18 Perennial Vegetables You Can Plant Once and Enjoy for Years

Sheri Dorn is a versatile homesteader and culinary artist with a strong focus on organic and heirloom gardening. Holding a Master's degree in Culinary Arts, she combines her love for cooking and gardening in a unique way. Sheri is an active contributor to online gardening communities and enjoys quality outdoor time with her family and pets.
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Discover the best Perennial Vegetables You Can Plant Once & Enjoy for Years. Grow them today and harvest them for a long long time to come!

Vegetables are planted every season but do you know there are some of them that are planted once and harvested many seasons? Here are the best Perennial Vegetables You Can Plant Once & Enjoy for Years!

Check out the best perennial herbs you can plant once and enjoy for years here


Perennial Vegetables You Can Plant Once & Enjoy for Years

1. Horseradish

Botanical Name: Armoracia rusticana

USDA Zones: 4-9

Average Age: 4-6 years

Plant horseradish in spring in a sunny area. You can harvest the roots during fall and early winter. This vegetable tastes great when fresh and growing it gives you a constant organic supply.

It will be ready to harvest one year after planting, and then you can also enjoy its edible leaves for years.

2. Rhubarb

kleingarten_paradies

Botanical Name: Rheum rhabarbarum

USDA Zones: 3-8

Average Age: 8-12 years

You will have to wait for at least 8-12 months before the plant gets ready to harvest. This perennial grows easily, so you can enjoy it for a really long time to come.

Learn about growing rhubarb in pots here

3. Asparagus

shutterstock/Africa Studio

Botanical Name: Asparagus officinalis

USDA Zones: 4-9

Average Age: 5-6 years

Asparagus can also be grown in pots, so you don’t need to have a big garden for it. As long as you are using well-draining soil and providing it plenty of sunlight.

4. Artichoke

reddit

Botanical Name: Cynara scolymus

USDA Zones: 7-11

Average Age: 2-4 years

This delicious short-living perennial is packed with essential nutrients. You can grow it in pots under full sun in fertile soil.

Check out 15 types of artichokes here

5. Malabar Spinach

Botanical Name: Basella alba

USDA Zones: 7-10

Average Age: 3-5 years

This tender perennial is edible and can be grown as an ornamental vine too. It has a mild and peppery taste.

6. Water Cress

123rf/vanatchanan

Botanical Name: Nasturtium officinale

USDA Zones: 3-11

Average Age: 3-4 years

Watercress gives a similar peppery flavor like arugula and is rich in many nutrients. While growing it, keep an eye on pests and diseases as it is susceptible to them. As it grows best in damp soil, here are a few more vegetables that like such conditions.

7. Sweet Potato

shutterstock/nednapa

Botanical Name: Ipomoea batatas

USDA Zones: 8-11

Average Age: 2-3 years

This perennial root vegetable prefers hot weather and long growing periods. You can easily grow it in large containers or grow bags on a sunny patio or balcony too.

Find how to grow sweet potatoes at home here

8. Purple Yam

Botanical Name: Dioscorea alata

USDA Zones: 4-5

Average Age: 2-4 years

This herbaceous perennial grow tubers, which taste great when roasted, boiled, or fried. You can propagate yam by small tubers easily.

9. Tree Kale

shutterstock/Danny Hummel

Botanical Name: Brassica oleracea var. ramosa

USDA Zones: 4-9

Average Age: 3-4 years

This nutritious perennial vegetable is also known as ‘perpetual kale.’ After planting, you can harvest it in succession for a long time without planting new ones.

10. Sorrel

shutterstock/Bubushonok

Botanical Name: Rumex acetosa

USDA Zones: 5-7

Average Age: 3-6 years

Sorrel adds flavor to dishes with tangy, lemon-like sourness. Sow seeds in rich, well-draining soil under full sun. Also, it grows best in well-draining soil.

11. Sea Kale

shutterstock/Brookgardener

Botanical Name: Crambe maritime

USDA Zones: 5-9

Average Age: 3-4 years

Popular for its ornamental gray-blue leaves and white flowers, it is also a great plant to have on your platter! The shoots, young leaves, and blooms are all edible, and you can prepare delicious coastal recipes using it.

12. Egyptian Walking Onion

gdogc.org

Botanical Name: Allium x proliferum

USDA Zones: 3-11

Average Age: 3-5 years

Also, called tree onion, this perennial onion gives you a never-ending harvest. All you have to do is to give it plenty of sunlight, use a rich growing medium and it will keep on growing. In cold climates, it looks scraggly and like it is no more in winters, but it comes back strongly in spring.

13. Drum Stick

Botanical Name: Moringa oleifera

USDA Zones: 9-11 (Can be grown indoors in winters in colder zones)

Average Age: 18-25 years (Even More)

The miraculous moringa tree grows these slender green vegetables. It is the pod of the moringa tree, which is called a drumstick. These sticks contain edible seeds and pulp that have a smoky flavor like no other thing in the world.

They taste great in Indian curries and stews. For best growth, plant where it gets full sun for the most part of the day. To learn more, check out this drumstick growing guide here.

14. Rocoto Peppers

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Botanical Name: Capsicum pubescens

USDA Zones: 8-11

Average Age: 3-8 years

The long-lived perennial grows up 4-5 feet in height and vines beautifully with purple blooms. The plant prefers full sun to partial shade to produce mildly hot peppers.

15. Jackfruit

Botanical Name: Artocarpus heterophyllus

USDA Zones: 10-12

Average Age: 60-100 years

This tropical tree grows the world’s biggest size fruits. The yellow flesh is sweet when ripened, whereas when immature, jackfruit is consumed in curries and stir-fries. Interestingly, unripe jackfruit tastes very similar to chicken when cooked.

16. Papaya

Botanical Name: Carica papaya

USDA Zones: 9-10

Average Age: 5-7 years

Papaya is a popular fruit with many benefits but do you know you can also eat it as a vegetable when unripe. It tastes best in curries and is quite popular in many Asian cuisines. The plant grows best in full sun.

17. Runner Beans

thecharmingorange

Botanical Name: Phaseolus coccineus

USDA Zones: 3-11

Average Age: 2-4 years

Scarlet runner bean is a perennial but treated as an annual. It is frequently planted as an ornamental plant for colorful blossoms. This bean favors full sun and rich soil.

18. Tamarillo

Botanical Name: Phaseolus coccineus

USDA Zones: 8-11

Average Age: 7-12 years

If you want a tomato that looks like a small tree, then this is the one to grow. It produces sweet and tangy fruits that taste best in salads and pizza.

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