Perennial Vegetables for a Fall Planting

It is fun to plant something once and then eat it for years.  You can do just that with perennial vegetables!

Here is a list of perennial vegetables that can be planted in the fall. I have also included some threads about these:

Shallots



https://permies.com/t/140805/Shallots-bulbs-divided-multiplied


Rhubarb



https://permies.com/t/93741/Rhubarb


Walking Onions

https://permies.com/t/82715/perennial-vegetables/Easy-Grow-Perennial-Walking-Onion


Potato Onions

https://permies.com/t/138977/perennial-vegetables/Potato-onions-easy-grow-perennial


Saffron Crocuses



https://permies.com/t/60787/kitchen/planting-growing-saffron


Asparagus



https://permies.com/t/93431/Clueless-Asparagus


Salad Burnet



https://www.thespruce.com/growing-and-using-the-herb-salad-burnet-1402607


Fruit & Nut Trees

https://permies.com/f/212/


Daylilies



https://permies.com/t/52826/Daylilies-food

Do you have some other suggestions?

What are your favorite fall perenial veggies?

Thanks for this list.  I've never heard of some of these.  I'm very interested in the potato onions and will try to find some seed bulbets.

Great list, Anne!  I have some of these in the ground, but have a few that I need to add to my project list.

I think there are some perennial kales?  At least in some zones.  https://permies.com/t/130961/perennial-vegetables/Grow-perennial-brassicas

Great List!

I'm going to try saffron crocus for next year once the bulbs I ordered arrive.  But here's one to add to your list:  Jerusalem artichoke (neither from Jerusalem nor an artichoke) a.k.a. a sunchoke.  

It's a perennial: Helianthus tuberosus.  After the first frost, you dig up the roots -- delicious if slow roasted in oil & garlic.  In summer, it looks like a very tall 6-10' sunflower with small 3" flowers.  After the first frost you dig up the roots.  And here's the trick:  you always miss some.  This spreads like crazy (aggressive) from a single bulb/root.  Not sure what the right conditions are.  I give mine neglect and no water in clay soil.

Jean Rudd wrote:

I give mine neglect and no water in clay soil.

Wondering how difficult it is to dig up the roots when they are growing in clay soil.    I keep wanting to grow them, but I just think it would be too difficult.

Garlic?

In the North: carrot, parsnip, black root, oatroot

Kaarina Kreus wrote:In the North: carrot, parsnip, black root, oatroot

Carrots and parsnips are not perennial, but bi-annual (first year they make the root, second year flowers and seeds).

What do you mean by 'black root'? Can you give the botanical (Latin) name?

In the allotment garden I have all kinds of fruit bushes (and two apple trees). They are perennial edibles, but fruits, not vegetables. There are all kinds of Mediterranean herbs, do they count as vegetables? There are some different kinds of Alliums you already mentioned.
And there is 'good king Henry', that's a real perennial vegetable. The leaves can be eaten like spinach. They grow from Spring till Autumn. In winter they disappear, but from the roots they come back the next Spring.

Loretta Liefveld wrote:

Jean Rudd wrote:

I give mine neglect and no water in clay soil.

Wondering how difficult it is to dig up the roots when they are growing in clay soil.    I keep wanting to grow them, but I just think it would be too difficult.

My jerusalem artichoke roots are about a full shovel head (8") down -- I probably planted about 1/2 shovel (4") down.  I water mine deeply when digging up if I have trouble getting to them.  If you are worried about missing some of them (which happens often) you can try to contain them by planting a deep container.  But I bet they will find a way out.  The ones I have trouble getting out are under the driveway.  I think there is more moisture trapped there and it has a sandier base than the natural clay soil.  

I found that they grow better than my potatoes in the clay soil, which I found difficult to dig up. (Trying above ground methods now!)  And it makes sense that sunchokes seem to grow better than potatoes for me since sunflowers are one of those deep-rooted, "bring up the nutrition from poor soils" type of plant.

Jean Rudd wrote:

Loretta Liefveld wrote:

Jean Rudd wrote:

I give mine neglect and no water in clay soil.

Wondering how difficult it is to dig up the roots when they are growing in clay soil.    I keep wanting to grow them, but I just think it would be too difficult.

My jerusalem artichoke roots are about a full shovel head (8") down -- I probably planted about 1/2 shovel (4") down.  I water mine deeply when digging up if I have trouble getting to them.  If you are worried about missing some of them (which happens often) you can try to contain them by planting a deep container.  But I bet they will find a way out.  The ones I have trouble getting out are under the driveway.  I think there is more moisture trapped there and it has a sandier base than the natural clay soil.  

I found that they grow better than my potatoes in the clay soil, which I found difficult to dig up. (Trying above ground methods now!)  And it makes sense that sunchokes seem to grow better than potatoes for me since sunflowers are one of those deep-rooted, "bring up the nutrition from poor soils" type of plant.

If you can find the potato variety 'Pontiac', it grows well in clay soil.  Our soil identifies as silty clay - jar test showed 5% sand, 45% silt, 50% clay.

Jean Rudd wrote:Great List!

But here's one to add to your list:  Jerusalem artichoke (neither from Jerusalem nor an artichoke) a.k.a. a sunchoke...  This spreads like crazy (aggressive) from a single bulb/root.  Not sure what the right conditions are.  I give mine neglect and no water in clay soil.

We planted sunchokes in a 5 gallon soil bag so they wouldn't get out of control. We ended up with way more than the 2 of us could possibly eat, and they were easy to harvest cuz we just dumped out the soil bag.
Now, if someone could advise me on how I can eat them without inflating like a tick and blasting off into space, leaving behind a cloud of methane, I would really appreciate it. Fermenting didn't work, letting them freeze before cooking didn't work. Any other suggestions?

M Wilcox wrote: advise me on how I can eat

Oh!  I totally forgot that part!!!  You have to start eating them with TINY amounts and build up. We split one at first and then after awhile we'd work up to one.  But not much more.  They have a lot of Prebiotic.  Inulin, I think.

Modern Farmer recommends boiling in lemon juice or pickling:  Modern Farmer  but I haven't tried it.  

Good catch!

Loretta Liefveld wrote:

Jean Rudd wrote:

I give mine neglect and no water in clay soil.

Wondering how difficult it is to dig up the roots when they are growing in clay soil.    I keep wanting to grow them, but I just think it would be too difficult.

Not hard at all.   A little tug on the left over stalk and a little spade and they come right out.   We have hard clay under them too.

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:

Kaarina Kreus wrote:In the North: carrot, parsnip, black root, oatroot

Carrots and parsnips are not perennial, but bi-annual (first year they make the root, second year flowers and seeds).

What do you mean by 'black root'? Can you give the botanical (Latin) name?

I grow this as well, and its cousins, purple and meadow salsify. The latin name for Black Salsify is:  Pseudopodospermum hispanicum.
I've had some come back for 5 years and bloom every year. So it seems pretty perennial as far as eating the leaves go, but if you pick the root you'll have to plant some seeds. I'm not sure if you just leave a piece of root if it will work. If you try it let me know.

This reminds me that I need to go out and collect my walking onion tops to spread them into new locations. I like to establish a variety of groupings so I have a variety of areas I can forage from. So far I have three established areas.

Jason Learned wrote:

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:

Kaarina Kreus wrote:In the North: carrot, parsnip, black root, oatroot

Carrots and parsnips are not perennial, but bi-annual (first year they make the root, second year flowers and seeds).

What do you mean by 'black root'? Can you give the botanical (Latin) name?

I grow this as well, and its cousins, purple and meadow salsify. The latin name for Black Salsify is:  Pseudopodospermum hispanicum.
I've had some come back for 5 years and bloom every year. So it seems pretty perennial as far as eating the leaves go, but if you pick the root you'll have to plant some seeds. I'm not sure if you just leave a piece of root if it will work. If you try it let me know.

Hi Jason. I agree with you. Although officially the (black) Salsify is bi-annual, it comes back from the (forgotten) roots and acts as if it's a perennial. I have them in my allotment garden too. They are called 'schorseneren' in Dutch (like Scorzonera).

Thanks for the list, Anne. It's very helpful. Sunchokes can be planted any time the ground isn't frozen. Garlic [the stiffneck type is all I know] does better if planted in the fall in my zone 4b. there is a short turnover in November we harvest and sort the ones we want to eat, and a week later, we plant the ones for next year.
I didn't know about shallots, so I'll have to try that. I tried once to plant it in the spring and the results weren't so good.

Sorrel
Asparagus (from berries)
Stinging nettles
Rhubarb
Lemon balm (separate them late fall -- they still haven't been affected by the frost. I use it as a vegetable and stuff fish with it.)

We've had frost already. I had a hard time getting stinging nettles started, but now they are established, they're frost resistant a great late fall and early spring alternative.

Edit: I am having no luck with Egyptian walking onions and ground nuts!! I keep trying.

Not quite vegetables but great for bringing in pollinators:
Black raspberries
Currants
Thimble berries (rubrus odoratus)
Echinacea

I also plant biennials as volunteers into the compost heap: root vegetables I find abandoned by others. I just planted two handful of beets onto the compost hill that had just begun to mold. They will be fine and provide early spring greens, and seeds later on. This works for turnip and carrot tops as well. I plant the carrot tops facing upwards in the compost heap, and anything else like that.

You might like to try growing Groundnuts (Apios americana) up your Sunchokes. One supports the other, and both call for a good ground clearout! I get a lot of slug damage; I'm able to overwinter and restart groundnuts in pots in spring without slugs, but the sunchokes get blitzed regularly. Had them under sheeps' fleece this spring, slugs still got them.
Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata) can be used as a root veg. I've used it when I wanted its location for something else. Can't remember everything I used it for, but some went into a flapjack.

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:

Jason Learned wrote:

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:

Kaarina Kreus wrote:In the North: carrot, parsnip, black root, oatroot

Carrots and parsnips are not perennial, but bi-annual (first year they make the root, second year flowers and seeds).

What do you mean by 'black root'? Can you give the botanical (Latin) name?

I grow this as well, and its cousins, purple and meadow salsify. The latin name for Black Salsify is:  Pseudopodospermum hispanicum.
I've had some come back for 5 years and bloom every year. So it seems pretty perennial as far as eating the leaves go, but if you pick the root you'll have to plant some seeds. I'm not sure if you just leave a piece of root if it will work. If you try it let me know.

Hi Jason. I agree with you. Although officially the (black) Salsify is bi-annual, it comes back from the (forgotten) roots and acts as if it's a perennial. I have them in my allotment garden too. They are called 'schorseneren' in Dutch (like Scorzonera).

 Ok,  Scorzonera is perennial,  not biennial. I had some for a decade in one spot.  The german name for it means "Black Root" and it isn't a salsify at all, its scorzonera.   I saw the pictures, of "black salsify" and it is scorzonera! To cook it, you parboil it, and then rub or grate off the black outer part of  the root skin.  You have to parboil, because the white "milk" or scorzonera juice is like glue and it will turn your fingers yellow for a couple of days.  Boiling for a minute clots it and you avoid the mess. What I did to replant is sometimes grow from seeds but mostly, replant the top with 1 to 2 inches of root attached (if your top has several buds on it, you can even divide it like you would with rhubarb,  I usually divide in 2 when this is the case.  The roots by the way go down a foot and a half or so into the ground,  it is a real pain to dig them out of clay soil.  Scorzonera are loved in parts of Germany and Holland.  You buy them in glass jars.    

I just wrapped up the transcript for Susan's Orchard People podcast episode Growing Perennial Vegetables with Ben Caesar and found it very interesting.

Ben owns/operates the Fiddlehead Nursery in Ontario (zone 5a-ish), and he encourages folks to experiment with plants even if literature states that a certain plant is "only hardy to zone..."
*those in the US may consider a nursery owned/operated by a listener who called in during the show: Edgewood Nursery

Many of these have already been listed by others, and I found out about a few new ones.

Bulk salad:
Caucasian spinach
Basswood
Scorzonera
Stonecrop

Flavor:
Seedless sorrel
Sweet fennel
Chocolate mint
Anise
Sweet cicely
Mitsuba

Flowers/presentation:
Columbine
Turkish rocket
Sweet pink
Solomon's seal

"Forcing" and roasting:
Hosta
Sea kale
Asparagus

Root vegetables (these can play nicely as companions):
Ground nut
Skirret

Other:
Daylily
Udo

Consider listening to, and/or read the transcript for the full conversation/context if you're interested

Happy (fall) planting!

Paul gave me a walking onion start when he was in the area last month, along with a sunchoke start.  Unfortunately the sunchoke start got dug up and destroyed by the local squirrel, but the walking onion start is still in the ground and wasn't dug up, so I'm hoping it will be happy and successful.