Edible Perennial Plants are an investment in your future food production. Perennials grow back each year and provide long-term sustainable harvests. When creating a self-sufficient garden, edible perennials can form a really good base to build from. Annual vegetables can be a lot of work and it can be devastating if you lose a crop after all that time and effort. Having a mix of edible perennials in your garden will give you the comfort of knowing you will still have food available that will re-grow year after year.
Most of the vegetables we see in the supermarkets are annual vegetables that are grown for a single season and then harvested. This means that perennials are a little unusual for home gardeners to grow and cook.
What is a Perennial Vegetable?
Annuals – Grow for a single season and then harvested completely or die off
Biennials – Grow for a season and then flower or seed for the second season. Most are grown as annuals or left to collect seeds.
Perennials – Grow for more than two years and many can continue to grow for decades. They often die back in winter and re-grow in spring on their own accord.
Why Grow Edible Perennial Plants?
Re-grow each year without planting
Stable consistent food supply
Create diversity in the garden
Economical plant purchases
Low maintenance
Form deeper root systems to require less watering
Stabilise soil and reduce erosion
Require less feeding as they are slow-growing
Habitat for wildlife long term
Support no-dig gardens
Pros and cons of Edible Perennial Plants vs Annuals?
Many edible perennial plants are quite slow-growing. This helps them form strong established root systems to feed and support their growth for many years to come. This can mean that you may not get food from your perennial plants within the first year or two. However, all good things take time and time is going to pass anyway. Think of it as an investment that will have compounding growth and provide you with a sustainable future food supply. Saving your future self, time, and money!
Perennials stay in the same spot and regrow year after year so you need to make sure you select a suitable spot from the start. Look into how much sunlight/shade and type of soil they prefer before planting. This also means your garden beds will be allocated to that plant long-term. The great thing about annuals is that you can mix and match different plants constantly.
Note: Plants behave differently in each climate. What may grow as a perennial in some climates may not in others. For instance if it gets too cold or too hot each year the plant may die off and need to be replanted each year just like an annual would.
A-Z Top Edible Perennial Plants
Artichoke
Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus
Full Sun – summer harvest
Edible flowers
Beautiful aesthetic plant
Very popular with the bees!
Most produce in their second year
Harvest buds before they flower
Reproduce from side suckers
Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis
Full sun – spring & summer harvest
Produces for up to 30 years
Beds can look bare for part of the year
Grow underground and pop up in spring
Mulch well
Feed with animal manure
Seeds form from berries
Brazilian Spinach
Alternanthera sisssoo
Sub-tropical or tropical climate – All year round
Low growing lush green plant
Hardy easy to grow plant
Use as you would spinach
Propagate from cuttings
Likes humid weather
Blueberry
Vaccinium sect. Cyanococcus
Full sun – part shade
Grow to about 2m tall
Can fruit for up to 30 years
Likes acidic soil
Fruit starts really producing after two years
High in antioxidants
Produce up to 7kg of fruit each year
Chicory
Cichorium intybus
Full sun – part shade
Eat fresh or cooked to reduce bitterness
Great animal feed
Beautiful edible flowers
Attracts bees for pollination
Can be grown as an annual or perennial
Short lived 7 year perennial
Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare
Full sun – part shade
Green variety can be invasive
Edible leaves, flowers, seeds and bulbs
Easy care free plant
Leaves, seeds and flowers are great for flavouring pickles and ferments
Medicinal qualites
Horseradish
Armoracia rusticana
Full sun – part shade
Root crop that spreads (can be invasive)
Edible leaves and roots
“wasabi” like flavour used as a condiment
Great for flavouring pickles and ferments
Medicinal qualities
Likes cooler climates
Jerusalem Artichoke (sunchoke)
Helianthus tuberosus
Full sun
Edible roots
Low maintenance
Attracts Bees and Butterflies
Abundant production of crops
Drought tolerant
Good for mulch and biomass
Can be invasive – keep conatained
Pepino
Solanum muricatum
Full sun – part shade
Low-lying fruiting shrub
Melon flavour
Abundant production
Frost sensitive
Easy to grow, low maintenance
Easily grown from cuttings
Pineapple
Ananas comosus
Full sun – warm climates
Low maintenance
Re-grow from the top and side suckers
Low lying and can be grown in pots
Slow growing can take 2 years to fruit
Regrow to have many on the go and have regular fruit
Learn tips and tricks on how to grow bananas and get abundant harvests. Banana (Musa) are fantastic permaculture plants because they have so many uses both in the garden and the kitchen. Bananas are in fact a perennial herb, not a tree. The bananas grow from a stalk that emerges from the centre of the banana palm.
Bananas come in both full-size and dwarf varieties, allowing you to grow them in both large and small space gardens. Plus, you just can’t beat the flavour of homegrown bananas!
Rich fertile compost and well-drained soil. Mound soil up.
LOCATION
Full sun. Protection from harsh winds.
CARE
Water and feed regularly.
FERTILISE
Feed with compost and with liquid seaweed fertiliser.
PESTS
Rodents may attack the fruit.Root rot in wet soils.
HARVEST
9 months +
REPRODUCE
Small “pups” form at the base of the main trunk.
Why Grow Bananas?
Bananas are quick-growing and have many beneficial relationships within the garden. Once you know what conditions bananas thrive in, they are easy to grow.
Here are some of the many reasons to grow Bananas:
‘Ladyfinger‘– Popular backyard banana. Small sweeter fruit. Don’t turn brown once cut. Plant size 2-5m tall.
‘Gold Finger‘ – Cross between ladyfinger and Cavendish. High wind resistance. Quickest to fruit. Plant size 2-5m tall.
‘Cavendish – Williams’ – Medium-sized bananas. Popular variety. Thin peel and creamy texture. Plant size 2-5m tall.
‘Blue Java‘ – Cold tolerant variety. Known as the ice cream bananas due to the creamy texture. Plant size 2-5m tall.
‘Red Dacca‘ – Dwarf sized plant. Deep maroon-red peel when ripe. Plant size 2.5m tall.
‘Dwarf Cavendish’ – Smaller version of the Cavendish. Ideal for pots or urban gardens. Plant size 1m tall.
‘Dwarf Ducasse‘ – Dwarf sized plant. Known as the sugar banana due to sweetness. Plant size 1-2m tall.
‘DPM 25‘ – Variety of Cavendish developed to resist Panama disease. Plant size 2-5m tall.
How to Grow Bananas?
Bananas like warm, sunny, sheltered areas. Choose a full sun location with at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. Bananas can be damaged by extreme heat, so in some places like Perth, semi-shade may also work well. Bananas are grown from small plants or “pups” so check out which varieties you want to grow and visit your local nurseries. Due to the spread of diseases, there are restrictions in Australia around swapping and trading bananas. Bananas are heavy feeders, so make sure you add lots of compost and composted animal manure into your soil. Make a mound around the base so that the water drains off and the banana has plenty of food.
In permaculture design, bananas are often grown in a banana circle. This way you can add piles of compost, mulch and plant matter to break down and feed all the plants around the circle.
Papaya and root crops such as turmeric and ginger are often planted alongside the bananas to utilise the space. They are also heavy feeders, so make sure there is plenty of compost and plant matter around them. Bananas grow quickly and can be great for preventing soil erosion on sloped blocks.
When to Plant Bananas?
Plant Bananas during the warmer months of spring and summer.
Care/ Maintenance for Bananas
Banana plants are made up of a high percentage of water so they do need adequate moisture to grow. They just don’t like having soggy roots. Well-draining, fertile soil with plenty of mulch or cover crops will help retain moisture.
Bananas want all THE FOOD so regularly feeding of compost, natural fertilisers and mulch can help your bananas thrive.
The leaves will get damaged by winds and turn brown. You can cut these off and lay them at the base of the plants to return nutrients back into the soil.
Pollination/ Fruiting
Bananas send up a flower through the centre of the plant on a spike called the inflorescence. The flowers will have both male and female so you do not need multiple plants for pollination to occur. Once the bananas form, you may need to add support to the bunch to stop the weight from pulling the whole tree down. This will depend on the size and strength of the plan,t and also if you have strong winds or storms.
The small bananas will start to form facing downwards. Once they turn upwards over a few days, it may be beneficial to cover the bunch with a bag. This protects the bananas from birds, bats and other insects.
You can harvest each “hand” of bananas as they start to ripen, or you can remove the whole bunch and hang it somewhere warm and protected to ripen off the tree. I think it’s always best to let the fruit ripen on the tree, but if there are storms coming or birds have found your bunch, then it may be best to remove them.
Bananas only fruit once from each single plant. Once your bananas are ready, you can chop the entire plant down. Cut this up and add to your banana patch as mulch to break down and add nutrients back into the soil.
Pests / Disease
Bananas can be prone to diseases, and due to our high commercial crops here in Australia, there are regulations to help stop the spread of diseases. This includes only purchasing plants from trusted nurseries and not swapping and trading plants around the community.
Bananas are popular among many pests such as birds, bats, rats and fruit flies. Covering the bunch with a banana bag or a recycled plastic bag can help reduce the risk of losing your delicious crop.
How/ When to HarvestBananas
Bananas will be ready to harvest when they:
Are light green to yellow
Have no harsh angles but are rounded and smooth
The flower remnant at the ends of each banana comes off easily
Cut the stalk with at least 20cm at the top to hold and hang
Cut the whole tree down as it will die anyway, and use for mulch
Remove the ripe bananas and hang the main bunch up somewhere cool and dark to continue ripening.
The purple blossom end is also edible. Remove the hard outer leaves to reveal the soft pale centre.
Note:
Remove the bag for hanging and ripening purposes, or they will ripen too quickly.
Ensure they are hung somewhere that pests cannot get to them.
Bananas can be picked when they are still green to use as a savoury “potato” substitute.
Reproducing Bananas
Bananas have been cultivated to have no seeds for optimum eating. The best way to reproduce bananas is to dig up the small suckers or “pups” that start growing from the base of the main stem. Look for suckers that are at least 30cm tall and have narrow sword-like leaves. The broadleaf suckers will still grow but have smaller root systems as they rely on the main plant for water. Use a sharp blade or spade to detach and dig up the side sucker.
Cooking and Using Bananas
Bananas are super versatile and can be used for both sweet and savoury dishes. The banana leaves can also be used as a substitute for baking paper to steam and infuse flavours into meals. This technique is often used for steaming fish or rice. Banana leaves also make great natural platters, plates and serving dishes. Simply compost them after!
Bananas produce in huge abundance and can ripen quicker than you can eat them. Freezing and dehydrating bananas is a quick and easy way to get the most out of your harvest. Below are a few ways to utilise your ripe bananas:
Grow food from cuttings and boost your garden’s sustainability. Do you want to grow more food without all the cost of buying seeds and plants to make it happen? This guide will show you some easy and quick ways to grow a tonne of food. Multiplying plants from ones you already have or making cuttings from friends gardens can help you set up and grow a sustainable garden without all the costs involved.
$18
30-page Digital Ebook featuring 10 detailed plants to grow from cuttings. Plus tips & tricks to propagate and grow a sustainable garden.
Homegrown food not only tastes so much better but it also provides you with much more nutrients than many store-bought fruits and veggies. You also can control what goes on your food and skip all the pesticides, chemical fertilisers and other nasty sprays that get used on commercially grown food. Many of the plants in this guide may already be in your garden, neighbours or friends and family’s. Learning to identify these plants and how to propagate and regrow them from cuttings will take your gardening and sustainability to the next level.
By the end of this guide, you will have a list of edible plants you can go out and reproduce to grow wholesome food for you and your family.
