Below are just a few plants of many that come back on their own year after year. Get these established now and have a pretty good chance of something to eat even if you do little to nothing to keep them going. There is more info on each plant at the link below.
http://www.realfarmacy.com/plant-harvest-years/
Plant Once Harvest for Years
Jan 21 • Grow It Yourself
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Year after year we start seeds, till the ground, plant, weed, harvest, then tear it all out at the end of the season. It’s a lot of work, no doubt. But there are some plants you can plant once that will produce a lifetime of food after they are established. Old-timers knew the value of these plants and added them to their new homesteads. Pioneers carefully wrapped and tended baby fruit trees, grapevines, rhubarb, and asparagus roots in their covered wagons. Maybe it’s time to lighten your annual workload by adding some of these hardworking plants to your garden. If you do, you’ll reap the rewards for many years.
Asparagus
Asparagus can be planted anywhere, in rows, in flower beds, or even in a corner of the lawn.
Asparagus is perhaps the easiest, most commonly grown permanent crop. A small family can easily use 25 roots, planted on the edge of a small garden, along a fence, or here and there among flower beds. More roots will give you plenty for dehydrating and canning; asparagus handles both very well. Asparagus plants are ferny, airy, and pretty. They easily blend in well in the back of flower beds, and don’t crowd flowering plants at all.
Chives
Chives are one of the easiest and most useful of all small garden permanent plantings. I’ve seen them planted in pots on the decks of inner-city apartments, brought inside and placed in a sunny window for winter harvest. Because the bushy, onion-like tubular leaves are so attractive, they look good planted on the easily-accessible edges of flower beds. Even the lavender-colored chive flowers are edible.
Jerusalem artichokes
Like asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes (also called sun chokes) are at home on the edge of the garden or tucked here and there around the yard. They are not from Jerusalem nor are they an artichoke, but instead are a member of the sunflower family and native to this continent. They form a large bushy plant and have pretty yellow sunflower-like blooms in the late summer. Under the soil, they form quite large, rounded tubers, almost like potatoes. These are crunchy, sweet, and great additions to stir fries, salads, or eaten chilled and raw! The first time I planted them, my youngest son, David, was two. He asked what those things were, so I cut one in half with my pocket knife, peeled it, and handed it to him. He finished it right down and then proceeded to eat half of the tubers that I had in the bag to plant! He’s 20 now, and still likes them, and we have a large patch down in the corner of our garden where I can see their pretty blooms from the house.
Horseradish
Horseradish is one of our favorite condiments; its hot, spicy flavor perks up any meat or fish dish. It is a long, tan-colored root; the leaves that grow from it are strap-like and tough. Horseradish is so easy to grow that it can become invasive, especially in your garden. It’s a good idea to plant it in an isolated area or container — not in the garden or in your flower bed.
Mushrooms
Shaggy Manes Mushrooms
Mushrooms, such as these Shaggy Manes, can be introduced into your yard.
Few people think of mushrooms as a “vegetable” or as a homestead crop, but they can be just that. With most of today’s canned mushrooms coming from China and Indonesia, more and more people are thinking about growing their own mushrooms at home. The indoor “mushroom kits” were a start, but now there are many more economical and permanent sources of a wide variety of mushrooms available for home growers.
Onions
While most people think of onions as an annual crop, there are two kinds of onions that are perennial: potato onions and multiplier onions. Multiplier onions are the most common, and are available in many seed and nursery catalogs. Multiplier onions are also known as “walking onions” because they form a cluster of little onion bulbs in the summer, on a seed stalk. As fall lengthens, the stalk bends over and the already-sprouting bulbs touch the soil and root. So, after a while, your permanent onions that started out on one end of the garden, may have moved to an entirely different spot! These onions make terrific spring and early summer green onions and some of the topset bulbs are large enough to peel and pickle. Grandma had several multiplier onions in her asparagus patch, so it didn’t matter much where they walked. Mine are there, too. You can plant several in flower beds, near the back, yet in an accessible spot, as they are tall, handsome plants.
Rhubarb is one of the very first plants to provide “fruit” for pies in the springtime. Two plants give plenty for baking, sauce, and canning.
Rhubarb is a nearly indispensable plant for anyone wanting to have “quick fruit” for pies, desserts, and preserves. While technically a vegetable, it’s called “pie plant” for good reason. Its red and green stalks are tart and succulent, making terrific pies, jams, and preserves. And, best of all, it grows very quickly into a lusty and useful plant. By planting a couple of two-year-old or older roots, you’ll be able to harvest lightly the next spring. From there on out, you’ll have all you could ever want.
http://www.realfarmacy.com/plant-harvest-years/
Plant Once Harvest for Years
Jan 21 • Grow It Yourself
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Year after year we start seeds, till the ground, plant, weed, harvest, then tear it all out at the end of the season. It’s a lot of work, no doubt. But there are some plants you can plant once that will produce a lifetime of food after they are established. Old-timers knew the value of these plants and added them to their new homesteads. Pioneers carefully wrapped and tended baby fruit trees, grapevines, rhubarb, and asparagus roots in their covered wagons. Maybe it’s time to lighten your annual workload by adding some of these hardworking plants to your garden. If you do, you’ll reap the rewards for many years.
Asparagus
Asparagus can be planted anywhere, in rows, in flower beds, or even in a corner of the lawn.
Asparagus is perhaps the easiest, most commonly grown permanent crop. A small family can easily use 25 roots, planted on the edge of a small garden, along a fence, or here and there among flower beds. More roots will give you plenty for dehydrating and canning; asparagus handles both very well. Asparagus plants are ferny, airy, and pretty. They easily blend in well in the back of flower beds, and don’t crowd flowering plants at all.
Chives
Chives are one of the easiest and most useful of all small garden permanent plantings. I’ve seen them planted in pots on the decks of inner-city apartments, brought inside and placed in a sunny window for winter harvest. Because the bushy, onion-like tubular leaves are so attractive, they look good planted on the easily-accessible edges of flower beds. Even the lavender-colored chive flowers are edible.
Jerusalem artichokes
Like asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes (also called sun chokes) are at home on the edge of the garden or tucked here and there around the yard. They are not from Jerusalem nor are they an artichoke, but instead are a member of the sunflower family and native to this continent. They form a large bushy plant and have pretty yellow sunflower-like blooms in the late summer. Under the soil, they form quite large, rounded tubers, almost like potatoes. These are crunchy, sweet, and great additions to stir fries, salads, or eaten chilled and raw! The first time I planted them, my youngest son, David, was two. He asked what those things were, so I cut one in half with my pocket knife, peeled it, and handed it to him. He finished it right down and then proceeded to eat half of the tubers that I had in the bag to plant! He’s 20 now, and still likes them, and we have a large patch down in the corner of our garden where I can see their pretty blooms from the house.
Horseradish
Horseradish is one of our favorite condiments; its hot, spicy flavor perks up any meat or fish dish. It is a long, tan-colored root; the leaves that grow from it are strap-like and tough. Horseradish is so easy to grow that it can become invasive, especially in your garden. It’s a good idea to plant it in an isolated area or container — not in the garden or in your flower bed.
Mushrooms
Shaggy Manes Mushrooms
Mushrooms, such as these Shaggy Manes, can be introduced into your yard.
Few people think of mushrooms as a “vegetable” or as a homestead crop, but they can be just that. With most of today’s canned mushrooms coming from China and Indonesia, more and more people are thinking about growing their own mushrooms at home. The indoor “mushroom kits” were a start, but now there are many more economical and permanent sources of a wide variety of mushrooms available for home growers.
Onions
While most people think of onions as an annual crop, there are two kinds of onions that are perennial: potato onions and multiplier onions. Multiplier onions are the most common, and are available in many seed and nursery catalogs. Multiplier onions are also known as “walking onions” because they form a cluster of little onion bulbs in the summer, on a seed stalk. As fall lengthens, the stalk bends over and the already-sprouting bulbs touch the soil and root. So, after a while, your permanent onions that started out on one end of the garden, may have moved to an entirely different spot! These onions make terrific spring and early summer green onions and some of the topset bulbs are large enough to peel and pickle. Grandma had several multiplier onions in her asparagus patch, so it didn’t matter much where they walked. Mine are there, too. You can plant several in flower beds, near the back, yet in an accessible spot, as they are tall, handsome plants.
Rhubarb is one of the very first plants to provide “fruit” for pies in the springtime. Two plants give plenty for baking, sauce, and canning.
Rhubarb is a nearly indispensable plant for anyone wanting to have “quick fruit” for pies, desserts, and preserves. While technically a vegetable, it’s called “pie plant” for good reason. Its red and green stalks are tart and succulent, making terrific pies, jams, and preserves. And, best of all, it grows very quickly into a lusty and useful plant. By planting a couple of two-year-old or older roots, you’ll be able to harvest lightly the next spring. From there on out, you’ll have all you could ever want.
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