Perenials?

Need to know the best time to plant?

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CatBud
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Hi, as you all know I'm a newbie so forgive my 'stupidness'! Do you have to sow seeds new each year or are there any veg/fruit that will come back each year? I want to know as I'm planning on having 4 raised beds and rotating them so obviously I don't want to dig something up that will provide fruit again.
Thanks
Cat
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pigletwillie
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There is no such thing as a stupid question, but probably lots of daft answers.

Most fruit will be permanent and will stay where it is planted for many years except for strawberries which need to be replace every 3-4 years as they become diseased and lose their vigour.

Most veg on the other hand will be one year wonders although some crops such as brussels and leeks will go into the next calender year but will be harvested in time for the next crop to go in.

Fruit is good to grow as the stuff is easy to look after and is very costly to buy in the shops. On the veg front, it may be prudent to have a look at what you actually eat and grow that. Its no good planting broccolli for example if you dont like it.

Please ask as many questions as you want, there is always somebody with a good idea or sound advice and nobody will think you silly.
Kindest regards Piglet

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Chantal
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Jerusalem artichokes and some sorts of spinach come up every year.
Chantal

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Johnboy
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Hi CatBud,
Apart from Globe Artichokes and Asparagus in the vegetable line I can recall no others.
Several things are Biennial but as vegetables they are taken the first year because generally the next year they are inedible.
I think it might be a good idea to purchase somehting like 'The Vegetable Expert' in the Hessayon series of books. It is probably the cheapest book and probably the best for you as it is couched in terms that a beginer will fully understand. Having said that if you read something and are not clear of what it means come on to the forum and ask and if between us all we can couch it in different terms until you do understand. If you get an anwer that you don't understand come back and say so and then we can have another crack at it.
As Piglet has said there is no such thing as a silly question. We all have to learn and the whole aim of this forum is to share gardening knowledge and especially for those just starting out.
JB.
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Tigger
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More of the same from me Catbud and as I've just rediscovered T&M's guides and hints, I'll recommend them to you too. They provide simple, sound advice about growing just about any vegetable or fruit, so once you've decided what to grow, look up the instructions on their website.
CatBud
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Thanks so much for your replies, this seems like a really friendly forum :D
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Deb P
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Rhubarb is a reliable perennial, and also a veg, I can't grow enough to keep up with crumble demands! :lol: Just received another 3 crowns from T & M, red champagne variety, but they are TINY....also trying them from seed.
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vivie veg
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Rhubarb are easy from seeds, but last year I lost most of mine to slugs that nibbled off the tender new leaves.

This year I sowed my seeds (T & M Glaskin's Perpetual) according to the packet on 14 Feb (packet says March to April). I divided the seed between two 2 litre icecream containers (the seed is large, over 100 in the packet and the icecream containers fit nicely in a window sill propagator) within a week in the heated propagator the seedling emerged and I switched the propagator off, but left them in the window for a few more days (weather was awful them) I pricked out 24 of them into 4inch square pots and put them in a cold frame (checking for slugs and snails before they went in. As these survived after 2 weeks I potted up the rest. I ended up with more than 100 after potting up, which was good going as the packet said ave. 60 seeds. The seedlings now have 3 true leaves, which is good going considering the cold start to the year. I should be planting these out in June into their perminent plot....any weak plants will be composted then.
I don't suffer from insanity .... I enjoy it!

Vivianne
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