Friday, November 06, 2009

Our perennial vegetables




I've typed up a list of the perennial vegetables we're growing in our yard. I've loosely organized them by their primary usage, but we use many of them in multiple ways (for greens and roots, for example.) I haven't organized the list in any other way.

Greens & Edible Flowers



  • Violets - Viola cornuta, Viola odorata, maybe others
  • Bellflowers/harebells - Campanula unknown, C. portenschlagiana, C. poscharskyana, C. persicifolia, C. rapunculoides

  • Mallows
    • Zebra Mallow - Malva sylvestris mauritiana
    • Malva Alcea fastigiata
    • Malva neglecta

  • Comfrey - Symphytum officinale
  • Salad Burnett - Sanguisorba minor
  • Good King Henry - Chenopodium bonus-henricum
  • Sylvetta Arugula - Diplotaxis muralis
  • Sea kale - Crambe maritima
  • Giant sea kale - Crambe cordifolia
  • Daisy - Bellis perennis
  • Mitsuba - Cryptotaenia japonica
  • Perennial Lettuce - Lactuca perennis
  • Salt Bush - Atriplex canescens and A. halimus
  • New Zealand Spinach (marginally hardy here) - Tetragonia tetragonioides
  • Stinging Nettle - Urtica dioica
  • Peppermint - Mentha x piperita
  • Lemon Balm - Melissa officinalis
  • Anise Hyssop - Agastache foeniculum
  • Lovage - Levisticum officinale
  • Miner's Lettuce - Claytonia perfoliata
  • Siberian Miner's Lettuce - Claytonia siberica
  • Buckshorn Plantain - Plantago coronopus
  • Sea Plantain - Plantago maritima
  • Fennel - Foeniculum vulgare
  • Chicory - Cichorium intybus
  • Iceplant - Sedum spectabile
  • Hen and Chickens / Houseleek - Sempervivum tectorum
  • French Sorrel - Rumex scutatus
  • Wood Sorrel - Oxalis oregana
  • Sheep Sorrel - Rumex acetosella
  • Dandelion - Taraxacum officinale
  • Cleavers - Galium aparine
  • Grape (leaves & tendrils) - Vitis vinifera
  • Wolf Berry - Lycium barbarum


Flowers



  • Day Lily - Hemerocallis sp.
  • Columbine - Aquilegea vulgaris
  • Red and White Clover - Trifolium pratense and T. repens
  • Turkish Rocket - Bunias orientalis
  • Black Locust - Robinia pseudoacacia







Shoots and Stalks



  • Rhubarb - Rheum x cultorum
  • Solomon Seal - Polygonatum commutatum
  • Giant Solomon's Seal - Polygonatum commutatum biflorum
  • American Spikenard - Aralia racemosa
  • Colts Foot - Petasites palmatus
  • Fuki - Petasites japonicus
  • Poke - Phytolacca americana
  • Angelica - Angelica archangelica
  • Asparagus - Asparagus officinalis
  • Bamboo - Phyllostachys sp


Seeds & Seedpods



  • Swamp Milkweed - Asclepias incarnata
  • Sweet Cicely - Myrrhis odorata
  • Scarlet Runner Bean (marginally hardy here) - Phaseolus coccineus
  • Eastern Bean - Phaseolus polystachios polystachios
  • Akebia - Akebia quinata and A. trifoliata
  • Milk Thistle - Silybum marianum



Root Crops



  • Skirret - Sium sisarum
  • Scorzonera - Scorzonera hispanica
  • Yellow Asphodel - Asphodeline lutea
  • Marshmallow - Althaea officinalis
  • Licorice, American and European - Glycyrrhiza lepidota and G. glabra
  • Hog peanut - Amphicarpaea bracteata
  • Tiger nut - Cyperus esculentus
  • Earth chestnut - Bunium bulbocastanum
  • American bistort - Polygonum bistortoides
  • Wapato - Sagitarria latifolia
  • Asiatic Lily - Lilium unknown
  • Camassia - Camassia quamash, C. leichtlinii, C. scilloides
  • Cat Tail - Typha latifolia
  • Grape Hyacinth - Muscaria unknown
  • Scilla unknown
  • Canna Lily - Canna unknown
  • Dahlia - Dahlia pinnata or D. rosea
  • Mashua (perennial nasturtium with edible root) - Tropaeolum tuberosum
  • Cinnamon Vine - Dioscorea batatas
  • Yacon - Smallianthus sonchifolia
  • Oca - Oxalis tuberosa
  • Jerusalem Artichoke/Sunchoke - Helianthus tuberosus
  • Sweet Flag - Acorus calamus americanus
  • Horseradish - Armoracia rusticana
  • Ladybells - Adenophora lilifolia and A. pereskiifolia



Onions (Allium genus)



  • Egyptian Walking Onion
  • Nodding Onion - Allium cernuum
  • Bunching Onion - Allium fistulosum
  • Chive - Allium schoenoprasum
  • Garlic Chive - Allium tuberosum
  • Garlic - Allium sativum
  • Multiplier Onions & Shallots - Allium cepa aggregatum
  • Ramps - Allium tricoccum
  • Golden Garlic - Allium moly
  • Drumstick allium - Allium sphaerocephalum
  • Allium stipitatum


Self seeding annuals and biennials



  • Evening Primrose - Oenothera biennis
  • Pop Weed - Cardamine unknown
  • Kale
  • Chard
  • Curly mallow - Malva verticillata
  • Calendula - Calendula officinalis
  • Nipple Wort - Lapsana communis
  • Purple Dead Nettle - Lamium purpureum
  • Money Plant - Lunaria annua
  • Parsley - Petroselinum crispum
  • Pigweed - Amaranthus sp.
  • Lambs Quarters - Chenopodium sp.

4 comments:

Feral Kimchi said...

Pretty impressive list!

Don't you also have some Mullein in the yard? Maybe I am just blind though...

Anonymous said...

I'm just starting to plant perrenial vegies. I'm looking for salt bush (atriplex halimus) and haven't been able to find it. Do you have a source?

Hughbert said...

Hi Norris,

I recently heard you on Paul Wheaton's urban permaculture podcast and I had a question about scorzonera which you mentioned when talking about salad greens.

I am starting to grow Scorzonera hispanica, but the information I can see suggests this is only a useful leaf crop for a short period of time. I was wondering if you were talking about that, or about french scorzonera (Reichardia picroides), which seems it may have more potential as a salad leaf crop.

Norris said...

Hi Hughbert,

I am talking about Scorzonera hispanica (never got a hold of Reichardia picroides, sadly). Scorzonera provides us with good greens from mid spring through early to mid summer, at which point the leaves get tough but it starts to provides lots of flower buds and flowers. We get a new flush of leaves in fall--I'm harvesting a lot right now. Thanks for your question,

Norris