The First-Time Homesteader by Sowards Jessica;

Author:Sowards, Jessica;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group USA
Published: 2022-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Anytime I’m asked the first step of establishing a new homestead, the answer is the same: Get your perennial garden started first. On our new farm, before we’d broken ground for the foundation of the house, before we’d raised a barn, and before we’d sunk a single fencepost, I began planning for the edible perennials.

It’s important to know your growing season and conditions so you can determine which plants can overwinter as a perennial. For example, the bay laurel is a perennial in Florida but acts like an annual in Minnesota, where it will not survive the winter.

Many perennials need a period of growth and establishment before a first harvest is possible. Fruit trees, for instance, require 3 to 5 years of growth before they bear much fruit. A blackberry patch may produce a small amount the first year but won’t show a significant harvest until the second. An asparagus patch requires 3 years before it can be heavily harvested. This is why I suggest getting perennials planted as a top priority. The sooner you plant, the sooner you eat.

Kitchen gardens and perennial food gardens are not the same, and you’ll be happier keeping your perennials and annuals separate. Perennial gardens tend to be less maintenance than your annuals, as they generally don’t require water after getting established and they often grow to a size that shades out most weeds. Kitchen gardens need to be cleared, replanted, and amended yearly. You may want to rotate crops and allow your animals in at the end of the season to clean up. Having to work around perennials is just too much hassle. This is not to say you can never plant annuals in your perennial patch, particularly in the early years when your perennial patch is still sparse and you have spaces to fill in, but plan on a separate space for the bulk of your annuals gardening.

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