8 Types of Perennial Fruits and Vegetables for Years of Fruitful Harvests

When I talk about gardening, most people’s minds immediately head to something like the picture above.

A large garden where you get down and dirty……in the dirt of course and plant your foods at least once a year, if not two or three times a year.  Yes, that is gardening.

What if I told you though that there is a type of gardening where you plant your plants ONCE, and harvest them every year without having to replant them?  I learned that this is the very basis for permaculture.  Now permaculture goes WAY beyond not having to replant your garden, but it’s the start of the definition.

Today, I’m going to take you through a list of fruits and vegetables that are perennials – in other words, they come back every year without you needing to replant them.  These fruits and veggies should be the backbone of every garden.  Your clean fingernails, your uncalloused hands, and your back, which isn’t breaking because of using a shovel, will thank you!

1.)  Berry bushes – blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, elderberry

We started here, in our new place, this year.  We currently have blackberry and raspberry bushes growing in our front yard.  If they decide to grow sideways and put out runners, I will be very happy.  I’ve also decided to plant several elderberry bushes.  Elderberries are considered medicinal and can be used to help ward off flu, when prepared as a syrup.

2.) Fruit vines – grapes

Eventually, I’d love to have grapes running along a rustic ornamental fence that separates our front yard from our neighbors.  Growing grapes would also give us the opportunity to learn how to make our own wine.

2.) Fruit plants – strawberry

Strawberries are perennials.  I’ve read that they should be pulled up after three years so as to deter disease from destroying all your strawberry crop.  I’ve also known people who let their strawberries grow as long as they would keep growing, and they still do fine.

3.)  Fruit trees – apple, pear, peach, cherry, plum, mulberry

Trees take up so much space, but they can also produce an amazing amount of produce.  If you are worried about space, you can plant dwarf tree varieties so that they don’t grow much above 15 feet tall.  This makes it easier for you to obtain your harvest.  You should be aware that certain types of trees require you to plant two of them, so that they can cross-pollinate.  Among these types of fruit trees are apple, pear, cherry, and plum. Peach and mulberry trees do not need a second tree of their kind to cross-pollinate.

4.) Nut trees – pecan, walnut, almond, hazelnut

If you are worried about space, the hazelnut ‘tree’ is more of a bush, and so will take up considerably less space than the other nut trees.  Like fruit trees, though, you need to plant two or more hazelnut bushes, so that they can cross-pollinate. You also need to plant two different varieties of pecan, almond, and, in most cases, walnut trees in order to get a harvest from either tree.

5.) Herbs – peppermint, oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram, fennel

Mint plants will take off and grow like crazy taking over everything else in their vicinity if you let them.  A great way to plant mint plants is in the shade of a tree.  Before trees leaf out in the spring, your mint plant will grow like crazy, but once the tree which it is under, grows its leaves out, the mint will stop growing so quickly.  This is a great way to keep mint in check.  Peppermint can be used to make both warm and cold teas.  I find that cold peppermint tea is very refreshing especially during the summer.

Oregano and thyme are easy herbs to grow.  Thyme has more of a tendency to spread than does oregano.  If you don’t want it to grow beyond a small plant or group of plants, planting it in a pot is a safe way to go.

6.) Perennial onions – chives, garlic chives, Egyptian onions, shallots

Each of these varieties of onion is perennials and will self-propagate for years to come.

Egyptian onions are hardy plants.  They grow around 3 feet tall and the onion bulbs are found on the TOP of the stems in clusters.  If you leave the onions to grow until they bend the stalk on which they reside, then they will fall and send out runners for next year’s plants.

7.) Perennial beans – Scarlett Runner beans

These can be either an annual, in colder climates, or a perennial, in warmer climates.  The upside to growing Scarlet Runner beans is that not only do you get nutritious food from it, but they are BEAUTIFUL and attract many beneficial insects to your garden.  They are also fairly easy to grow.

8.)  Perennial vegetables – asparagus

As far as regular vegetables go, asparagus is probably the most well-known of the perennial vegetables.  Asparagus will self-propagate, so if you only pick a few the first year, and about half the second year, after that you will have a bountiful harvest of asparagus which will feed you for years to come.

What About You?

I know there are (especially when it comes to fruit) varieties  that I didn’t put on this list.  Are there any that would be ‘must-haves’ in your book?  Which of these are you currently growing in your own yard?  Which one(s) do you plan to add next?  I’d love to hear!  Let us know in the comments.