5 Perennial Veggies to Plant Once and Enjoy… Forever
Now is the time.

Most of the foods we grow are annuals: Each winter, they disappear and must be replanted in the spring. A bountiful garden of delicious organic food is worth the work of planning and planting, but smart gardeners also curate a few perennials, which come back year after year with little maintenance required. Here are some classic perennials to plant now for harvest next summer.
1. Globe Artichoke
Artichokes are the edible flower buds of a bushy plant in the thistle family. Best suited for moist, light soils and full sun, artichoke plants grow larger each year, eventually producing several plump buds a year. They don’t do well in dry soils, so mulch and compost well, and give the roots plenty of water. If you have cold winters (zones 6-7), cut the plant back in fall and cover it with a layer of straw.
2. Asparagus
Asparagus shoots are one of spring’s first delights, poking out of cool soils alongside other perennials like tulips and crocus. But they’re a long-term investment: The first year, you won’t harvest asparagus at all, and each year you must leave plenty of shoots behind, letting them flower and grow into the next year’s harvest.
3. Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes)
The latest culinary darling, sunchokes are tubers grown from a flowering, towering relative of the sunflower. They’ve got a nutty flavor and are delicious roasted or in soups. Plant a single sunchoke in the fall or early spring, and it’ll grow into a hearty plant with multiple tubers to dig up. Remember to always leave a few in the ground for next year — and give it plenty of space, because this plant is a hardy native that can invade your yard with its sunny, food-producing blooms.
4. Alliums
Garlic, onions and chives are all able to survive cold winters from their roots buried under the soil. Plant garlic and onion cloves, sets or seed in the fall, and they’ll push up green shoots in the spring; leave a few behind each year, and they’ll flower, seed themselves and divide their own bulbs to create the next year’s crop.
5. Radicchio and Chicory
Ever chopped off a lettuce plant in summer, only to find it growing back the following spring? Some leafy greens are able to regrow from a root — an advantage for gardeners who’ll have robust greens growing quite early in spring. Raddichio and other chicory relatives are good bets, but as most of us grow several types of lettuce and mesclun greens mixes, you never know what might come back. Instead of pulling up your roots, cut the plant back at the soil surface, cover the bed with straw through the winter, and see what pops up in spring.
Update: Considering the limitations of growing seasons, especially during the current Covid-19 pandemic, you might also consider growing year-round produce with one of our top indoor grow kit picks below. They are self-watering, include UV lighting, and liven up your indoor spaces (literally). Come spring, these systems come in handy when you want to expedite the process of growing from seeds.
Indoor Grow Kits for Year-Round Herbs, Veggies & Leafy Greens
Our team researched far and wide to find indoor grow kits. Purchases made after clicking our links, may earn Organic Authority a commission, which goes a long way to support the good work our team does – as well as our Valrhona Chocolate habit!

Having a “green thumb” has never been easier. With the Smart Garden 27, you can grow fresh, organic food all year round without worrying about which region you are in. This vertical shelf unit comes with three self-watering Smart Garden 9s which can be smartly stacked to maximize vertical space and add a little green to your home.
Shop: The Smart Garden 27
Click and Grow

You can grow up to 24 plants five times faster with the AeroGarden Farm Family (available in standard, plus, and XL sizes). Each system comes with two adjustable height full spectrum 60W LED lights, which allow you to maximize vertical grow space. And did we mention it only takes up three square feet of space? Now you can skip the produce aisle and grow what you need: lettuce, vegetables, herbs and more…
Shop the AeroGarden Farm Family.
AeroGarden

Available in 12-plant, 18-plant and 24-plant units, these hydroponic farm stands are designed for both indoor and outdoor use. The footprint of each unit is only 4 square feet and utilizes 95% less water while optimizing yields on an accelerated grow time. Don’t let the upfront cost scare you, when compared to the price of organic produce, you’ll save more money in the long run as each refill pod is only $2.25 – the math checks out!
And if you plan on growing your own produce indoors past the traditional growing season – a good idea during the pandemic – we highly recommend pre-ordering these indoor LED Halo Glow Rings to ensure delivery by October.
Shop: The Farmstand | PRE-ORDER Glow Rings
Lettuce Grow

This indoor system brings new meaning to “living space” and is designed for both form and function. Whether you live in an apartment or house, this unit is made to be placed right into your home. Grow up to 12 herbs and leafy greens at a time without worrying about seasons, planting zones, or weather. And if you’re serious about growing as much of your own produce as possible, consider buying these adaptors from Aerogarden for stacking two Miracle-Gro Twelve Indoor Systems.
Shop: Miracle-Gro Twelve Indoor Growing System | Miracle-Gro Twelve Stacking Kit
Home Depot
Related on Organic Authority:
6 (More) Perennial Vegetables to Plant Once and Enjoy . . . Forever
7 Steps to Starting a Garden with Seedlings in Toilet Paper Rolls
8 Upcycled Container Garden Planter Ideas that are Really Awesome