The Self-Sufficiency Power of Perennial Food Plants
For preppers seeking true self-sufficiency, perennial food plants offer the ultimate in reliable, low-maintenance harvests year after year. Unlike temporary annual crops that must be replanted every season, resilient perennials persist and produce with minimal labor once properly established. Fruit trees, berry bushes, asparagus spears, and other perennial edibles provide a steady supply of nutritious fresh foods while freeing up precious time and resources for higher priorities.
At WeLovePrepping, we fully understand the immense value of perennial foods for survival preparedness and self-reliance. Our in-depth resources help readers plan, cultivate, and maintain highly productive perennial foodscapes that are optimized for their specific climate, space, and needs. In this article, we'll explore some of the best perennial vegetables, fruits, herbs, and wild edibles to "plant once and harvest forever." Discover how these low-maintenance wonders can anchor your self-sufficient garden for years of bounty.
Reliable Perennial Vegetable Plants
Perennial vegetables thrive for many seasons with simple care, making them staple plants for any self-reliant garden. Asparagus, rhubarb, artichokes, and Jerusalem artichokes are all hardy, productive, and nutrient-dense perennial veggies.
With proper site preparation and planting of fresh crowns or roots, an asparagus bed may keep producing tender spring spears for 15-20 years or more. The ferny foliage can also be used as a living mulch. Tart rhubarb stalks lend their trademark tangy flavor to pies, jams, chutneys and more, while selected stems left to replenish the roots ensure ongoing harvests. Majestic globe artichokes grow into striking ornamental plants, with Large Green and Violetto thornless varieties offering particularly abundant edible flower buds. Jerusalem artichokes produce quirky knobby tubers with a sweet nutty flavor similar to water chestnuts. Their tall stems add height and interest to gardens.
Unlike temporary annual greens and roots that must be reseeded every year, these resilient perennials deliver stable harvests with minimal yearly labor. They are the ultimate anchors for a self-sufficient garden built to last.
Fruit-Bearing Trees, Vines and Canes
Mature fruiting trees, vines and berry bushes are invaluable assets in any prepper's landscape. Compact dwarf apple trees like Honeycrisp, Liberty, and Redfree allow for fresh eating and baking even in small spaces, while self-pollinating cherry, peach, plum and pear cultivars ensure reliable harvests. Seedless table grapes and muscadine grapes for wine flourish on arbors and trellises, providing summer shade along with years of fresh eating, raisins, jellies, juice, and fermented beverages. Blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, gooseberry, and currant bushes offer bumper crops of antioxidant-rich fruits for jams, baked treats, and more. Established plants quickly outproduce young starters, so opt for mature transplants if possible. Select cold hardy, disease-resistant varieties adapted for success in your growing zone.
Endlessly Productive Perennial Herbs
Versatile perennial herbs add flavor, natural remedies, pest resistance, and beauty to any edible landscape. Classic hardy herbs like sage, thyme, oregano, chives, rosemary, lavender, lemon balm, and mint are easily propagated from cuttings or divisions, then continue producing abundantly with minimal care year after year. The silvery foliage of artemisias and curry plants adds striking texture and sparkle.
Whether snipped fresh for kitchen use, brewed into medicinal teas, or left to flower for bees and butterflies, perennial herbs offer reliable returns. Their pungent oils also help deter pests. Plant once, harvest forever.
Sustaining Calories and Nutrition from Trees and Canes
In addition to fruits, staple nuts and fruits from trees and large woody canes can provide sustaining calories and nutrition. Majestic chestnut, hazelnut, walnut, pecan, almond, and pine nut trees produce abundant oily nuts. For small spaces, try multi-grafted trees or dwarf cultivars under 10 feet tall. Raspberries, blackberries, elderberries, currants, and gooseberries yield heavy crops of nourishing berries from resilient canes. Select thornless varieties like triple crown blackberries for painless harvesting. With well-drained soil and strong trellis supports, these woody canes continue producing sweet fruits for decades.
Useful Perennial Wild Edibles
Beyond cultivated fruits and vegetables, many wild plants have edible and useful parts. Perennial choices like dandelions, violets, chickweed, lamb's quarters, plantain, wild asparagus and berries persist and spread naturally once established. Observe ethical foraging practices when harvesting any wild plants. Site conditions will determine which edibles adapt best to your location. Welcome these gifts of nature into your perennial foodscape.
Designing a Resilient Perennial Foodscape
When planning a perennial foodscape, consider the connections between plants, soil, water, wildlife, and structures. Mimic natural plant communities with diversity, companion planting, and integrated pest control. Use site prep, planting schemes, and maintenance techniques to help plants thrive.
Strategic Plant Placement
"Right plant, right place" practices optimize limited space and growing conditions. Place tall trees and vines along sunny south-facing walls where their shade won’t impact smaller plants. Dwarf fruit trees suit tiny yards. Shelter delicate perennials from harsh winds and cold. Ensure adequate spacing for growth and airflow as plants mature. Group sun-lovers together in bright beds, and shade lovers under trees. Frame entryways and paths with ornamental edibles.
Boosting Productivity Through Succession and Interplanting
To maximize harvests from limited space, succession plant quick-growing annual crops between slower establishing perennials. Radishes, lettuces, spinach and peas temporarily fill empty ground as fruit trees mature. Interplanting reduces weeds and feeds the soil. As perennials spread, annuals can rotate to enrich other beds.
Companion Planting for Plant Health
By mimicking cooperative natural plant communities, companion planting enhances growth and controls pests. The Three Sisters method interplants corn, beans and squash, which thrive together by sharing space, nutrients and physical support. Shade-tolerant herbs flourish under fruit trees. Pest-repelling herbs and flowers protect neighboring plants. Trap crops like nasturtiums lure pests away from produce. A diverse landscape is a healthy landscape.
Water Efficiency for Conservation
Reducing water needs preserves resources. Drip irrigation targets plant roots rather than wasting water on paths. Organic mulch conserves moisture while suppressing weeds. Swales, berms and rain chains direct water flow. Seek out drought-tolerant varieties to reduce irrigation needs. Rainwater harvesting provides free irrigation. Graywater from the house can supplement landscape watering.
Building Soil Life for Plant Health
Promoting healthy, living soil helps plants thrive naturally. Spread 2-3 inches of compost annually. Use no-till methods like sheet mulching to avoid disrupting the soil biome. Rotating annual crops replenishes nutrients. Cover crops and green manures add organic matter when cut down. Wood chip mulch conserves moisture, cools soil and suppresses weeds as it slowly enriches the bed over seasons.
Managing Pests and Disease Organically
Prevention is key for minimizing pests and disease issues. Select resistant varieties suited to the site. Promote plant health with proper nutrition, pruning, and sanitation practices. Monitor for early signs of problems. Remove and destroy infected plants and debris promptly to prevent spread. Row covers, companion planting, crop rotation, and predator insect habitats provide biocontrol solutions without chemicals. Intervene selectively only when absolutely needed.
Maintaining a Productive Perennial Foodscape
While low maintenance compared to annuals, perennials still benefit from proper care and maintenance for optimal health and productivity. Smart pruning, mulching, and other simple practices support vigorous growth and extend harvests.
Pruning for Plant Shape and Fruit Production
Regular, careful pruning improves form, fruiting and controls growth on trees, vines, and canes. Structural pruning while dormant shapes plants. Fruiting prunes during growth to maximize production. Espalier training along walls and fences maximizes yields in tight spaces. Always sterilize pruners between plants to prevent disease spread. Remove dead or diseased branches ASAP.
Extending the Harvest with Season Extension
Lengthen harvests with simple season extension techniques. Unheated hoop houses, cold frames, cloches, and row covers allow crop rotation and protection. Passive solar structures like greenhouses provide free warmth. Movable components prevent overheating. Optimize sunlight exposure, ventilation, and insulation.
Building Soil Fertility and Organic Matter
Continually building soil life and organic matter enables plants to thrive naturally. Spread 2-3 inches of compost or aged manure annually. Use no-till methods and living mulches to avoid disrupting the soil. Rotate annual crops to replenish nutrients. Cover crops and green manures boost fertility when cut down. Wood chip mulch reduces weeds and slowly enriches soil.
Preventing and Managing Pests and Diseases
Promptly remove and destroy infected plants and debris to prevent disease spread. Disinfect tools between plants. Monitor for early signs of problems. Row covers exclude pests while allowing airflow, light, and irrigation. Diverse plantings attract beneficial insects that prey on pests. Targeted organic treatments only when absolutely needed. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Protecting Plants Through the Winter
Some perennials need protection from harsh winter conditions. Mulch tender roots and crowns well. Move containerized plants into unheated shelters. Wrap or paint trunks of susceptible trees and canes. Burlap or straw shields tender vines and shoots. Select hardy varieties suitable for your zone whenever possible. Plan ahead to overwinter plants successfully.
Top Perennial Plants for Preppers Seeking Self-Sufficiency
These resilient perennial fruits, veggies, herbs and wild edibles are ideal for preppers in pursuit of self-reliance. Discover how to "plant once and harvest forever."
Fruiting Trees and Canes
- Dwarf apples - Hardy, store well, for baking and cider (Honeycrisp, Liberty)
- Figs - Sweet fresh eating, preserves, drying (some cold hardiness)
- Muscadine grapes - Fresh, raisins, juice and wine (very disease resistant)
- Blueberries - Antioxidant-rich fruits, baking, jam (self-pollinating)
- Gooseberries – Pies, jams, syrups (some shade tolerance)
Vegetables and Herbs
- Asparagus - Early spring spears, soups, baking (useful ferns too)
- Good King Henry - Perennial spinach-like greens, thick stems like asparagus
- French sorrel - Lemony leaves for salads, soups, sauces (tolerates shade)
- Lovage - Celery-like stems, seeds for flavoring, parsley-like leaves
- Greek oregano - Pizzas, pastas, Mediterranean dishes (spreading habit)
Nut Trees and Canes
- American hazelnuts - Self-pollinating, nutritious nuts, oil, flour
- Elderberries - Fruits for syrups, wine, jam (tolerates wet soil)
- Honeyberry - Sweet blueberry-like fruits (extreme cold hardiness)
- Pawpaw - Tropical, custard-like fruits (tolerates part shade)
- Hardy southern pecans - Buttery nuts, pies (some cold tolerance)
Wild Edibles and More
- Lamb’s quarters - Nutritious cooked greens (freely self-seeds)
- Asparagus - Early spring spears, soups, baking (useful ferns too)
- Alpine strawberries - Petite fruits, preserves, desserts (spreading)
- Hops - Beer-making, tea (herbaceous vine, dies back in winter)
- Comfrey - Compost, fertilizer, mulch (ensure contained, spreading roots)
Conclusion - Cultivate Lifelong Abundance from Perennial Food Plants
Perennial fruits, nuts, herbs and vegetables enable years of bountiful harvests with minimal yearly effort. With smart planning and care, preppers can create their own self-sufficient perennial foodscapes built to produce for the long-haul. The plants featured here are just a sample of the many hardy, resilient perennials that allow you to “plant once and harvest forever.”
We invite you to explore the wealth of resources at WeLovePrepping as you pursue self-reliance and survival preparedness through perennial foodscapes. Discover how to cultivate your own garden of abundance that keeps on giving. What hardy, unstoppable perennials will you plant this season on your journey toward lifelong self-sufficiency? The possibilities are endless.
