Annuals versus Perennials

Lots of fuchsia colored volunteer zinnias in the summer garden

Saturday, July 15, 2023

Annuals are ones that come up once, set seed, and die.  Perennials are ones that after being planted, come back year after year.  Perennials can also produce seed, nuts, or propagate underground.  Some plants are perennial in warmer regions but are annuals if left outside over the winter in colder climates.  Many of our favorite vegetables we grow in our edible gardens are perennials in warmer regions but annuals in our climate zone.  There are also perennial vegetables that survive our winters.  Annuals and perennials have advantages and disadvantages.  

Most of our garden veggies are annuals in our climate zones in the Midwest and further north.  Favorites like eggplant, tomatoes and peppers are all perennials in their native warm zones.  Other common vegetables that are perennials but treated like an annual are alliums which include onions, shallots, leeks, chives and garlic.  If their bulbs are not harvested, they will come back in the spring.  Perennials that we harvest that come back every year are veggies like cold hardy artichoke varieties and asparagus.

There are many edible greens that are not well known, but are perennials as long as you don't pull up the entire plant and just harvest leaves as you need them.  Examples include varieties of kale like sea kale, Western Front kale, Walking Stick kale, Dorbenton kale, perennial broccoli like 9 Star, several varieties of sorrel like Profusion sorrel, dandelions, Turkish rocket, and Sylvetta arugula.

Besides the advantage of not having to plant perennials each year, another great thing about edible perennials is that they are up and ready to eat before anything else in the garden.

The great thing about most annuals is that they flower quickly and many times repeatedly.  This holds for flowers and edibles.  They know they only have a limited time to ensure the continuation of their kind so kick it into gear early and often.  

There are many "self-sowing" annuals for both edibles and ornamentals.  

Self sowing herbs:

Basil (bring in the volunteers to overwinter in a pot)

Borage

Chamomile

Cilantro

Dill

Oregano

Parsley

Self sowing edible flowers:

Calendula

Chamomile

Marigolds

Nasturtiums

Sunflowers

Self sowing vegetables:

Celery

Beets

Broccoli raab

Carrots

Egyptian walking onions

Parsnips

Radishes

Runner beans

Sprouting broccoli

Squash

Tomatillo 

Tomato

Turnips

Self sowing greens:

Amaranth

Arugula

Chard

Collards

French sorrel

French dandelions (bred to have larger, sweeter leaves than “common” dandelions, but both are very nutritious and great in salads) 

Kale

Lettuce

Mache

Miner’s lettuce

Orach

Mustards (Giant Red Mustard does great in our garden)

New Zealand spinach

Purslane

Red Malabar spinach

If you leave any of these to flower and set seed this year,  you will have many "volunteers" sprouting next season.  A watch out for self-sowers is that they can become invasive if left alone.  If you get more than you need, just pull the unwanted seedlings.

The edible perennials I have in our garden are asparagus, Egyptian walking onions, chives, oregano, thyme, sage, tarragon, sorrel, and a winter hardy chard.  

I have many volunteer annuals in the garden: amaranth, ground cherries, basil, carrots, marigolds, summer squash, celosia, sunflowers, zinnias, sprouting broccoli, kale, lettuce, dill, cilantro, orach, Red Malabar spinach, New Zealand spinach, Ruby Streaks mustard, Giant Red mustard.  I move the volunteers where I want them in the garden once they are about 6" tall.  By this time, they have a good root system and transplant well.