Grow Edible Perennial Plants

What if you could plant something once and then harvest it for years to come while putting hardly any effort toward its care? Well, you can! If you put edible perennial plants in your vegetable garden.

I planted the majority of these perennial plants over 3 years ago, and they're still going strong. There's a saying about perennials: The first year they sleep, the next year they creep, and the third year they leap. And that was certainly the case this year. I got loads of production from these plants from spring through fall.

Perennials are great choices for beginner gardeners. Actually, I'd say planting perennials is one of the best hacks for a stress-free garden for anyone. They don't require much work, they're super productive, and they don't quit. Plus, there's nothing more satisfying than seeing them pop back up after each winter.

Let's look at my top 5 perennial plants to grow. You'll notice they're all herbs, and that's because there's nothing better to grow if you want to be able to harvest every single week, all season long.

Oregano

Oregano is so low-maintenance, it actually thrives on a little neglect. Your biggest tending task will be harvesting frequently because this herb grows rapidly. If you plant it in the ground, you can even use it as ground cover. In a raised bed, it does well on the very edge so you can prune it from behind and keep its spread in check.

Oregano is hardy down to zone 4, so it'll survive the winter in most climates. We recently had our first snow in Nashville, and my oregano plants weren't fazed one bit. They'll slow their production until spring, when they'll take off again and give me harvests all spring, summer, and fall long. In a colder climate, like my Chicago garden (zone 5), oregano will die back after the first hard freeze and then return from its roots in spring. In a warmer climate, oregano will stay green and produce leaves for you all year, even during a hot summer.

Oregano has that wonderfully earthy flavor. I love adding it to flat bread, pasta, and pizza. Oregano is super easy to dry, so you can make your own year-round supply for your kitchen. I have not bought oregano from the grocery store in years, and I don't plan on buying it anytime soon. If you add a couple oregano plants to your space, you won't ever have to buy this herb again either.

Learn more about planting and growing your own oregano.

Rosemary

If you're looking for an easy perennial plant for your garden that can improve your mood and repel pests, you've got to plant some rosemary.

I fell in love with the woodsy scent of rosemary in grad school. I would walk by this huge rosemary bush on my way to class, and every time I smelled it, I didn't feel as depressed. I started breaking off little pieces and carrying it around with me. I swore to myself I would always have rosemary nearby. Rosemary is one of my favorite plants to have in my garden.

Rosemary grows great in a raised garden bed or container or even right in the ground (as long as your soil isn't too clay-heavy).

If you have moderate to cold winters, rosemary may not be perennial for you. It's only hardy down to about 15°F. I recommend digging your plant up and overwintering it indoors if you have a true winter. In zones 7 and 8, your plant will die back but then return in the spring. In climates that get hardly any frost, rosemary grows year round and turns into a bush, just like the one I had in grad school.

I love sprinkling fresh or dried rosemary onto baked chicken and roasted vegetables. If you cut from your rosemary plant every couple of weeks and dry half of your harvest, you can create your own year-round supply of rosemary.

Learn more about growing your own rosemary.

Sage

Sage is one of my favorite perennials. My sage plants were like mini trees growing in my raised beds this year. I've been harvesting sage every single week, all spring, summer, and fall. At first, I wasn't quite sure what to do with so much sage, but then I discovered sage tea. I've been making myself a nice, hot cup every night, and I have to say, I'm sleeping a lot better because of it. I've also been making sage bundles.

Sage leaves are what we call savoy (covered in little bumps), which makes them particularly good at withstanding cold temps. That's why sage plants can last deep into winter and bounce back quickly in the early spring, even after frost and snow. Sage is hardy all the way down to zone 4, and in many climates, it'll stay productive throughout the entire year.

Learn more about growing your own sage.

Thyme

This is such an easy herb to grow and can be planted as a little bitty plant in the corners of your raised beds. It looks lovely cascading over the side of your garden, and it'll give and then give some more during its long growing season.

Thyme is hardy down to zone 5. It can survive periods of frost but will slow its growth and then die back until the spring. Thyme stays evergreen in milder climates and continues to thrive through hot summers. That means some of you can have fresh thyme year round!

There is nothing like fresh thyme to add some earthy, citrusy flavor to all kinds of recipes in the kitchen. You can easily dry stems of thyme and have thyme all through the winter.

Learn more about growing your own thyme.

Lemon Balm

Lemon balm is such an easy plant to grow. It might even be a little too easy. Buyer beware: Lemon balm will give you way more than you bargained for. This plant grows aggressively — very similar to mint — so it should not be planted in a raised bed. I grow it in my native plant garden that frames my kitchen garden, and this winter, I'm going to cut it back to control it a bit.

Lemon balm is super fragrant and has a slight citrusy kick. Mosquitos apparently don't like the smell of lemon balm. I've found I have hardly any mosquitos in my garden, and I attribute it to growing this perennial border plant.

Once you're harvesting more lemon balm than you know what to do with, come back here so you can remind yourself of all the different uses for lemon balm. Make lemon balm tea. Add the leaves to homemade salad dressings. You can even toss the leaves straight into your salad bowl. Arrange lemon balm in vases around your home. Tear the leaves to release their oils and rub them on your skin to make a natural bug deterrent.

So add some lemon balm to your garden, but be careful. Don't let it take over your space!

Learn more about growing your own lemon balm.

Perennial Plant List for Your Garden

• Anise hyssop
• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Bee balm
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Coreopsis
• Echinacea
• Lavender
• Lemon balm
• Milkweed
• Mint
• Oregano
• Purple sage salvia
• Raspberries
• Rhubarb
• Rosemary
• Rudbeckia
• Sage
• Strawberries
• Thyme
• Yarrow

Time to Grow Some Perennial Plants

If you were to look at my vegetable garden at the beginning of December vs July, it wouldn't look all that different. That's because my garden is packed with perennials. I plant them all around the perimeter of my garden and in the corners of my raised beds. And I can count on them to come back year after year.

If you add these 5 perennials to your vegetable garden, you'll find that so much of the work is done for you before you even head outside to plant for the next season. All you have to do is plant them once in your garden, and you'll be able to enjoy them year after year.