Eating home-grown food brings a lot of satisfaction and benefits. A person may be deterred by having to plant and make many trips to a landscaping store in Loveland every year. They can switch things up in their garden by adding perennials. Few perennials are known and consumed regularly, but there is a long list.

Planting perennials is a sustainable choice that doubles as an economic one; it could bring about abundant cultivation. Notwithstanding, perennials do not exist as perennials in all regions, and some perennials may have to be grown as annuals in certain areas resulting from unsuitable weather conditions. It is essential to check the compatibility of crops with your area before planting. To do this, a person can check the hardiness zone on a product’s label, whether seeds or plants.

What Are Perennial Vegetables?

Perennial vegetables are crops that take more than two years to complete their life cycle, meaning that they typically last for more than two years. The person planting doesn’t have to begin their vegetable garden from scratch yearly; perennial vegetables can be enjoyed for years and possibly decades. A perennial’s longevity may be affected by the hardiness zone (geographical regions set apart by climate) it is grown.

Why Is it Important to Consider Hardiness Zones?

Hardiness zones show the minimum winter temperature in different geographical locations, and a plant’s hardiness is its ability to survive the season. While the hardiness zones’ list is not a hard and fast rule everyone has to follow, it helps influence wiser choices of what they can or cannot plant in their region.

When a person plants crops outside their hardiness region, the results can be pretty underwhelming. One of two things may happen: staggered growth or late bloom, and no consultation with a landscape supply in Fort Collins will be able to rectify it. So, a person looking forward to big healthy crops should play it safe and plant crops compatible with their region.

Perennial Vegetables

Asparagus

Asparagus is an early spring perennial that thrives in loamy soils. When properly taken care of, its life cycle lasts for at least a decade. One may need to exercise patience when dealing with asparagus because it’ll take about 2-3 years before they are ready to be harvested. It is best to find an excellent location for this vegetable because the plant will be there for a long time, and depending on the variety, more plants could be birthed. The hardiness zone for asparagus is zones 3 and 5.

Tree Onion

Tree onion, similarly referred to as Egyptian onion, is a unique type of onion with a clump of bulblets where flowers and seeds are usually on a stalk. These bulblets contain the same material as the parent plant; eventually collapsing from their weight, they replant themselves. It has a more potent but similar flavor to shallots. This vegetable can survive in zones 3-10.

Artichoke

The globe artichoke is the part, the flower buds, of a thistle flower. The buds are a clump of budding flowers and bracts that cover the meaty center known as the “heart.” The meaty center and the immature head are edible. A single plant can yield from 6-10 artichokes. They exist as perennials in warmer climates but are typically grown as annuals in cold regions. A person needs to wait about 3-4 months before they are harvested. It will thrive in zones 7-11.

Dandelion

Many people believe dandelions to be stubborn weeds, but scientists have qualified them as a herb with numerous health benefits, including aiding blood sugar regulation. Furthermore, garden experts have confirmed that they are great for landscaping in Loveland. After all, they benefit your garden because they attract pollinators and aerate the soil. These plants are easy to cultivate because they replant themselves and can thrive in almost every zone.

Rhubarb

This perennial native to Asia is not grown for its leaves but the leafstalks. The leafstalks are fleshy, sour, and tart-flavored, while the leaves contain toxins and are not edible. Though it was initially classified as a vegetable, a court in New York declared it qualified it as a fruit in 1947. It is hardy enough to survive in almost every region, but extra care has to be taken to shade it from the sun in zones 6-10. It is best to harvest after three years, but one can start in the second year.

Broccoli

Broccoli is a vegetable that belongs to the cabbage family. It thrives in cool temperatures and should be planted in spring or fall. The flowering heads are edible in the crop, so they should be harvested before the flower blooms. In essence, broccoli should be planted about 14 days before the frost in spring and summer after the heat dies down in a place with full sun.

Horseradish

Horseradish is a root crop used globally as a spice and seasoning. This vegetable has a strong odor and taste. It can survive even if it doesn’t receive full sun and can be successfully grown in zones 3 and 4. For horseradish to grow well, the person must adequately prepare the soil, perhaps even purchase from a landscape supply in Loveland. They also have to set barriers because they spread as it grows and needs to be contained.

Jerusalem Artichoke

Jerusalem artichoke, otherwise known as sunchoke, is the edible tuber of a type of sunflower. It is not related to artichoke and is native to the Americas. They are just like chestnuts when eaten raw, but when baked, they are like potatoes and taste like artichoke hearts. The Jerusalem artichoke, whose height ranges between 5-10 feet, is drought-tolerant but should still be watered often. It thrives in zones 3, 4, 6, and 7.

Pros of Growing Perennial Vegetables

• Depending on the plant and the care administered, perennial vegetables can last for decades.
• Perennials are more disease and insect resistant than other plants.
• The nature of perennials makes them good for the soil in terms of its health and stability.
• It is more cost-effective since people can save up resources they would have otherwise spent on other plants.
• Perennials do not require as much care as annuals.

Cons of Perennial Vegetables

• Sometimes, it takes a few years before a person can harvest perennials, e.g., asparagus takes at least two years.
• Some perennials become inedible after they bloom.
• Perennials can spread to the point of being a nuisance. They might need a separate arrangement from the annuals.

Conclusion

Adding perennial vegetables to a garden is an excellent way to save time, energy, and money. Gardeners with a strong relationship with annuals don’t have to abandon them, but consider adding perennials to the mix, because why not?