Perennial Food and Edible Landscaping: Food That Comes Back Every Year

By GoldBlock WorkshopPublished Updated

The short answer

Perennial food plants are planted once and harvested for years: NDSU Extension says “an asparagus bed can last 15 or more years,” University of Wisconsin-Madison describes how walking onions’ topsets replant themselves, and Illinois Extension gives fruit trees two to five years to first flowering. Oregon State University Extension defines edible landscaping as “the use of food-producing plants in the residential landscape” and says most fruits and vegetables need “6 to 8 hours of sun to produce well.” Jerusalem artichoke and horseradish spread (Clemson; UW-Madison).

Key numbers

Why perennials belong in a food plan

Oregon State University Extension defines edible landscaping as “the use of food-producing plants in the residential landscape.” Perennials are harvested year after year without replanting; asparagus and rhubarb are spring harvests (NDSU).

Perennial vegetables

The extension sources below name asparagus, rhubarb, Egyptian walking onions, Jerusalem artichoke and horseradish as perennial vegetables.

  • Asparagus. Illinois Extension (Candice Anderson, 2015) calls it “probably the best know perennial vegetable” (sic). North Dakota State University Extension (H61, revised April 2024): “Asparagus should not be harvested before its third season of growth,” harvest stops in June so the plant can store energy for the next season, and “an asparagus bed can last 15 or more years.”
  • Rhubarb. Illinois Extension: “There isn’t any easier place to start with than rhubarb.” NDSU advises dividing and resetting plants about every fourth year.
  • Egyptian walking onions. University of Wisconsin-Madison (Susan Mahr, revised September 2026): “hardy in zones 3a to 9b”; the plant “produces topsets, a cluster of bulbils, at the top of the stalk”; “The stalks eventually flop over from the weight of the bulbils” and the bulbils root where they land; “The tender young shoots and stems can be used as green onions,” “The bulbils can be eaten, too, if not replanted,” and the small bulbs at the base are edible.
  • Jerusalem artichoke (sunchoke). A “tough, drought-resistant perennial” grown for its tubers (Illinois Extension). Clemson Extension (Paul Thompson, 2021): many consider it invasive “because they can come back from any tubers left in the ground”; plant it “in a confined space or raised bed/large container”; dig “the tubers furthest away from the stems as needed in the fall through early spring”; “fresh tubers will only keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks”; the tubers contain inulin, and “eating a lot of sunchokes at one time may cause gas with some folks.”
  • Horseradish is a “hardy perennial” grown for its root (Illinois Extension). University of Wisconsin-Madison (Susan Mahr): “The plant spreads by underground shoots, out-competes almost all other plants and can become invasive if not maintained,” “because the smallest piece of root can grow a new plant.”

Fruit trees and berries

Illinois Extension gives two to five years to first flowering for apples, sour cherries and plums, and names the fruits that need a pollination partner.

  • Years to first flowering. University of Illinois Extension (Richard Hentschel, 2014): apples “can start to flower in as little as two years,” sour cherries are in “the two to three year range,” and plums “take 3-5 years.”
  • Pollination. “Apples will require cross-pollination” from a different variety blooming at the same time; pears, American plums and sweet cherries are “self un-fruitful” and need a compatible partner; an ornamental flowering crabapple blooming at the same time can “serve as a pollinator for fruiting apples” (Illinois Extension).
  • Size for the space. Oregon State: “Dwarf or semi-dwarf trees and smaller-sized shrubs work well in small spaces,” and “Trellises, fences, and arbors make use of vertical space.”
  • Blueberries. Oregon State: “Easy to grow and has very few disease problems.” NC State Extension (Charlotte Glen, 2022): “Blueberries require acidic soil to grow well, preferring a soil pH of 4.0 to 5.5,” and “To find out your soil’s pH, submit a soil sample to your local Cooperative Extension office.”

Designing an edible landscape

The design facts in the sources are sun, spreading habit and what pesticide labels allow.

  • Oregon State: most fruits and vegetables require “6 to 8 hours of sun to produce well.”
  • Spreading plants named by the sources: Jerusalem artichoke (Clemson) and horseradish (UW-Madison).
  • Pesticide labels list the “Site(s) where the product may be used (lawn, vegetable garden, etc.)” and “Preharvest intervals for products that can be used on edible crops”; as University of Florida IFAS Extension puts it, “The Label is the Law.” Spray drift from lawn and ornamental products can reach nearby edibles, so follow the label’s wind and weather limits; dead-calm air is not automatically safe: the North Central IPM Center’s drift fact sheet says “Temperature inversions occur most often under light or calm winds, due to a lack of vertical air movement,” and under an inversion “Air can move horizontally, like a fog, onto neighboring fields, carrying these spray droplets along” (How Drift Happens).

Common questions

What are the easiest perennial vegetables to grow?

Illinois Extension: “There isn’t any easier place to start with than rhubarb”; it also names asparagus, Jerusalem artichoke and horseradish among edible perennials.

When can I start harvesting asparagus?

NDSU: “Asparagus should not be harvested before its third season of growth”; harvest stops in June so the plant can store energy; “an asparagus bed can last 15 or more years.”

Are Jerusalem artichokes invasive?

Clemson Extension: many consider them invasive “because they can come back from any tubers left in the ground,” and advises planting “in a confined space or raised bed/large container.”

Can you eat rhubarb leaves?

No. NDSU: “The leaves are toxic and should not be consumed”; Oregon State: eat only the stalks.

How long until a fruit tree produces?

University of Illinois Extension: apples “can start to flower in as little as two years,” sour cherries “the two to three year range,” plums “take 3-5 years.”

Where to go next

Sources