Create a perpetual vegetable garden

Create a perpetual vegetable garden. Forgotten, original, and surprisingly flavorful vegetables, perpetual vegetables are often perennials that will remain in the vegetable garden for several years without requiring much care. Hardy, economical, and original, they will delight gardeners with little time in the garden or the curious. The keys to a successful perpetual vegetable garden remain the same as for a traditional vegetable garden: a sunny location, nourished, and well-drained soil. Unlike a traditional vegetable garden, where vegetables are grown in large quantities to store during the winter, a perpetual vegetable garden will allow you to harvest as needed throughout the year. These vegetables will not be intended for winter storage or freezing. What are perpetual vegetables? There are two types of perpetual vegetables: perennials, hardy in place for several years and plants that multiply by their bulbs, tubers (tuberous nasturtium, crosnes, ocas, ground pears etc.). In this second case the gardener will leave some bulbs/tubers in the ground to perpetuate the culture. Where and how to plant your perpetual vegetable garden? In a perpetual vegetable garden we will not use the principle of rotation as in a classic vegetable garden, this is why we recommend that you create your perpetual vegetable garden next to your traditional vegetable garden and/or not far from your home. Its proximity to your home will allow you to easily pick from day to day according to your needs. You can plant your perpetual vegetable garden in the ground or in vegetable patches with sunny exposure. Weeding Before planting your plants, bulbils or seedlings you will need to weed the soil. For this we offer two solutions: using a tarpaulin left on the ground for several months or manual uprooting (be careful to remove the roots). This step is very important to avoid any competition between vegetables and weeds. Aerate the soil Perennial vegetables with a fairly powerful root system will need deep soil, which is why we recommend aerating the soil using a broadfork. Adding decomposed compost Ideally, add well-decomposed homemade compost or an organic amendment, but be careful not to overdo it. You can add a little compost to your vegetables every spring to stimulate their growth. Avoid competition Respect the recommended distances between each plant to avoid any competition. If you notice that a plant is taking up too much space, you can reduce it. Perennial vegetables remaining in placeRocambole garlic: Rocambole garlic, an old-fashioned crop, is native to Europe. Widely consumed in the Middle Ages, it is now finding its place in our vegetable gardens. With a milder flavor than common garlic, rocambole garlic contains many mineral salts. In addition to producing cloves like common garlic, rocambole garlic has the particularity of producing many aerial bulbils that can be eaten. Wild garlic: Wild garlic is an ancient aromatic and medicinal plant. Its leaves, flowers, and bulbs are eaten as vegetables, cooked like spinach, or as a condiment, adding to salads, pesto, soups, and herbal teas. Mountain lovage: Celery and turnips were created from mountain lovage. Its fragrant foliage flavors meats, fish, sauces, salads, and soups. Fresh leaves are harvested as needed. But, it is also possible to harvest the leaves before flowering, dry them in the shade, grind them into powder, and store the powder in small, airtight containers. Artichoke: As attractive in the garden as they are delicious in the kitchen, artichokes are essential in the perpetual vegetable garden. New stems will sprout from the base of the plant. Cardoon: The cardoon produces numerous large, fleshy cardoons and flower heads that can be eaten like artichokes. Ground chestnut: Native to Europe and Asia, known since the 17th century, the ground chestnut is an ancient, forgotten, and delicious vegetable. Ground chestnuts are rarely found in gardens, yet they are tasty, nutritious, and decorative thanks to their summer flowering. Fine and delicate, this old variety produces small tubers with a delicious chestnut flavor from its roots. Good Henry Goosefoot: Highly appreciated in the Middle Ages, it is making a comeback in gardens. The leaves of the good Henry goosefoot are eaten exactly like those of spinach. Chervis: Chervis is an old and rustic vegetable species, herbaceous, which can reach 1.70 m in height. Chervis produces numerous roots, long, swollen and fleshy, white in color. These roots with a delicate and sweet flavor are eaten steamed. Chervis is sometimes called berle des potagers, chirouis or even girol. Aubenton perpetual cabbage: Long considered a fodder cabbage, Aubenton perpetual cabbage is today very popular in cooking. The young shoots of this cabbage are eaten raw or cooked, harvested as needed. Scallop chives: This chive has the particularity of not disappearing in winter and of producing numerous small delicious bulbs. Seaweed: Natural species growing along the Baltic and Atlantic coasts. Perennial, native