Perennial vegetables are a joy to grow. Whereas traditional
vegetable plots are largely made up of short-lived, annual
vegetable plants, perennials are edible plants that live longer
than three years. Grown as permaculture plants, they take up less
of your time and effort than annual vegetables do. Martin
Crawford's book outlines the benefits of growing perennial
vegetables: Perennials provide crops throughout the year, so
there's always something that can be used in the kitchen. You avoid
the hungry gap between the end of the winter harvest and the start
of the summer harvest of annual vegetables. Perennial vegetables
are less work. Once planted, they stay in the ground for many
years. They are the classic plants for no-dig gardeners. Unlike
annual vegetables, perennial vegetables cover and protect the soil
all year round. This maintains the structure of the soil and helps
everything growing in it. Humous levels build up and nutrients
don't wash out of soil. (Cultivating the soil for annuals exposes
this humous to air on the surface, causing the carbon to be
released as carbon dioxide.) Mycorrhizal fungi, critical for
storing carbon within the soil, are preserved. (They are killed
when soil is constantly dug for annual vegetables.) Perennial
plants contain higher levels of mineral nutrients than annuals
because perennial vegetables have larger, permanent root systems,
capable of using space more efficiently, and they take up more
nutrients. How to grow perennial vegetables gives comprehensive
advice on all types of perennial vegetable, from ground-cover
plants and coppiced trees to plants for bog gardens and edible
woodland plants: In Part One Martin Crawford outlines why we should
grow perennials. He then explains where and how to grow them in
perennial polycultures, in forest garden or aquatic garden
settings. He outlines how to propagate them, how to look after them
for maximum health and how to harvest them. Part Two is a
plant-by-plant reference of over 100 perennial edibles in detail,
from familiar ones like rhubarb, Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes),
horseradish and asparagus to less common ones such as skirret,
nodding onions, red chicory, Babbington's leek, scorzonera, sea
kale and wild rocket. With beautiful colour photographs and
illustrations and plenty of cooking tips throughout, this book
offers inspiration and information for all gardeners, whether
experienced or beginner.
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