Sad to say I am too lazy to grow vegetables, but have heard that many of them will find a way to come back each year on their own. Which ones could I plant once and most likely not have to plant again? Just giving them a 20x20 square to do what they will.
List So Far- From below posts-
Jerusalem artichokes
Ground Cherry
Asparagus
Cardoons
Kale
Tomatillos/tomatoes
Lettuce
Sorrel
Yellow Pear Tomatoes
Scallions
New Zealand Spinach
Chard
Arugula and Cilantro
Sunflower
Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes)…!!!
Also horseradish.
Ground cherries reseed themselves every year in my garden.
Asparagus
Cardoons, if you don’t mind the prep work involved. I’ve had kale last 2-3 years from the initial planting. Also, asparagus is long lived as well as pregnant (multiplier) onion, and rhubarb.
I planted them a couple of years ago and i havent been able to get rid of them. They have become a sort of half desirable weed.
Day Lilies make a carefree display with the added bonus of delicious flowers and edible young leaves. There are hostas which are edible as well.
Many kales will survive a zone 7 winter. You need to be mindful of cabbage moth pressure with these, though.
Yeah, asparagus is great and takes very little care once established. Tomatillos and purslane just keep reseeding themselves in my garden as do a number of lettuces.
I have 2 half barrels that keep producing a lettuce strain I haven’t planted in 5+ years.
and garden sorrel.
I tried sorrel, but apparently it was even more delicious to the local buns than dandelions so it didn’t actually come back!
Yellow pear tomatoes. They are like weeds in my garden. I wish I liked them more, they are amazingly productive.
I planted yellow pear tomatoes about ten years ago as they are one of my favorites. They have come back every year since (re-seeding) though the fruit is less of a clear yellow than they once were. I think they’ve hybridized with a black cherry tomatoe somewhere along the line.
Scott
Try scallions such as evergreen hardy white or white spear. When grown as a perennial, they’re at their best when they first come up in early spring, before they flower. If you combine them with Egyptian walking onions, you can have green onions for most of early-mid spring through early winter.
I would caution, though, that perennial vegetables still need a fair amount of work. Some of them are Ok to leave in the same spot for a while, while some do better if you move them around (eg sunchokes). Many of them will need to be divided every few years. All will need weeding, mulch, and watering, plus compost. Asparagus is very sensitive to weed pressure, and has a few serious insect pests. If you have any female asparagus plants, volunteer seedlings can easily become your #1 asparagus weed. Tomatoes and tomatillos will reseed themselves, but they will require a lot of thinning, and can build up bad disease pressure if grown in the same place year after year.
All that being said, I think perennial veggies are generally much easier than most annual vegetables and well worth your time. Just be sure to have realistic expectations.
New Zealand Spinach.
I may need to ask you for some seeds next year…my grandparents and uncle used to have those. The only kind I have that re-seed are the yellow cherry type. I like the pear tomatoes better.
Im in 7a - chard is an easy perennial for me here.
If u get many hard freezes it wont come back
List So Far-
Jerusalem artichokes
Ground Cherry
Asparagus
Cardoons
Kale
Tomatillos/tomatoes
Lettuce
Sorrel
Yellow Pear Tomatoes
Scallions
New Zealand Spinach
Chard
Arugula and Cilantro
Sunflower
Arugula, cilantro, and sunflowers will reseed easily.
The perennials are what I looked at first. Seems there are only four actual perennial vegetables though. Like everything, the set it and forget it vegetable does not exist.