As more people are growing their own fruits and vegetables in North Carolina, we thought we'd share a few that can be planted once and harvested for years. Most of the vegetables we eat are annuals, but there are a few categorized as perennials. We think they all are delicious. We've also heard that they all have health benefits. Read on to see what you can plant next year and enjoy for many more to come....
1) Asparagus
Asparagus begins to shoot out of the ground in early spring. The first year after they've been planted will be considered the starter year. This strategy lets the asparagus plants expand for a heartier bounty during the second and subsequent years.... up to 30 years!
2) Onion
Onions can survive hard winters. Plant them in your garden in fall and expect to see them sprout the following spring. Instead of cultivating every onion, leave a few behind. They'll go through a growth cycle that sends new plants to seed, so more will be available in the future.
3) Garlic
Like onions, garlic should be planted in the fall. Leave a few garlic plants in the ground during harvest so the plants will continue to divide throughout the year.
4) Rhubard
We've mostly eaten Rhubard in a sweet pie during our childhood years. The stems are colorful and a bit tart, so when sweetened with sugar or served with other fruits rhubarb makes a particularly delicious treat. The leaves should not be eaten. Toss them in the compost bin instead. The stems are the only part of the plant that should be eaten.
5) Strawberries
Have you ever grown your own strawberries? The produced in your own garden are different from the ones you'll find in the supermarket. Typically strawberries are not ripe when they're picked, so plucking a fresh fruit from your backyard will yield one with a richer flavor and succulent fragrance. In North Carolina, strawberry plants typically start bearing fruit in June. Throughout the warm season, they'll produce runners that are the source for new baby plants. By trimming off most of the runners you can maximize your strawberry yield.
6) Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are easy to grow and actually do best the poorer the soil is. The tubers provide the nutrients to the rest of the plant, so sandy soil, prevalent in the eastern portions of the state, ensure maximum size as they swell to suck the limited minerals. They should be planted a little more than a foot apart with rows spaced a yard from each other. This spacing ensures the vines can spread out and not compete with its neighbors.
1) Asparagus
Asparagus begins to shoot out of the ground in early spring. The first year after they've been planted will be considered the starter year. This strategy lets the asparagus plants expand for a heartier bounty during the second and subsequent years.... up to 30 years!
2) Onion
Onions can survive hard winters. Plant them in your garden in fall and expect to see them sprout the following spring. Instead of cultivating every onion, leave a few behind. They'll go through a growth cycle that sends new plants to seed, so more will be available in the future.
3) Garlic
Like onions, garlic should be planted in the fall. Leave a few garlic plants in the ground during harvest so the plants will continue to divide throughout the year.
4) Rhubard
We've mostly eaten Rhubard in a sweet pie during our childhood years. The stems are colorful and a bit tart, so when sweetened with sugar or served with other fruits rhubarb makes a particularly delicious treat. The leaves should not be eaten. Toss them in the compost bin instead. The stems are the only part of the plant that should be eaten.
5) Strawberries
Have you ever grown your own strawberries? The produced in your own garden are different from the ones you'll find in the supermarket. Typically strawberries are not ripe when they're picked, so plucking a fresh fruit from your backyard will yield one with a richer flavor and succulent fragrance. In North Carolina, strawberry plants typically start bearing fruit in June. Throughout the warm season, they'll produce runners that are the source for new baby plants. By trimming off most of the runners you can maximize your strawberry yield.
6) Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are easy to grow and actually do best the poorer the soil is. The tubers provide the nutrients to the rest of the plant, so sandy soil, prevalent in the eastern portions of the state, ensure maximum size as they swell to suck the limited minerals. They should be planted a little more than a foot apart with rows spaced a yard from each other. This spacing ensures the vines can spread out and not compete with its neighbors.
RSS Feed
