Growing food is great and all…
But, what about growing food that can withstand complete and total neglect?
The type of plants that just hang out in the yard all year, yet you forget they even exist (until you eat them)?
I’m talking about a truly amazing, plant-it-and-forget-it garden full of the lazy homesteader’s best friends!
… We all like to get a little lazy here and there, am I right?
Sit for a spell, have a cup of tea (or Joe!) and please enjoy this interesting little read!
You might find yourself planning the next little food plot in your backyard…
Perennial Food Plants: What I Mean by “You’ll Rarely Have to Tend!”
You’re going to have to offer some form of tending to all of your plants and land, unless you’re allowing an area to naturalize.
Rather than the typical weeding, fertilizing, tilling, mulching, seeding, transplanting, etc that is associated with traditional annuals and tender perennial plants, the plants in this list require far less care. They might not offer optimal harvests like plants with more attention would, but they will still produce quite a bit of food. The type of tending that these plants will require is minimal, such as:
- Initial planting/seeding
- Netting them to protect the harvest from birds IF necessary
- Thinning plants, removing dead plants and debris, or pruning dead canes at the end of the year
- Mulching for winter protection IF necessary (for plants that require crown protection)
- Mowing around the bed to keep runners, perennial weeds, invasive vines, and pests down (which you probably already do for the rest of your lawn)
- Harvesting food
- Minimal fertilizer, IF needed
Perennial Superstar #1: Blackberries
We have blackberries briars EVERYWHERE. There are millions of berries ripening as I type, actually! I’m always seeing new, tiny plants popping up all over our acreage, threatening to take over. All it would take is a single summer without a lawnmower for the entire property to be engulfed in blackberry plants. The birds are excellent seed planters!
With that being said, I introduce you to the #1 plant on my list. Blackberries just thrive. The more you neglect them, the better they’ll perform. Trust me here. They thrive in poor soils, in crowded conditions, with poor airflow, with numerous critters that feed on the rich bounties that they provide….
Yet, you’ll still have a bumper crop of berries every year, no matter what you do.
If you’re not trying to craft a wild mess of a nature preserve in your backyard, you will have to mow around your blackberry patch. If you have a small patch, it will need netting to protect the harvest from the birds. In addition, pruning back the dead canes every summer after fruiting (or in winter when it’s cool and easy to do), provides you with a clean, neat thicket for the following year. You don’t have to do any of this for these plants to thrive though; they will provide bumper crop after bumper crop, as they suffocate and envelop your entire property.
Perennial Superstar #2: Strawberries
Strawberries are another plant that will take over your entire yard if given half a chance! I’m mostly referring to June bearing varieties, which send out an incredible amount of runners during the summer. I had one plant produce over 100 daughter plants in a single season in our first year; how incredible is that? Imagine what 10 or 20 plants could do! To sweeten the pot here, you could start your strawberry plot for free; simply use my method for germinating seeds from strawberries you’re already eating! It can be hard to do otherwise, but I’ve successfully used this process many times.
Strawberry plants will slow down growth when they become overwhelmed with weeds, but they do not stop growing or die; they continue to send out runners and stake out their territory. When the annual grasses die at first frost, the berry plants will continue to grow for a bit longer before going dormant; in spring, they bush up, continue to expand their boundaries, and fruit before the weeds have an opportunity to engulf them again.
There are two major problems when it comes to strawberries, but a large enough patch will not suffer quite as badly as a small one. Firstly, slugs. Slugs are destructive creatures, and they will eat the berries. You might need some beer traps for this situation. Secondly, watch out for those spider mites. They aren’t much of an issue in climates that receive regular rainfall; but for those in arid or desert environments, or for those with dry and wet seasons, they can be an issue.
They will only produce fruit for approximately a month, between April and June/July; once fruiting is over, that’s it for the year. This goes for most everything on this list too, though.
Perennial Superstar #3: Asparagus
Asparagus is another plant that can hold its own in your garden- it self seeds quite well, too! It can take 4 years before you’ll get a decent harvest from your asparagus plants, but once they reach maturity, you’ll have asparagus for decades to come!
The plants grow from a single, large root, and the large primary root will continue to grow in one direction year after year. The part of the root that has already sent out growth in previous years will not send out additional growth; therefore, the plants “walk” in a sense. Multiple plants spring from a single root, and more plants will grow from seed.
The patch will continue to grow in size year after year if you allow it to. The mammoth sized ferns are excellent as a summer privacy hedge, and are quite attractive. However, the ferns will die back every year so you’ll probably want to remove them. You could leave them standing, and allow them to decompose naturally. Removing the ferns makes the asparagus plot more attractive, tidy, and it allows more light to reach the tiny plants when they emerge in the spring.
Asparagus may require mulching in the fall to protect the crowns, and you should keep an eye out for severe infestations of asparagus aphids or asparagus beetles (take action if your plot of asparagus begins to struggle badly). I would also recommend a bit of compost or fertilizer after harvest ends, giving the plants a boost to restore strength. This nutritious and delicious vegetable is a must have if you want easy pickings.
Perennial Superstar #4: Rhubarb
I realize that rhubarb isn’t the most versatile of plants, especially since you cannot eat anything other than the stems. However, it still makes delicious baked goods; which isn’t a bad deal for a plant that can handle hefty neglect.
Rhubarb will require some thinning to keep the plant in excellent health, which can be done during the summer months. You don’t have to divide the crown frequently; once a year will do! They will survive just fine without thinning, but the lack of airflow and trapped moisture invites fungal and bacterial growth.
Give the pieces of divided crown to family and friends for them to plant in their own gardens, if you don’t want to throw the thinnings away.
Aphids, slugs, and flea beetles will enjoy your rhubarb just as much as you do. If wet weather becomes an issue, be sure to set out slug traps; lady bugs should take care of the aphids, and flea beetles can be deterred with some diatomaceous earth if absolutely necessary. Healthy plants should be able to handle these pests quite well, but young or injured plants could fall victim to a heavy infestation.
Perennial Superstar #5: Sunchokes, or Jerusalem Artichokes
The sunchoke (which isn’t an artichoke at all!) belongs to the sunflower family. This perennial plant produces starchy tubers which can be harvested from fall into early spring. It can take over very quickly, and is commonly seen as a weed. However, it’s the perfect homestead “weed”; it’ll grow like crazy, and provide your family with a bounty of roots for winter meals!
They taste like a cross between artichokes (which is why they’re named such) and potatoes, and are frequently cooked in the same manner as potatoes- commonly roasted. To boot, they’re a wonderful source of potassium!
Aphids can be a problem for sunchokes, as can waterlogged soils (potential tuber rot). However, these plants are unbelievably hardy, and they truly don’t need pity from us humans; they’ll thrive all by themselves! You do want to make sure that other perennial or invasive plants don’t take root in their plots though; honeysuckle, blackberry briars, privet, and bindweed are all quick to take up residence here.
Perennial Superstar #6: Sugar Maple
Yes, I get it. Sugar maples are trees; but, trees are perennials! The sugar maple is frequently overlooked in the homestead garden. If you don’t have one growing on your property already, I highly recommend planting one!
Sugar maples are known for their sap, which is used to make maple syrup. The tree will also provide shade, beauty, leaf mulch, and a habitat for a long list of critters!
Tapping a maple tree and making your own syrup isn’t terribly complicated, and it’s a super fun project for the entire family.
Sugar cane is impossible to grow in areas that aren’t tropical or subtropical, making it a challenge to produce sugar in areas that have winter weather. Aside from maple trees, honey bees and sugar beets (annuals) are other sweet alternatives for cane sugar.
