Guest post: Perennial Vegetables
Posted on July 28th, 2009 – 9:36 PMBy Jaime Chismar
Today’s guest post is from Jennifer in south Minneapolis.
I just finished the book Perennial Vegetables: From Artichokes to Zuiki Taro, A Gardener’s Guide to Over 100 Delicious and Easy to Grow Edibles, by Eric Toensmeier. I can’t say I recommend buying it, since most of the information in it is for people blessed with warmer climates than ours. But, it’s definitely worth checking out from the library.
The list of perennial vegetables that supposedly grow well here was longer than you might expect, but after reading each plant’s profile I was able to narrow it down pretty quickly. Some were pretty putzy and then the end result was something that tasted only sorta good. Not really worth the effort. Here’s my list of perennial vegetables that I actually would like to try:
Sorrel
Good King Henry
Scorzonera (also known as salsify)
Sunchoke
Ramps
Lovage
I planted asparagus already, earlier this spring, so I’ve crossed that off my list. I sampled sorrel in one of my neighbor’s back yards and loved it — a super tangy and unusual green. I also bought some sunchokes from my Co-op earlier this spring and they were really tasty too.
Has anyone grown any of these and had good luck with them? Where should I buy them? I have a hard time believing my local garden center is going to stock all of these.
Also, anyone want all the purple phlox I’m ripping out and replacing with edibles next spring?
9 Responses to "Guest post: Perennial Vegetables"
Jennifer - I’d LOVE to have some of the phlox! Is there anything you’re looking for? Kathy
I have lots of sunchoke history. My dad lives outside Milwaukee and has a huge patch of sunchokes/Jerusalem artichokes. They grow like crazy and look like a thick patch of weedy sunflowers) and are a popular. It’s rewarding to dig them, like potatoes. Popular entertainment for the grandkids to use the stalks as pretend swords, lob the ‘chokes at each other - but won’t eat them. Also a popular gnaw toy for the dogs.
He could make a fortune to sell them for a buck a quart. There’s thousands of them.
I enjoy the taste - buttery potato/water chestnut flavor - but don’t have a good suggestions for cleaning them. It’s difficult with all the knobs and bumps to get all the dirt out.
I’d love to know the answer to this (where to get some perennial veggies) and also - does anyone have suggestions on where to get veggies mid-season? I have looked EVERYWHERE and have found it hard to even find seeds for things I can still plant mid season (thinking beets, carrots, radishes, fennel). I found fennel and & carrot seeds. That’s it.
Oh, and Walmart has some great deals on tomatoes & peppers - ginormous plants with veggies already growin on them, 3-4 in a huge pot for only $3.50. Right now. Found these at the Midway Walmart yesterday.
Anyone have experience growing Ramps in our climate? I have a great spot for them. Sources for seeds/bulbs are also appreciated!
Songgrrl, I just had the same problem… wanted to plant some beets and had to look harder for seeds than I thought. Everyone’s running out, but I found some at Home Depot in Richfield (off Cedar), and I also noticed that Seward Co-op still has some, though I’m not sure if they have beets.
Kathy, let’s talk next spring about the phlox! Maybe I can find enough containers to bring it all to the greengirls plant swap. My e-mail address is jrensenbrink[at]hotmail[dot]com.
bsimon, I think ramps do grow here; I’ve seen locally harvested ones at the Wedge in early spring. A little digging on the interwebs turned up this source:
http://www.rampfarm.com/catalog.htm
No bulbs available this year, and if you start them from seed, my guess is that it would take a feew years to get any harvest. Good luck!
I know I’m relatively new at vegetable gardening, but I’ve certainly eaten my fair share. How is it possible that I’ve never heard of any of the perennial veggies on your list!?!
Not a perennial, I suppose, but I know there has been a lot of talk on this blog about growing garlic. I would like to plant some this fall. Any suggestions as to what kind I should get and where I might find seed cloves for sale?
I have had sorrel in my herb garden for several years now. It’s really hardy. I also had loveage a few years back. It got too large and the roots became so large it was almost impossible to dig out. My grandmother use to plant salsify (also called oyster plant). It made good oyster stew for those who didn’t like the texture of the oysters. You might find it at stores like Whole Foods, but I’m not sure. I have never seen it a the farmers market. It takes a long growning season so start it really early. I planted garlic several years ago in the fall and got lots of nice bulbs the next year. I got the blubs from “The Garlic Man” at the Renaissance Fair. I don’t know where else to get them as the ones in the stores are not the right ones.
Judybusy- thanks for the link. Yield a couple years out is OK; we don’t really do veggies anyway, so perennials are right up my alley. If we can eventually eat them, all the better.
Greengirls Connie Nelson, Robyn Dochterman and Jaime Chismar are dishin' the dirt from the backyard garden and beyond. Whether you're a greenthumb or greenhorn, they're eager to learn from your misshaps, mistakes -- and most importantly, your sweet successes -- all growing season long.
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