10 Perennial Edible Climbing Vines for productive gardens

10 Perennial Edible Climbing Vines for productive gardens

Edible Climbing Vines help maximise growing space and double the amount of food in each garden bed or container. One thing that I think is so underrated is the ability to grow food up πŸ‘†

Today I am going to share a list of edible climbers to grow in your garden and utilise vertical space and create shade and protection. These 10 edible climbing vines are perennials which means they will produce more and more food each year without us having to replant them!

There are so many incredible reasons you should be growing food vertically.

Not only to maximize space but also to increase airflow to reduce rot or disease, strategic shade, or like me to reduce some of the heat in my garden by covering my ugly fences!

Click to watch for bonus Planting Tips πŸ‘‡

Annuals vs Perennials 🌿

Annuals will allow you to still change up your garden beds each season and have the flexibility of space. Whereas perennials (which grow for longer than 2 years) will allow you to get a crop established and provide long-term protection and produce more and more food each year.

10 Perennial Edible Climbing Vines

1. Passionfruit

Passionfruit is one of my favourite fruits to eat and the main reason I am growing this edible climber in my garden. They are also evergreen so it has leaves all year round to create shade and protection. Passionfruit have thick, lush leaves so they work perfectly to cover fences or create screens to block out unsightly structures or areas.

Watch the video above to see how to plant passionfruit from a store-bought fruit!

BONUS TIP: Purchase a passionfruit plant that is NOT grafted. Grafted passionfruit needs to be carefully maintained or the rootstock can quickly take over and become invasive with no fruit.

2. Choko /Chayote

Choko is a quick-growing vining edible plant that can make great summer shade to protect your summer garden. They will often die back over winter but will pop up and regrow each spring. Any fruits left on the ground will also easily regrow.

Choko are similar to a large zucchini or marrow and can be used as a substitute for potatoes or even apples to bulk up pie recipes.

3. Sweet Potato

Growing Sweet Potatoes / KΕ«mara (Ipomoea batatas) in your home garden is a great step toward self-sufficiency. They are my favourite permaculture plant and are an easy crop to grow for beginner gardeners. It is important to grow plants that support and encourage other plants and beneficial insects in your garden. Creating a cohesive ecosystem that promotes the growth and success of your garden’s health and supports abundant harvests.

Sweet potatoes send out runners and can easily be trained up a vertical trellis. Plus, many people do not know that the leaves of the sweet potato plant are also edible.

4. Grapes

The great thing about growing grapes as edible climbers is that they are deciduous. This means they lose their leaves in winter so you can plant grapes strategically to provide shade in summer and let light through in winter!

5. Malabar Spinach

Malabar spinach is a fantastic edible climber for warm or tropical climates. It thrives in summer during warm weather when most other spinach and leafy greens die off. This can help fill the gaps in your seasonal harvests. Malabar spinach can be grown in pots or containers. It has succulent-like leaves so can handle hot weather but it can be frost sensitive.

6. Butterfly Pea

If you love colour then this edible climber will be perfect for you! With bright blue-purple flowers the butterfly pea is a striking addition to an edible garden. The flowers can be used as a natural food colouring or infused in teas or cocktails. Plus, if you add acidity such as lemon juice the colour will transform to hot pink! Such a fun plant to grow.

7. Kiwifruit

Kiwifruit can be grown over structures to create great canopy shade. They are prolific produces and the fruit can be eaten fresh, frozen for smoothies, made into jams and even dehydrated for naturally sweet treats. You will need to have both a male and a female plant for pollination.

8. Kiwiberry

Kiwi berries have a similar taste to the kiwifruit but are much smaller around the same size as a grape. Kiwi berry vines grow really well in containers or urban gardens.

9. Nasturtium

Nasturtium is often known for its wild rambling nature but it can be trained vertically as an edible climber. The whole plant is edible including the leaves, flowers and seed pods. Nasturtium has a strong peppery taste and can be used in salads, flavoured salts, pickles and many other recipes. Here in Perth, my Nasturtium dies down in summer but will pop up and regrow by itself in Autumn/winter.

10. Scarlett Runner Bean

Scarlet runner beans are also known as the 7-year bean because they pop up and regrow each year (for about 6-7 years). Beans are a great addition to an edible garden and can easily be cooked or frozen to preserve.

Annual Climbing Vines 🌿

Annual climbers are also great because they don’t need dedicated space so you can grow, harvest and remove then grow something different each season! Having a mix of annuals and perennials will help you grow more food all year round.

Annual climbers can be plants such as Cucumber, Squash, Tomatoes, Pumpkin, and Melons.

Want to learn more about my favourite Perennials? Download the Free Ebook Here

Beginners Guide to Perennial Plants

Beginners Guide to Perennial Plants

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, perennials can form a really good base to build from.Β  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 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 grownΒ 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.

greens

Why Grow 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 Perennial vs Annual?

Many 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.

A-Z Top Edible Perennial Plants

Artichoke

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

Asparagus officinalisΒ 

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

Brazilian Spinach

Alternanthera sisssooΒ 

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

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

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

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

Horseradish

Armoracia rusticana

Full sun – part shade

  • Root crop that spreads (can be invasive)
  • Edible leaves and roots
  • β€œwasabi” like flavour used as a condiment
  • Great for flavouring pickles and ferments
  • Medicinal qualities
  • Likes cooler climates

Jerusalem artichoke

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 and allelopathic (stops other plants from growing near it)

pepino

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 plant

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

Queensland Arrowroot

Canna edulis

Sun – Part shade

  • Edible leaves and roots
  • Substitute for potatoes
  • Reproduce easily from side tubers
  • Easy to grow
  • Leaves can also be used as mulch

raspberry

Raspberry

Rubus idaeus

Full sun

  • Plants grow for 8-10 years
  • Grow easily from cuttings or if the canes touch the ground so can be invasive
  • Prefer cooler climates
  • Vigorous growing
  • Canes die after fruiting so need pruning

rhubarb

Rhubarb

Rheum rhabarbarum

Sun – part shade

  • Edible stalks
  • Leaves are toxic but can be used to make a bug repellant
  • Like plenty of compost and manure
  • Takes 1-2 years to start producing well
  • Can be reproduced by splitting at the crown
  • Plants can grow for 10-50 years

society garlic

Society Garlic

Tulbaghia violacea

Full sun – part shade

  • Dense low lying clumping plant
  • Garlic flavour all year round
  • Attracts Pollinators to the garden
  • Edible flowers and leaves
  • Drought tolerant

sorrel

Sorrel – french

Rumex acetosa

Full sun – part shade

  • Substitute for cooked spinach
  • Great animal feed
  • Abundant production
  • Low maintenance
  • Cut flowers off to reduce bolting

strawberry

Strawberry

Fragaria ananassa

Full sun – part shade

  • Edible flowers, fruit and leaves
  • Bright vibrant colours
  • Attracts Pollinators to the garden
  • Can be eaten raw in salads or as garnish
  • Added nutritional value

Sweet potato

Sweet Potato

Ipomoea batatas

Full sun – part shade

  • Edible leaves and root
  • Leaves are a substitute for spinach
  • Living mulch
  • May die off in winter (cool climates)
  • Easily propagated from vine or tiny piece of root left behind in the soil.

taro

Taro

Smallanthus sonchifolius

Part sun-shade

  • Large root crops
  • Great under-story plant
  • Tubers cook similar to potato
  • Young leaves can be cooked
  • Water regularly
  • Harvest in Autumn as the leaves die

turmeric

Turmeric

Curcuma longa

Part shade

  • Multiplying root crop
  • Plant in warmer months of spring
  • Can harvest some at a time rather than all at once
  • Attractive plant as low-middle layer
  • Medicinal qualities

walking onion

Walking Onions (Egyptian)

Allium cepaΒ var.Β proliferum

Full sun – part shade

  • Edible leaves, flowers and bulb
  • Hardy low maintenance
  • Stems fold over and regrow new plants
  • Drought and frost tolerant
  • Grows bulbs at the base and also mini ones on the end of the stem

yacon

Yacon

Colocasia esculenta

Part sun – shade

  • Large root crops
  • Great under-story plant
  • Tubers cooks similar to potato
  • Young leaves can be cooked
  • Water regularly
  • Harvest in Autumn as the leaves die

Harvesting from my Sustainable Permaculture Garden

Harvesting from my Sustainable Permaculture Garden

July Garden Harvest

Welcome to my garden in July. It is the middle of winter here in Perth, Australia and although the temperatures have been quite mild, we have been getting a whole lot of rain! Today we take a look around my sustainable permaculture garden to see what we can find to harvest! I will also go through what I am going to make or preserve with what I pick. 

It has been non-stop raining for two weeks with more rain forecast. Two days of fine weather finally arrived and I managed to get out and see what was ready. Heavy rains can cause some issues when your fruit and veggies are starting to ripen. Extra water can cause them to split open and then bugs can get in and I want to make sure I harvest as much as I can.

Citrus are ripening over winter and I have quite a few young trees. Citrus grow really well here in Perth, as they can handle our hot dry summers. Citrus trees are also a little more pest resilient than many other fruit trees. So, I have quite a few varieties – Lemon, Blood Orange, Lemonade, Lime, Finger Lime, Kumquat, and Mandarin.

Click to Watch my July Harvest

Sustainable Permaculture Garden Harvest

Just for fun I decided to weigh out my produce. Listed below is how much I harvested.

  • Lemons || 2.078kg
  • Blood Orange || 683g
  • Arrowroot || 170g
  • Lemonade || 682g
  • Broccoli || 93g
  • Parsley || 477g
  • Lettuce || 300g
  • Rainbow Chard || 127g
  • Purple Sweet Potato || 1.251kg
  • Hawaiian Sweet Potato || 667g
  • Fennel || 506g

TOTAL: 6.578kg

Harvest Gallery

Most of my Citrus trees are still young and this is the first harvest of fruit. What I love about fruit trees, is that they continue to grow more and more fruit each year. Fruit trees are powerhouses in abundance and such a valuable food source for any sustainable permaculture garden.

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MY GARDENING ESSENTIALS //


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DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my page so I can continue to provide you with free content!

Urban Permaculture Garden Tour 2021

Urban Permaculture Garden Tour 2021

Autumn is often a slow time in my urban permaculture garden. Summer annuals are ending and the Winter seeds and seedlings are not yet up and running. There is a calmness to autumn which I love. I have filmed a new garden tour of my Urban Permaculture Gardens that you can watch below. For more garden tours and videos head over and subscribe to my YouTube Channel. That way you will get a notification each time I upload a new video (hopefully weekly!).

Here come the Feijoas!

Growing Feijoas here in Perth is a little piece of home that I cherish. They are the first fruit trees we planted here at our house and I have been lovingly caring for them for the past 5 years. Every year I get so excited and hope for fruit. They started producing in their 3rd year with just a couple of small fruit. The next year there was around 10 and this year there will be over 30. Hopefully now, each year there will be hundreds! Gardening definitely requires some patience, but it is so worth it in the end. I am celebrating this win!

What are Feijoas and Why Grow Them?

I definitely need to do a whole video on the Feijoa as they are one of my favourite fruit trees for any home garden. Feijoa or Pineapple Guava – Acca sellowiana is an evergreen fruit tree. They produce fragrant green fruit that are sweet and taste like a mix of pineapple /guava. Feijoa foliage is lush, thick, and grows quickly, which makes them a great option for a hedge or fence screening. Plus, an edible hedge is the best kind of hedge! They are also known to have fire retardant qualities so it can be a good idea to plant along with your fire-prone boundaries.

Most feijoa plants are self-pollinating, however, having multiple trees will increase your pollination rate and produce better yields. I highly recommend choosing named varieties rather than generic seedlings as they produce much quicker and better quality fruit. You can find these at your local fruit tree nursery.

Autumn Urban Permaculture Garden

My summer annuals have just about all finished with just some basil and capsicums holding on. All my winter seeds and seedling are in and are starting to take off with a little bit of recent rain. This can be a slow time in the garden but I do have some cross-overs with my fruit trees and perennials to keep my food production up. The Feijoa and Hawaiian Guava are starting to ripen and the Lemons are coming through thick and fast. I also have plenty of sweet potatoes which not only provide large tubers for eating but also bucket loads of edible leaves which can be a great substitute for spinach. The banana capsicums are still producing and I have lots of herbs such as basil, parsley, rosemary, and sage. So there are still plenty of meals to be made using my homegrown ingredients.

Edible Front Garden

My front garden has transformed from a pumpkin patch into a cabbage patch with lots of red cabbage and brassicas. I have also interplanted with rainbow chard and flowers. It is a great space for all my larger vegetables as they take up too much real estate in the pallet planters. The front fruit trees are flourishing and I have one blood orange fruit, 3 lemonades, and a million baby limes coming through.

urban permaculture garden
urban permaculture garden

Pallet Planter Boxes

The pallet planters are where I grow most of my annuals and quick-picking greens and herbs. These are great because I can move them about to get the best sunlight during the winter months. In summer I am busy doing the opposite and giving them shade from the burning heat! My pallet planters are all mixed in with lots of brassicas, rainbow chard, edible flowers, lettuce, onion, and Asian greens. I also plant radish in between all my crops because they are ready to harvest from seed in just 28 days, so they will be ready before the main crops are overcrowded. This is a great way to maximize space in a small urban garden. Plus it’s a great way to get some quick food during a slower transition phase in the garden.

urban permaculture garden
urban permaculture

It is important to take down notes at the end of a season and that way you can make improvements for the next one. I have created these seasonal gardening review sheets which have helped me establish when things fruit and where the gaps are in my food production.

Let me know if you would like to see more regular garden tours maybe Monthly?

Happy Gardening

Holly 🌱

MY GARDENING ESSENTIALS //
Fertiliser spray gun: https://bit.ly/366nL1t
Retractable Hose: https://bit.ly/2TSC0Bo
More gardening tools: https://bit.ly/32IQmbD

DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my page so I can continue to provide you with free content!

Urban Permaculture Kitchen Garden

Urban Permaculture Kitchen Garden

Hi everyone! Today I take you on a tour of my urban permaculture kitchen garden and show you what I have growing here in Perth, Australia. My kitchen garden is my permaculture zone 1 and really close to the kitchen so it is convenient to grab what I need for dinners. My Kitchen garden is growing in pallet planters and pots which means I can maximise the sun and shade to grow successfully all year round.

Watch my Kitchen Garden Tour

Zone 1 Permaculture areas

My kitchen garden is located right outside my kitchen window so it’s very close and convenient which is key! Zone 1 permaculture areas are ones that are frequently used or pathways on the way to frequently used areas. If you can see your kitchen garden, you are more likely to utilise it and give it the love and care needed to make it thrive. This is where pots and containers can be a great option as you can create kitchen gardens in your outdoor living areas, balcony, windowsill or patio. I grow lots of herbs, chillies, edible flowers and greens in my kitchen garden that I can easily pick to add to salads and meals as needed.

Pallet Planter Boxes for Urban Gardening

I am passionate about growing as much of my own food as I can and building my own urban permaculture homestead. These pallet planter boxes help me grow more food on my suburban block and provide so much fresh homegrown food. Urban gardening means trying to find creative ways to best utilise the space available to grow food. These DIY pallet planters can be made with recycled pallets that are often available for free. Use heat-treated pallets and not ones chemically treated. Make sure you do your own research.

Creating a cheap and efficient way to grow your own veggies and start a kitchen garden. Adding wheels means you can use them on concreted or paved areas and push them in and out of the sun/shade/rain as required. Perfect for growing in the heat of summer in Perth, Australia! You do not need to have the β€œperfect” place to grow food it is important to get to know your surroundings and just start by growing a few things. It’s all part of the journey and you will continue to learn and develop along with your garden. I hope you enjoy this video and get inspired to grow more of your own food.

LINKS MENTIONED IN VIDEO:

Beetroot Leaf Dolmades Recipe

Solar Fairy Lights

How to make Pallet Planters

* Some links may contain affiliate links.

Leave a comment below if you have any questions about my Urban Permaculture Kitchen Garden, Pallet Planter Boxes or anything I have growing in this video.

Holly 🌱

MY GARDENING ESSENTIALS //
Fertiliser spray gun: https://bit.ly/366nL1t
Retractable Hose: https://bit.ly/2TSC0Bo
More gardening tools: https://bit.ly/32IQmbD

DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my page so I can continue to provide you with free content!