Advice
RHS Help & Advice
Growing perennial vegetables
Perennial
vegetables, such as asparagus, rhubarb and globe artichokes
are a long-term investment in the vegetable garden. For this
reason it is important to prepare the ground well before planting,
adding plenty of organic matter in the form of well-rotted
manure, compost etc.
All traces of perennial weeds should be removed from proposed perennial beds, as once the crops have established is becomes more difficult to weed without disturbing their roots. This is especially important for asparagus beds, as the fleshy roots are easily damaged by deep cultivation.
Efficient crop hygiene is also important for perennial vegetables. Annual vegetable crops can be grown in a different location each year to prevent build-up of related pests and diseases in the soil. This is obviously not possible for perennial crops, and so it is essential that crop debris is removed each autumn to limit potential re-infection sources the following spring.
Another point to consider when growing vegetables in the same location year after year is soil nutritional levels. Regular top dressings of fertilisers are important if good yields are to be expected. This can either be in the form of organic mulches, such as well-rotted farmyard manure, organic fertilisers such as chicken manure or inorganic fertilisers such as Growmore or Vitax Q4.