I welcome you all to my cottage garden. I have several varieties in here but today I shall show you the heart of it: the vegetable garden. I have dedicated the space almost entirely to perennial vegetables meaning one can sow plants once and enjoy them for years to come.

 

Now the question is —why have I chosen to grow perennials? Simply because:

 

• I plant and forget them because of their low-maintenance character.
• They improve soil health with deep, long-term roots.
• These plants can attract pollinators with lovely blooms.
• As they are cost-effective, they have the ability to me season after season.

 

If you are ready to transform your garden, I here provide some of my favorite perennial vegetables and fruits to grow:

 

 Walking Onions: The Plant That “Walks”

 

Walking onions are one of my favorite perennial plants. I love their tall stems and edible bulbils (tiny onions at the top). I enjoy them like spring onions.

 

 Perennial Bunching Onions

Perennial Bunching Onions are propagated by division meaning one bulb becomes two, then four, then eight. The interesting fact is that both the green tops and bulbs are edible. They’re a true low-effort, high-yield addition to my perennial patch.

 

Perennial Kale: Always Ready to Harvest

Two of my favorites:

• Dorbenten’s Kale: Whenever I want a spinach substitute, I opt for Dorbenten’s Kale. It is a compact variety, easy to propagate via cuttings.
• Taunton Dean Kale: A towering tree kale with stunning purple stems. Even if caterpillars nibble the leaves, this sturdy plant keeps producing.

 Strawberry Spinach (Chenopodium)

Strawberry Spinach (Chenopodium) is a fun hybrid because it has spinach-like leaves and sweet strawberry-like berries. Both the berries and the leaves are edible. If you want plants that pull double duty in your garden, strawberry spinach is a fantastic choice.

 

 Asparagus: A Long-Term Investment

If you can grow asparagus once, you can harvest them for 20-25 years. Sounds unnatural right? It is true. You need to plant asparagus crowns and then you have to wait patiently for a couple of years. Finally, you can enjoy a spring harvest that will knock your socks off.

Pro tip: Underplant your asparagus with strawberries — they act as ground cover and reward you with delicious fruit.

 

Strawberries: The Ground-Cover Gift That Keeps Giving

I suggest you to plant a few strawberry plants because soon you’ll have a bed bursting with berries. Moreover, your homegrown strawberries will simply outsmart supermarket varieties with juicy and fragrant flavors.

Rhubarb: Drama in the Garden

I love rhubarb because it needs minimal care. Rhubarb is a joy — perfect for crumbles and jams.

 

Jerusalem Artichokes: Food and Flowers

These sunflower relatives offer edible tubers (great for roasting or soups) and bright blooms for pollinators. Be warned — they spread quickly.

 

 Globe Artichokes: Edible and Ornamental

Globe artichokes have giant, silver-green, and stunning, purple-blue flowers. I eat the flower heads when young.

Kiwi Vine: A Sweet Surprise

Yes — you’ve heard it right, you can grow kiwi in temperate climates. Self-fertile varieties can

produce thousands of fruits on vigorous vines.

 

I’m always hunting for more low-maintenance, high-reward plants to add. If you love the idea of a garden that feeds you for years, perennials are the way to go.