First bloom of the seasonโ€”my perennials are waking up ๐ŸŒบ #SpringBloom #PerennialGarden #GardenLife

Growing food in the Mojave feels a bit just like hacking the seasons and figuring out how to break the rules of certain plants. Most say plant in spring, but I'm learning that that really means "plant in December and then expect it to die off in June" or "plant in late August and expect it to die off if February gets too cold". In reality, we have a really long growing season: longer than some of the higher altitude locations nearby, and the better we can make our soil it seems the easier it is to grow... almost anything.

Though, this year we're planting a lot of annuals in addition to our existing perennials (which mostly consist of various edible cacti and mesquite tree varieties), and I'd love to hear your favorite (preferably Southwest or at least North American natives) perennial recommendations! I hope to be able to afford to source some more seeds and tubers for some perennial food crops this year, even if they take some time to establish, I want our diet to begin to shift more in the direction of food that makes more sense where we live and rely less on Eurasian-derived common annual vegetables.

#Permaculture #PerennialGarden #Gardening #Zone9a #Perennial #RegenerativeAgriculture #RanchoDeLaLibertad

My sibling picked out this Foam Flower - Tiarella โ€˜Candy Striperโ€™ - for the garden a few years ago. It performs reliably in shade, with spring blooms and striking maroon veining that adds depth and interest to the foliage.

#PerennialGarden #ShadeLovers #PlantPhotography

๐Ÿผ The climate conscious bandit eats leaves and shoots! ๐Ÿ”ซ๐Ÿƒ๐ŸŒณ

some reasons for eating tree leaves (and using trees for staple crops too):
๐ŸŒณ yummy! ๐Ÿ˜‹
๐ŸŒณ can forage wild for free ๐Ÿ•Š๏ธ
๐ŸŒณ connect to nature ๐Ÿ’š
๐ŸŒณ very nutritious - leaves of woody plants are on average much higher in key nutrients than annual vegetables ๐Ÿฅ—
๐ŸŒณ woody plants, especially trees, sequester carbon! โคต๏ธ
๐ŸŒณ they improve soil health and reduce erosion ๐Ÿชฑ
๐ŸŒณ climate resilience ๐ŸŒ
๐ŸŒณ trees are more resilient to fluctuating weather and climate conditions than annual crops ๐ŸŒฅ๏ธ
๐ŸŒณ they're better at soaking up and storing rain - important with increasingly unpredictable rainfalls ๐Ÿ’ฆ
๐ŸŒณ increase water quality ๐Ÿ’ง
๐ŸŒณ habitat ๐Ÿฆ
๐ŸŒณ pollination ๐Ÿ ๐Ÿฆ‹
๐ŸŒณ less susceptible to diseases and pests, especially in diverse systems (not monocrops) ๐Ÿž
๐ŸŒณ reduced need for pesticides โ˜ ๏ธ
๐ŸŒณ they provide shade โ˜‚๏ธ
๐ŸŒณ less labour intensive ๐Ÿ–๏ธ
๐ŸŒณ great diversity, increases biodiversity and diversity of foods ๐ŸŒˆ
๐ŸŒณ they promote longterm thinking and concern for the ecosystem ๐Ÿง“๐Ÿค๐Ÿ‘ถ
๐ŸŒณ can be important culturally, especially to indigenous peoples ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐ŸŒพ
๐ŸŒณ there are species suitable to all climates and conditions where food is grown ๐Ÿœ๏ธ โ„๏ธ โ›ฐ๏ธ ๐ŸŒฒ

๐Ÿงต for some temperate examples off the top of my head

#climate #nutrition #agriculture #FoodForest #FoodForests #vegetables #veggies #permaculture #tree #trees #perennial #perennials #PerennialGarden #foraging #WeedEating #WildFoods

๐Ÿฅฌ Homesteader's Kaleidescopic Perennial Kale is the only kale we grow!

๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿผ It's so easy and resilient!

๐ŸŒจโ˜€๏ธ It grows well from zone 6 - zone 10.

๐Ÿซ˜ We have seeds!
https://homesteadculture.com/homesteaders-kaleidescopic-perennial-kale-grex/

๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿป Get a FREE comprehensive homesteader's plant profile on Perennial Kale w/ recipes, tips, permaculture, nutrition and more!
https://homesteadculture.com/perennial-kale-brassica-oleracea-var-ramosa/

#permaculture #homesteading #permacultureplants #perennialfood #perennialgarden #forestgarden #foodforest #regenerativeculture #kale #kaleyeah #adaptationgardening

Homesteader's Kaleidescopic Perennial Kale Grex โ€“ Homestead Culture

Brassica oleracea var. ramosa Also known as Perpetual Kale, Bush Kale, Branching Kale

Homestead Culture
Love the color and textures of this agave. Unfortunately, the rabbits really munched on it last spring. #gardening #PerennialGarden

Planning a deer-proof perennial meadow garden for a client that's loaded with pollinator plants. The bed will be supplemented with summer and winter annuals throughout the year to keep it colorful and attractive to pollinators.

#JanuaryJoy #gardening #GardeningMastodon #PollinatorPlants #Perennials #PerennialGarden #GardenDesign #horticulture #DeerProofPlants

Snowdrops (Galanthus, from Greek for milk flower) just beginning to show up in the perennial bed. So early this year. #perennials #PerennialGarden #snowdrops #gardening