Chapter 7: Perennials: Fruit Trees, Berries, Nuts, and Perennial Vegetables
The Long View
Annual crops demand our yearly labor. We plant, we tend, we harvest, we start again. This rhythm has its pleasures, its satisfaction in the fresh start each spring brings. But perennials teach us a different lesson. They ask us to think in decades, to plant for people we may never meet, to accept that some rewards come slowly.
A fruit tree is a promise to the future. When you plant a young apple sapling, you are making a declaration that you believe in tomorrow. You believe you will be here to prune it next winter, to watch it bloom in spring, to taste its fruit in autumn. You believe your children or your neighbors or your community will benefit when you are gone. This is the opposite of capitalist extraction, which consumes everything for immediate profit.
Perennials create food forests, not food factories. They build soil rather than depleting it. They provide habitat for beneficial insects and birds. They sequester carbon in their woody biomass. They are infrastructure, not inventory.
Fruit Trees: The Orchard as Commons
Apple trees dominate the American imagination, but they are not the only option. Peaches, plums, cherries, pears, and persimmons all thrive in Zone 6b with proper variety selection. The key is choosing varieties grafted onto appropriate rootstock for your conditions.
At The Loop Farmstead, we have planted over forty fruit trees in Quadrant 1, the south facing slope that captures maximum sunlight. This orientation extends the growing season and reduces frost damage to blossoms. The trees are planted in guilds, each surrounded by companion plants that support their health.
Apple tree guilds include nitrogen fixers like clover or alfalfa in the understory. Comfrey grows nearby, its deep roots mining nutrients from subsoil and making them available when leaves decompose. Garlic and chives deter pests with their strong scent. This is polyculture, the perennial answer to monoculture's vulnerability.
Plant bare root trees in early spring while still dormant. Container grown trees can be planted later but require more careful watering during establishment. Dig a hole wide enough to spread roots without bending. The graft union, that swollen knob where scion meets rootstock, must remain above soil level. Burying it causes the scion to root, negating the rootstock's dwarfing or disease resistance qualities.
Water deeply at planting and maintain consistent moisture through the first growing season. Mulch with wood chips or leaves to retain moisture and suppress weeds. Keep mulch six inches away from the trunk to prevent rot and rodent damage.
Pruning apple and pear trees follows the central leader system. One main trunk grows upward with scaffold branches spiraling around it. Remove competing leaders, diseased wood, and branches that cross or rub. Prune in late winter while trees are dormant.
Peach and plum trees use the open center system. Remove the central leader and encourage three to five main scaffolds growing outward. This opens the canopy to sunlight, improving fruit quality and reducing disease.
Thin fruit when young to prevent branch breakage and improve fruit size. Apples should be spaced six inches apart on branches. Peaches need even more aggressive thinning, four to six inches apart. It feels wasteful to remove developing fruit, but the tree produces far more than it can support. Thinning ensures quality over quantity.
Harvest apples when they separate easily from the spur with an upward twist. Color is not always a reliable indicator. Taste is the best test. Store in cool, humid conditions. Some varieties keep for months, others only weeks. Grow a range of varieties to extend your harvest season.
Peaches ripen over approximately two weeks once they begin. Check daily and harvest when background color changes from green to yellow or cream. The red blush is not a ripeness indicator. Smell also signals ripeness. A ripe peach smells like peach.
Berries: The Understory Abundance
Berries fill the space between trees, producing food in the orchard understory. They require less space than trees and begin producing sooner. A well designed perennial system includes both.
Blueberries demand acidic soil, pH between 4.5 and 5.5. Most garden soils are not naturally acidic enough. Amend with peat moss, pine needles, or sulfur before planting. Choose northern highbush varieties for Zone 6b. Bluecrop, Jersey, and Elliott provide a succession from midsummer into fall.
Plant blueberries in full sun with excellent drainage. They have shallow, fibrous roots that suffer in waterlogged soil. Mulch heavily with pine bark or wood chips to retain moisture and maintain soil acidity. Water consistently, especially during fruit development.
Prune blueberries by removing old canes and thinning crowded growth. Mature bushes should have about a dozen canes of various ages. Remove canes older than six years to encourage new growth. Prune immediately after harvest.
Blackberries and raspberries grow on canes with a two year lifecycle. First year canes, called primocanes, grow vegetatively. Second year canes, floricanes, flower and fruit then die. Summer bearing varieties produce on floricanes in early summer. Everbearing varieties produce on primocane tips in fall.
Plant brambles with good air circulation to reduce disease. Space plants three feet apart in rows eight feet apart. Provide trellising for support. Canes can grow six feet or longer when loaded with fruit.
Prune summer bearing brambles by removing floricanes immediately after harvest. This clears space for new primocanes. Everbearing varieties can be mowed to the ground in late winter for a single fall crop, or managed for two crops by removing only the fruited tips.
Harvest berries frequently, every two to three days at peak season. Ripe berries do not hold well on the plant. They also attract birds and other wildlife. Netting protects crops but also excludes pollinators. Some growers accept sharing as the cost of growing food in an ecosystem.
Strawberries spread by runners, creating a mat of plants. The matted row system allows runners to fill space between mother plants. Renew beds annually by removing oldest plants and thinning runners. Mulch with straw in winter to protect crowns from freeze damage.
Nuts: The Patient Harvest
Nut trees represent the longest time horizon in the food forest. Most take a decade or more to produce significant harvests. But once established, they provide abundant calories with minimal annual labor. This is generational wealth, measured not in dollars but in food security.
Black walnuts are native to the eastern United States and thrive in Zone 6b. They grow large, sixty to eighty feet at maturity, so plant them where they will not interfere with structures or underground utilities. The nuts have thick shells requiring serious effort to crack, but the flavor rewards the labor.
Plant black walnuts from fresh nuts gathered in fall. Remove the green husks, which stain hands and surfaces. Plant nuts two inches deep, pointed end down. Germination requires cold stratification over winter. Seedlings grow slowly at first, focusing energy on root development.
Pecans require more heat than Zone 6b typically provides, but some varieties succeed in protected locations. Choose northern adapted varieties like Kanza or Lakota. Plant in deep, well drained soil. Pecans have taproots that resent disturbance, so plant nuts or very young seedlings.
Hazelnuts, also called filberts, grow as large shrubs rather than trees. This makes them easier to manage and harvest. American hazelnuts are native and cold hardy. European varieties produce larger nuts but may suffer in harsh winters. Plant multiple varieties for cross pollination.
Chestnuts were nearly eliminated from American forests by blight in the early twentieth century. Blight resistant hybrids are now available. Chinese and American hybrid chestnuts produce abundant nuts that can be roasted, ground into flour, or eaten fresh. Trees grow large and require space.
Harvest nuts when they fall from trees. Gather daily to prevent wildlife from beating you to the crop. Dry nuts in a single layer with good air circulation for two to three weeks. Store in cool, dry conditions. Many nuts benefit from refrigeration for long term storage.
Black walnuts require special processing. The husks must be removed promptly to prevent mold. Some growers use a hammer to crack the thick shells, then pick out nutmeats with a small tool. The effort is significant, but the flavor surpasses any store bought nut.
Perennial Vegetables: The Permanent Garden
Annual vegetables dominate most gardens, but perennial vegetables offer something different. They establish once and produce for years with minimal replanting. They often emerge early in spring when annual beds are still bare.
Asparagus is the most familiar perennial vegetable. Plant one or two year old crowns in early spring. Dig a trench twelve inches deep and spread crowns along the bottom. Cover with two inches of soil, gradually filling the trench as spears grow. Do not harvest the first year. Harvest lightly the second year. Full production begins the third year and continues for twenty years or more.
Cut spears when six to ten inches tall. Stop harvesting when spear diameter decreases, usually after six to eight weeks. Allow ferns to grow through summer, building energy in roots for next year's crop. Cut dead ferns in late winter before new growth emerges.
Rhubarb grows from crowns planted in early spring or fall. Choose varieties grown for edible stalks, not ornamental types. Plant crowns with buds just below soil surface. Do not harvest the first year. Harvest lightly the second year by pulling stalks from the base with a twisting motion. Never cut stalks, as this leaves stubs that rot.
Rhubarb needs winter cold to trigger spring growth. It thrives in Zone 6b. Divide mature clumps every five to six years to maintain vigor. The leaves contain oxalic acid and should not be eaten, but they make excellent compost.
Jerusalem artichokes, also called sunchokes, are tubers of a native sunflower species. Plant tubers in spring after last frost. Plants grow six to ten feet tall with yellow flowers in late summer. Harvest tubers after frost kills the tops. Leave some tubers in ground for next year's crop. They spread aggressively, so plant where they will not invade other beds.
Good King Henry is a European perennial spinach relative. It produces triangular leaves in spring and flower stalks that can be harvested like asparagus. Plant in partial shade with rich soil. Harvest leaves in spring before plants flower. The plant dies back in winter and resprouts in spring.
Sea kale grows along European coastlines and tolerates poor soil and salt spray. It produces thick leaves and flower buds that can be blanched and eaten like asparagus. Plant root cuttings or seeds in well drained soil. Harvest in spring by cutting young shoots.
The Politics of Permanence
Perennials represent a challenge to capitalist time. They cannot be rushed. They do not respond to quarterly earnings reports. They grow on their own schedule, indifferent to market demands. This is why industrial agriculture favors annuals. Annuals can be planted, harvested, and sold within a fiscal year. Perennials require patience.
When you plant perennials, you opt out of the annual cycle of purchase and replant. You create food that does not require yearly inputs. You build assets that appreciate rather than depreciate. Your orchard becomes more valuable each year as trees mature.
Perennials also create commons. A fruit tree produces more than one family can consume. The surplus invites sharing. Neighbors come to gather fallen nuts. Children pick berries along the property line. This abundance cannot be fully privatized. It spills over boundaries, creating informal economies of gift and reciprocity.
The capitalist system cannot easily commodify shared abundance. It prefers scarcity, which creates markets. Your perennial plantings create anti scarcity, food that exists outside the cash economy. This is quietly revolutionary.
Get Started
Begin with berries if you want relatively quick returns. Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries begin producing within two to three years of planting. They require less space than trees and can be grown in large containers if necessary.
Add fruit trees as you have space and resources. Choose disease resistant varieties adapted to your region. Consult local growers about what succeeds in your area. Extension services often maintain variety trial data.
Consider nut trees as a long term investment. Plant them where they will not interfere with future development. Black walnuts make excellent shade trees while producing food.
Experiment with perennial vegetables in a dedicated bed. Asparagus and rhubarb are reliable starters. Jerusalem artichokes are nearly indestructible but spread aggressively.
Design for succession. Plant early, mid, and late season varieties to extend harvest. A well planned perennial system provides food from June through October.
Resources
North American Fruit Explorers: nafex.org
American pomological Society: aps-forall.org
Seed Savers Exchange: seedsavers.org (fruit tree varieties)
One Green World: onegreenworld.com (unusual fruit varieties)
Growing Fruit Trees: University of Maryland Extension
Blueberries for Home Gardeners: University of New Hampshire Extension
Brambles: Production and Management: Penn State Extension
Asparagus and Rhubarb for Home Gardens: Iowa State University Extension
Nut Tree Growing: University of Missouri Extension
We do not inherit the land from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children. Every perennial we plant is a repayment on that debt.