'Legacy' Fruits and Vegetables

Think you have to purchase new plants for your garden

every year?  Invest in a few of these, then sit back

and watch the groceries grow.

There are quite a few perennial vegetables and fruits that will grow in the northern parts of the US.
I like to call these 'legacy' fruits and vegetables, because they are long-lived and
can feed generations of folks if properly tended.

The queen of all garden crops and a 'must have' in all gardens is

Asparagus

www.germany.info

One of the first vegetables to break through the soil in the spring is asparagus.

 The entire country of Germany goes crazy for white 'Spargel' in the springtime, and restaurants

create entire menus featuring the white asparagus prepared in different methods and dishes.

If you fly Lufthansa in April, May, or early June, you will even be served 

white asparagus on the plane!

www.lovewhatyoudo.com

You can't purchase asparagus crowns that will produce white spears. White asparagus is blanched by being grown in the dark.  There are, however, purple asparagus varieties, which will be purple as they grow, but will turn green when cooked.

You initially will need patience, as you can just lightly harvest asparagus the third year after planting.

The first few years of harvesting will yield slender spears, which will fatten up as the crowns age.

Slender spears are a bit tougher, because the fibers of the spear are closer  

together than in fatter spears.

After the crowns have established themselves, you will be rewarded by a bed 

of asparagus that will produce for decades.

After the middle of June, stop cutting and let the spears to grow up into the 

lacy fronds as pictured, above.  This will allow the plant to store up energy for next spring's harvest.

Also pictured above are asparagus seeds.  Typically, crowns are advertised as 'all male', but invariably, there will be some females that will go to seed.

Asparagus self seeds readily, so give it a nice area of your garden with room to grow.
You can dig and transplant any baby asparagus plants that pop up in random
locations in your garden.

Rhubarb

                    When I was growing up in Iowa, everyone had a 'pie plant'.  Growing rhubarb

could NOT be easier, just plant it in a sunny location, and refrain from cutting for the

first year.  After that, you can harvest part of the plant all summer long, leaving part of it to

continue growing and regenerating.

Rhubarb plants are very long-lived -- my sister still cuts the patch that our 

 grandmother planted in the 1940s.

A note of caution: the leaves of the rhubarb plant contain oxalic acid, which can be poisonous in large doses, but are fine in the compost heap. 

The stalks are 100% edible and delicious with strawberries, which, not coincidentally, are ripe at about the same time.  Try using rhubarb not only in sweet dishes, but savory, as well.

Perennial Onions

Not to be confused with 'walking onions' or Egyptian onions, which produce bulbs on the tops then replant themselves as the onion top bends under the weight of the bulb.  

Perennial onions are known as bunching onions.  Bunching onions are fantastic for a supply of scallions or 'green onions' all summer long, you can read more about bunching onions

HERE

Horseradish

My grandma Marty always told me that you can dig horseradish during any 

month that has an 'r' in it.  Around here, that will mean you can begin harvesting in September.

If you have never had fresh horseradish, get ready for a nose-hit that won't quit,

but will keep you coming back for more.

And for Pete's sakes, don't ever hit your horseradish with a rototiller, or you'll have 

horseradish all over your garden.  Sadly, this I know from personal experience. 

There are 'legacy' fruits, too, that thrive in the acidic soil of Northeastern Minnesota.

Blueberries
 
Think of northern Minnesota, and you think
loons, wolves, moose, and blueberries.  Wild blueberry patches are closely-kept secrets in this part of the country, but if you know where they grow best, you'll have no trouble finding your own spot.
Usually, getting to a blueberry picking patch is a lot of work, so I like to also have a few
bushes in the yard for lazy days when a half day adventure isn't in the cards.

You can read an in-depth post about blueberry culture
HERE 

Currants

   There are black, red, pink, and champagne-colored currants and you'll love them all.
Prolific and delicious either fresh or dried, currants are naturally very high in pectin, so can be made into terrific jam.  Or, try making home-made cassis, an aperitif that is adored by the French.

Raspberries

 Raspberries are considered 'brambles', just like blackberries.
Most everyone is familiar with raspberries, but homegrown beat the pants off of store-bought.

Strawberries

There are June-bearing, Ever-bearing, and Day-Neutral varieties of strawberries, and all perform well.  June-bearing, as the name suggests, fruit heavily in June.  Ever-bearing will produce small crops throughout the year.  Day-Neutral is by far and away the favorite type of strawberry at Gracie's Plant Works.  These plants will produce as long as the temperature is between 35 and 85 degrees F.
Read more about day-neutral strawberries HERE  
Strawberries produce prolific amounts of 'daughter' plants, so a bed planted and
cared for can sustain and renew itself.

Fruiting Trees

Certain varieties of apples, pear, cherries, and plums will bear fruit in Northeastern Minnesota.

Most require that you plant two varieties that bloom simultaneously for pollination, and fruiting trees must be hardy in your zone.   Obviously, not all are, and Patty has done an excellent job selecting Minnesota-hardy trees that will work in concert together to ensure proper pollination.

Grapes

There are also certain varieties of grapes that produce in our neck of the woods, too. 

As with all perennials, you must plan before you plant so that you can leave them undisturbed from year to year.  Generally, asparagus is quite tall and so is nice as a backdrop.  Be sure to study your yard and garden to make sure your legacy perennials have full sun and aren't blocking the
sun for others.

All of these plants are tough and very winter-hardy, require little maintenance,
and pay you back in spades. We recommend top dressing every spring with aged compost or 

a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10.  

Gracie's will have all of these perennial vegetables, trees, and fruiting shrubs available this spring.

Set aside a portion of your yard and garden for these tried and true, long-lived perennials.  

Future generations will appreciate your efforts

to grow and leave them your legacy.

Happy Gardening,

Kathy and Patty