Long live the perennials

Rob Smith takes a look at vegetables that you plant once and then keep on cropping for a year or more

There is nothing I love more than growing my own vegetables in the kitchen garden; in fact, I can’t imagine my life without getting my hands dirty or tasty home-grown veg on my plate. This said, sometimes it can be a challenge to keep on top of sowing, thinning and planting your young plants; so what would you say if I told you there are vegetables you only need to sow/plant once and they will provide you with tasty and nutritious veg all year round, with some being able to be harvested 365 days a year? This isn’t a joke and you don’t need any special equipment – I’m talking about growing perennial veg!

Perennial veg by their own description are perennial, meaning they will keep coming back and cropping year after year with little care and no need to re-sow any seeds. One of the easiest ways to explain perennial veg if you can’t get your head around them is by explaining that you probably already grow one in your garden/ allotment without even knowing about it… rhubarb!