This time of year I love going out into the garden to check on my perennials to see which ones are beginning to show signs of life.  It is a bit of a passion of mine to add to my urban orchard.

This brings me to today’s subject.  Earlier in the Urban Gardening Series I touched on how to plan and start your annual crops but purposely left out perennials. With the inspiration of spring that has me thinking about perennials I thought I would touch on planning for perennials in your small space or urban garden. 

Perennials are defined as plants that live for more than two years separating them from annuals or biannual plans that you grow and harvest within a year or two.  In the context of your garden they are crops that you plant once and they keep producing year after year.

0:05 Introduction
0:07 Defined perennials
0:51 Food Forest Perennials
1:16 Perennial crops that pay for themselves
2:03 Planning for perennials
2:27 Hardiness Zone
3:18 General growth patterns of perennials: Bush Tree and Vines
3:41 Perennial fruiting bushes
4:10 Perennial fruiting vines
5:21 Perennial fruiting trees
6:40 Finding areas for fruit trees, bushes and vines.
7:30 How do they Pollinate
7:57 Methods to grow more perennials in smaller areas
8:08 Growing fruit bearing perennials in pots or containers
9:12 Growing Espalier trees to produce more food in smaller spaces

list of perennials in my garden and status of production: (31 currently)

Apple Trees: light production expected full production when tree is 5-7 years old
Harcourt
Honey Crisp
Combination Apple Tree 7 Varieties

Espalier Apple Tree: expected full production year 3
Honey Crisp
Spartan

Asparagus: expected full production year 2 from 3 year old roots
Millennium (green)
Purple Asparagus
Ravel (white)

Blue Berries: Light production year 2
North Land
North Country
North Blue
Cherry Tree: expected production 5-7 years
Romeo

Fig: Expected production year 2
Magnolia Breba (container) (lower growth)
Violet De Bordeaux Breba Fig (container) (upright growth)

Goji Berry: expected production year 3 from seed

Grapes: expected full production year 4-5
Heirloom Grandpa Legaree
Heirloom Grandpa Lampi
Frontenac
Frontenac Gris
Valiant
Pixie Dwarf Vine (Container)

Honey Berries: expected full production year 3
Borealis
Berry Blue
Indigo gem (container)
Tundra (container)

Raspberries (unknown varieties) Full production year 2
Two Red and one Yellow variety

Rhubarb: Full production year 2
Arctic Rhubarb from Kay Garvin via Dad
Unknown

Strawberries: Full production year 2
Seascape

Future additions to my orchard:

Apple Tree: Grafting
Goodland
Mike’s Apple

Pear Tree:
Paul’s Pear

Lingon Berries

Mint
Moroccan Mint

Fruit and Nut Trees of Alberta Facebook Page
[1] https://www.facebook.com/groups/1484297785164334/

Related Episodes

Urban Gardening Series Playlist
https://youtu.be/zVMjq02541Y?list=PL5mfR-r4BXH0wwN-9IQ–WX-C-4JqTR-7

How to Grow an Espalier Fruit or Nut Tree
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5mfR-r4BXH2zbHVmcbp8if3JJf25D7jt

Growing Perennials in Zone 3 Alberta Canada
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5mfR-r4BXH1gSII9kPYOu41Vn3P6R3Nv