nursery, bought on impulse, and quickly graduated to a 5x2 foot "onion patch" that needs regular thinning. The green tops are as tasty as the bulbs, but the bulbs do need to be harvested when they're young, or they get a bit woody. Just leave some for next year and you never run out. I have noticed that, while you can leave the new bulbs at the top of the stems to fall over and root themselves, it pays to spend a few minutes breaking them off and planting them properly. The chopped bulbs and green tops also freeze well. I've seen several varieties offered in seed catalogs. As for perennial herbs, you can never go wrong with spearmint, chive, and oregano.

Haha, you know you're a gardener when your first thought when he's digging is "oooh, that's some BEAUTIFUL soil"

Two plants that I would add are loveage... for that "maggi" flavour... and sorrel... for that sour "lemon" flavour... They'll both grow hearty like weeds and are easy to contain. Over the years, the sorrell may spread and the loveage is easily divided.... so both are easy to share with other growers.

I just love how his dog is so into this demonstration.

My 4x great grandfather found a bush of wild rhubarb up on the mountain by which he lived and planted it near his house, this stood here until my grandfather wanted to move it down to his house closer to the highway he had quiet the green thumb so he knew what he was doing and successfully transplanted it, that patch of rhubarb stands at his place to this day so that patch has been in my family for over 150 years

In Canada rhubarb grows like weeds! They die off in the winter, but are one of the first things to pop up in the spring! And that’s in -30 weather or lower! Great hardy plant!

I planted my asparagus from seeds, a whole pack of seeds in an 8 gallon grow bag because I got the pack as a free gift with an order...I think every seed sprouted! The next spring the plants were HUGE! I got hubby to pull up the bushes in the brick flowerbed in front of my house and I carefully separated them and hubby planted them in the flowerbed. Five years later and they are still doing great! I did not even expect them to sprout much less do so well in our hot climate. Try growing them from seed, much cheaper and so many more plants...you never know.

As a side note, your dog is awesome and clearly adores you! I love the random cameos 😊. Thanks for your very informative and entertaining videos

I’ve got a flat leaf parsley plant in my garden, which has been going for two years now, including through a really hard last winter. I do keep it a little sheltered in a cold frame, but if I cut it back it just just starts up again. Tastes as good as it did when it was young

I was worried that you won't include asparagus lol. They are without a shadow of a doubt the best perennial ever. Mine is now 4 years in and I had an abundant harvest this year. Raw asparagus straight from the garden must be one of the most delicious veggies around. The abundance of Egyptian walking onions are a close second in my garden. I find potatoes and sweet potatoes almost perennial as well. I planted potatoes 4 years ago and I clearly don't harvest properly as they just keep on coming up every year and strangely I have a better harvest every year. The same with sweet potatoes. Almost like a weed, but thankfully a weed with sustenance. Thank you for drawing attention to the others. I did not know that about certain kales.