Veges that keep on giving
Perennial crops, such as artichokes, asparagus and rhubarb, can produce continual harvests from a single planting for decades at a time, writes James Wong.
FINALLY! I can begin to sow batch after batch of the usual annual crops — lettuce, carrots and beans — but there is one group that can be planted now that will give greater harvests for just a fraction of the work. Weirdly, they also tend to be more expensive and harder to track down in the shops: a pretty sweet deal when it comes to the effortreward ratio, really.
These are the perennial crops, such as artichokes, asparagus and even rhubarb, that from a single planting can produce continual harvests for decades at a time. They won’t require the annual ritual of digging, sowing and transplanting each spring, not to mention the drudgery of digging them up and composting each autumn. If you haven’t already dedicated a corner of your patch to these horticultural superstars, now is a perfect time to get planting. If you have, here are three less wellknown, but equally tasty, perennial crops.
As root crops go, one of the easiest of all to grow is the Jerusalem artichoke. Their deliciously smokysweet, potatolike tubers have dwindled in popularity in recent years. They contain a gellike complex carbohydrate called inulin, which gives them a wonderfully smooth texture and delicate sweetness. This same compound is also a prebiotic, helping boost levels of friendly gut bacteria — but is also responsible for their common moniker, ‘‘fartichokes’’. If you are willing to overlook this one flaw, they are easily started off by burying a few tubers in any spare plot right now. They are unfussy about soil or sunlight levels and as you will inevitably accidentally leave one or two tubers in the ground come harvest time, a single planting will give you years of harvests.
For fans of kale, there is a virtually identical crop that could give you, for all intents and purposes, the exact same harvest for half the work. This is perennial kale: a naturally occurring mutation which is incapable of flowering, so just carries on producing loads of lush leaves without ever producing seed and then dying like the regular form. It is even allegedly more tolerant of the dreaded cabbage white butterfly, whose caterpillars are the scourge of brassica growers everywhere. As they don’t form seed, you will need to buy a few small plants, but it’s easy to make loads more from cuttings. My mate Paul has had a clump for three years, giving him yearround harvests.
Lastly, I implore you to try lovage. The young stems and leaves of this perennial relative of celery make an excellent substitute for its more common cousin, despite being infinitely easier to grow. I can barely even get celery to germinate well, let alone get a decent crop! Just as well lovage has a richer, more rounded flavour and is a vigorous grower on perennial plants. Yes, older stems will be tough and fibrous, but constant harvesting from spring onwards will ensure a steady supply of the tender young stems. — Guardian News and Media