How to Grow Perennial Vegetables

Perennial vegetables are a joy to grow and require a lot less time and effort than annuals. In this book Martin Crawford gives comprehensive advice on all types of perennial vegetable (edible plants that live longer than three years), from ground-cover plants and coppiced trees to plants for bog gardens and edible woodland plants.

There are many advantages to growing perennial vegetables, for example:

• they need less tillage than conventional vegetables and so help retain carbon in the soil
• the soil structure is not disturbed in their cultivation
• they extend the harvesting season, especially in early spring
• and, of course, they are much less work.

Part One looks at why and how to grow these crops, and how to look after them for maximum health.

Part Two features over 100 perennial edibles in detail, both common and unusual – from rhubarb to skirret; Jerusalem artichoke to nodding onions. This book offers inspiration and information for all gardeners, whether experienced or beginner, and also includes plenty of cooking tips with beautiful color photographs and illustrations throughout.

About the Author

Martin Crawford

Martin Crawford has spent over twenty years in organic agriculture and horticulture and is director of The Agroforestry Research Trust, a non-profit-making charity that researches into temperate agroforestry and all aspects of plant cropping and uses, with a focus on tree, shrub and perennial crops. It produces several publications and a quarterly journal, and sells plants and seeds. See www.agroforestry.co.uk for more information.

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