Save time and money with these pleasing perennials that populate UK kitchens year-round
If you're looking for a low-maintenance, sustainable and affordable way to grow your own food, perennial vegetables might just be one of the smartest additions you can make to your garden.
Unlike annual crops – which need to be replanted each year – perennials return season after season, often becoming more productive with age. Whether reliable kitchen staples or lesser-known varieties, these hardy plants can provide a steady supply of fresh produce while reducing the time, effort and cost involved in growing your own food.
Perennial vegetables offer several advantages for gardeners:
While many perennial vegetables take a little longer to establish than annual crops, the payoff comes in years of repeat harvests with far less effort.
Most perennial vegetables prefer a permanent position, so choose their location carefully. Many can remain in the same spot for years, making it important to prepare the soil well and allow enough room for mature growth. By combining a few perennial favourites with your usual annual crops, you can create a productive garden that delivers fresh produce for much of the year — with considerably less work.
Read on and plant now, to be rewarded with harvests for years to come.
One of the most popular perennial vegetables, asparagus can produce tender spears for up to 20 years once established. It requires patience in the early years, but the long-term rewards are worth it.
Plant crowns in a sunny, well-drained spot and celebrate spring harvests for decades.
Technically a vegetable – but perhaps the sweetest one out there – rhubarb is prized for its tart pink stems, which are perfect for crumbles, compotes and jams.
It's incredibly hardy, thrives in most British gardens and can continue producing for many years with minimal care.
With its strikingly folded foliage and architectural flower buds, the globe artichoke is as ornamental as it is edible. The unopened flower heads can be harvested throughout summer, while the plant itself adds structure to borders.
By many, a lesser-known vegetable, sorrel's lemony leaves add a fresh, tangy flavour to salads, soups and sauces, pairing particularly well with fish. One of the earliest crops to emerge in spring, it's a productive perennial that can be harvested repeatedly throughout the growing season.
Despite its name, the cheerfully bulbous Welsh onion isn't from Wales (though it's the core component of a popular Welsh comfort dish: Welsh onion cake)! As a matter of fact, they're closely related to the cook's favourite: spring onions. This hardy perennial forms clumps of mild-flavoured onion stems that regrow after cutting, offering a reliable supply for cooking throughout much of the year.
Lovage is a beautiful and versatile herb-like vegetable with a strong celery flavour. Its leaves, stems and seeds can all be used in cooking, while its tall stature makes it an attractive feature in garden borders.
Visually akin to ginger, easy to grow and highly productive, Jerusalem artichoke develops edible tubers beneath tall, sunflower-like plants. Harvest them from autumn into winter for a nutty, slightly sweet addition to soups and roasts.
Several varieties of kale can be grown as shorter-lived perennials, providing leaves throughout the year. They're particularly valuable during the colder months when other crops are scarce.
Often described as a perennial alternative to spinach, old English favourite Good King Henry produces nutritious leaves that can be harvested from spring onwards. It was once a staple in cottage gardens and is now enjoying a revival among home growers.
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