“…increasingly I am finding it very hard to justify that sort of tidy up, very designed garden over the fact that it’s an ecosystem and I care much more about the insects and the other animals, birds, than I care about my own aesthetic being.”
This week we take a trip across the pond (as they say) to chat with UK-based garden writer Alys Fowler. Alys is a wonderfully curious, passionate, and intelligent gardener. She is an advocate for doing it yourself in the best sense of the term — constantly seeking and exploring new ways to grow more food sustainably. She preserves and ferments the food that she grows and is encouraging, yet also real about what is doable in a small space with limited time constraints.
An unintentional theme emerged from our chat around community and placing importance on these communities as gardeners. I’m not just talking about the people communities that can form around allotment and community gardens, but the idea of practicing gardening as a living entity that can support all manner of life.
p.s. This week’s podcast includes a giveaway of one of Alys’ books. Details are at the bottom of this page. I hope you enjoy this episode.
Episode #7: Alys Fowler | Urban Edibles & Community (Polyculture, Foraging, & Preserving)
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About My Guest
Alys Fowler is a gardener who loves food. She has an allotment and an urban back garden with bees, chicken, lots of flowers and plenty of vegetables. She is author of several books including The Edible Garden: How to Have Your Garden and Eat It, Too and Garden Anywhere, and writes a weekly column on gardening for the Guardian. Follow her on Twitter.
Alys Fowler’s backyard garden in Birmingham, England.
Alys practices polyculture in her gardens, which is about growing multiple crops (and varieties) of edibles together in mutually beneficial groupings or communities. She also strives to grow a wide range of perennial edibles that are best suited to the cool and moist British climate.
Alys’ patio where she grows a wealth of edibles including wooden wine crates filled with greens, figs, and tomatoes in pots.
Alys’ allotment garden.
The Parsnip Project.
Further Resources
- Moro East – A cookbook as well as the story of the last year in the life of an allotment garden in East London before it was demolished to make way for an Olympic hockey stadium. Here’s what I originally said about it.
- The preserving book Alys mentions: Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning: Traditional Techniques Using Salt, Oil, Sugar, Alcohol, Vinegar, Drying, Cold Storage, and Lactic Fermentation by The Gardeners and Farmers of Centre Terre Vivante
- Making Fermented Tomato Paste via Wild Fermentation and Fermented Tomato Conserve (Conserva Cruda Di Pomodoro)
- The Italian longkeeping tomato that I grew: ‘Giallo a Grappoli’
- Spigarello aka Leaf Broccoli
Giveaway
I am giving away one copy of Alys Fowler’s book, The Edible Garden: How to Have Your Garden and Eat It, Too.
All you have to do to enter is tell us in the comments about a perennial edible that you grow in your garden. (If you are feeling shy simply go ahead and write “Count me in” instead and you’ll be entered.)
One winner will be drawn randomly after entries close at midnight on Wednesday, July 9, 2014 and informed by email.
Please note: This giveaway is open to residents of Canada and the Continental US only.
How You Can Help Support This Podcast
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2. Use my Amazon affiliate link when you buy something on Amazon. As a writer of books I have my own issues with Amazon; however, a lot of us use it and it does have its perks. When you click on this link before purchasing an item — any item at all — a small percentage of the purchase price goes toward supporting this site, including the podcast. What’s great about it is that it’s something you would have bought regardless so it doesn’t cost you anything extra or guilt you into buying something you don’t need, want, or can’t afford. From my perspective it is much better than running a surplus of ads, sponsored posts, or even worse, running ads that are in opposition to the values around sustainability and affordability that I promote here.
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We have chives and something we were given called “garlic onion” that go out of their pots and into the ground every winter, for that nice cozy snow blanket. I’ve been babying along a pot of lemon thyme for several years, so far it hasn’t quite given up the ghost during the difficult indoor winter stage, unlike certain rosemary. Can’t wait to get a non-balcony garden and landscape with herbs.
I’ve been growing garlic chives that my mother has been growing for years now. I’ve also been growing her Korean perillas that aren’t technically perennials but they seem to keep coming back regardless of what I do in my zone 7b. The perillas are also plants that my mother has past down to me. My mint, thyme and rosemary are also wonderful when they come back every year. And my crazy alpine strawberries that I constantly neglect but keep coming back and spreading!!
We have planted two ‘native’ plum trees and one sour cherry tree in our common space in our condo development. Those trees aren’t in an official garden space – too much lead in the soil for most edibles – but they are right by our home and we love tending to them and watching them grow. They’ll provide needed shade and fruit for humans and animals as well as added beauty. It feels a tiny bit rebellious to sneak in some trees when no one is paying much attention! We have high hopes for their productive lives in the future!
I live in Malaysia where the weather is hot and humid all the year round but I try to follow your examples, though many often times having to substitute the plants you use with tropical plants. I enjoy watching your gardening programe even though I watch it very much later then viewers in UK. Hope to win one of your” free give away gardening books”. Keeping my fingers crossed.
In my yard, I grow chives, oregano and Jerusalem artichokes – which are starting to get really get out of hand! I started with one tiny plant and now I have 3 separate masses of them throughout my yard. Mine grow to be about 12 feet tall. I am going to have way too many to eat at harvest time!
Great podcast! I just began a community garden plot that allows for perennials, which is so important to me now that I have a child and the amount of time I can spend in the garden has reduced greatly!! So we put in asparagus, raspberries and looking forward to putting in cranberries and blueberries. At home we enjoy mulberries and the incredible self seeding power of borage!
Strawberries! I have a tiny city garden and planted strawberries so that my young sons would have something they loved to pick and eat. Now I’m just working on helping them understand not to pick them until they’re ripe!
Our perennial edibles are: chives, oregano, several species of thyme, sage, rosemary, several mints, raspberries, blueberries, grapes and strawberries. We did have a fairly hardy fig tree, but this last winter finally killed it. Sigh.
I would love a copy of Alys’s book!! Fingers crossed!
I’ve been growing rosemary, grew it from seed and was so proud b/c had been reading online how hard it can be to grow rosemary from seed. Of course, there are some things that folks say are quite simple and the keel over for me. go figure. Love to prune it and dry clippings for cooking.
In the way of perennials, I’m growing rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries, lovage, and several young fruit trees. I’m also starting goji berries and sea buckthorn from seed this year.
Lavender – Besides using the dried flowers for sachets, I use them for baking. I also have flat leaf parsley that grows year-round and that is used daily.
Love Alys garden. I still watch her older show on BBC through Youtube.
I am growing Jeruselum artichokes in a large container and mints. Can a fruit tree be considered perennial? I have a plum tree and fig tree. I am growing various mints, lemon verbena, and kales that I am hoping will come back.
how lovely…
mint the super duper perennial, lemon balm, oregano, sage, garlic
I have several perennial herbs, of which lavendar is my favorite! The next perennial edible I plan to plant will be rhubarb. I enjoyed this podcast & do hope I win the book!
I grow asparagus at the allotment. I also enjoy the programs that Alys has done, and look forward to listening to the podcast. Would love to win the book.
Mint
Lovage – excellent in soups, stews, curries…yum
Our perennial edibles are sage, raspberries (red and gold), and a bunch of mint varieties (banana seems to be doing particularly well this year). Although our tomatoes aren’t perennial, they keep reseeding so I kind of consider them to be :)
I am always trying to add perennial edibles to my garden. So far I have strawberries, raspberries,rhubarb and asparagus. I planted a peach tree 2 years ago and was hoping for some blooms this spring but the absolutely horrible Ontario winter we just had has really damaged it. I am hoping it will make a comeback next year.
We enjoy Alys so much. Can’t wait ’til she gets a new series. Or revives the old one. And yes, I would love to have a copy of her book.
We have chives, rosemary, thyme and lemon thyme, lemon balm, bee balm, sage, parsley and some others I can’t remember. Planted french tarragon, marjoram, and some mints this year. Kale will be planted in fall to hopefully make it though winter. Last year I brought in a few chiles and they almost it to spring.
Off to listen to the podcast. Thanks!!
Strawberries, rosemary, and chives!
Black raspberries that were growing as weeds and I cultivated into a patch. Also asparagus, French sorrel, nettles, strawberries, walking onions, and herbs.
The majority of edibles I grow are perennails….fruit trees, blueberries, strawberries, oca, chinese artichokes, ground nuts, hardy kiwi, etc. Love not having to plant them every year….it’s the only way to garden for me.
Asparagus, herbs, rhubarb, currants, gooseberries, elderberries, beach plums.
perpetual spinach which is actually biennial, many herbs, garlic, rhubarb, asparagus, currants, blueberries, etc., etc., etc. The list goes on… Please enter me in your draw.
Great podcast!
I grow a bunch of perennial herbs and alliums, including walking onions, multiple types of chives, ramps. Some berries I was able to fit in our micro yard are strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, black and red currants. I grow horseradish, sorrel, and perennial wild arugula as well. Also I started overwintering hot peppers. Right now I have 5 pepper plants, some of them I started 4-5 years ago.
Count me in!
My favourite perennial edible? Stinging nettle.
I have three plants and am starting more from seed so I can make more pesto in Spring. The nettle lives in, what I call, the Legacy Bed along with asparagus, rhubarb, violets, dandelion and (conveniently) wild nettle.
I just planted gooseberries and asparagus this year. I can’t wait for the future harvests!
Yay! I’m so excited to hear more wisdom from Alys. My 6 year old and I watched her entire BBC series in one day and now we both fantasize about living somewhere that we can cruise around on our bikes with little dogs in the front basket.
As for perennials, we grow strawberries, saskatoons, blueberries, sorrel, and many different herbs in our backyard here in zone 3B.
I have an artichoke plant for the first time this year . It produced half a dozen artichokes which I did not harvest and instead , I allowed it to flower. It is a beautiful purple flower, which I entered into my garden club annual flower show .
Thanks for sponsoring the giveaway.
Elizabeth
I love these podcasts…super interesting peeps. I grow strawberries, currants, raspberries, chives, sage, sorrel, oregano, lovage and sweet cicely. I am trying to put more and more perennials in the community garden as well as self seeders.
Also the affiliate links to the american amazon site…do you have an affiliate for amazon.ca?
Love, love, love your new podcast. So great to listen to while watering.
I grow lots of perennial food plants. Just started a garden with raspberries, blueberries, and asparagus.
I can’t wait to hear this podcast! Alys is one of mine gardening crushes and I write about her often on my blog. I am starting an edible front garden this year and got some lemon thyme, french tarragon, italian parsley, echinacea, raspberries and more, ready to hit the soil.
I’ve loved listening to these podcasts while out in the garden!
I’ve been growing sunchokes for the past few years and love experimenting with different pickling recipes to make them more digestible.
I am growing many of the ‘standard’ perennials – herbs, rhubarb, strawberries, cane fruits, and artichokes – but am slowly trying to incorporate perennial greens and roots to replace some of the fussier annual vegetables. So far, I’ve started a cardoon plant this year (and spigariello after reading your blog about it), am letting arugula and mache colonize every open space, and planted two varieties of sunchokes. Alas, I’m a renter, and currently looking at moving 800 miles south! But I’m trying to look at it as an opportunity to start fresh and have an even longer/different growing season.
Just really started gardening this year so not much yet. We planted strawberries raspberries and asparagus as well as basil, lavender, and miscellaneous herbs. We also ‘cleaned up’ our side yard that was overgrown early this year and we’re surprise d with half a dozen blackberry bushes that had been forgotten about for the past fifteen years. A friend and I watched Alys’ entire show vie YouTube while we folded newspaper into seed starting pots this year
I just love the podcasts…have listened to each one twice. And I am so happy to know I am not the only one who lets strange things grow just to see what they turn out to be. Kindred spirit! I am just across the lake from you in Buffalo so perennial edibles are a challenge. But I do have an impressive clump of garlic chives that I cook with frequently and a beautiful service berry tree which provides gourmet snacks for my feathered friends.
I really enjoy your podcast!
I have a whole list of common perennial herbs and working on expanding perennial fruits—my list now includes rhubarb, raspberries, golden raspberries, alpine strawberries, gooseberries, thorn-less blackberries and service berries. Now to beat the birds to the harvest…
I knew that Alys would be next! Thank you so much for having her on your podcast, I find her endlessly inspiring. I’m a newish gardener, but I’m thrilled that Egyptian Onions are loping around my beds (I’m kind of nuts for alliums) and I just planted Katuk which tastes like green pea leaf mixed with peanut butter. I am fascinated by all of the weird perennial edibles available, I can’t wait until I have enough in the ground to make a wild swamp salad (I’m sub-tropical Zone 9b, Gulf Coast TX). Also, I’m on the hunt for the a non-tuberous sweet potato with an edible leaf that can also act as a ground cover.
Yay – let’s decrease our reliance on global food! My recent perennial edible faves are lovage, and Jerusalem artichoke.
Hi! I really enjoyed the podcast. I was inspired to go out to my garden and do some much-needed weeding! We picked our first blueberries of the season today. Also noticed quite a few volunteer chard and beet plants popping up around the garden- what a nice surprise. Might have been from the plants that over wintered but are since long gone! Keep up the great work Gayla!
This year I am growing jerusalem artichokes for the first time. They are already 5 feet tall and still growing. The deer like them too, so I put an old store mannequin in a lawn chair by the garden and so far it seems to be working. Can’t wait until they bloom.
Thank you for this podcast. So far my favorite edible perennials have been blueberries and rosemary. I plan on planting some elderberries in the near future so now I am researching elderberry champagne – I had never heard of that before. Thanks again.
I’m trying my hands at scorzonera, good king Henry, salad burnet, French sorrel, chives, garlic chives, lovage and asparagus this year. I’ve also got some accidental perennials from last year’s green onions, sage, thyme and kale.
Even though I have a small yard in the city, I have 3 blackberry bushes and 3 Concord grape vines. I love to eat the grapes right off the vine. The fresh, warm fruit reminds me of my childhood and eating Concord grapes in my aunt’s garden, also in the city :-)
Get podcast! I finally know now who this captivating, beautiful Brit is! I caught a glimpse of her somewhere, somehow, but all I could remember was her garden, and her accent. Now I have a name to the face! So glad that we can all share our beloved perenials. I’m in NYC and I just love/need working in the earth, in containers I have collards, and various crucifourous plants. I believe in growing my herbs, so various mint, thyme, oregano, lemon balm, as well as stinging nettle, lemon grass(I bring it in for winter). Thanks again!
We have rhubarb and raspberries as far as perennial edibles go. The rhubarb came from my mother-in-law when she needed to divide her plant. It’s a few years old now and produces lots of delicious red stalks. The raspberries are not just a perennial; they’re a volunteer. I noticed some small plants starting by the corner of our house just after we moved in and was careful not to accidentally remove them. They’re wild berries, so a bit on the small side, but there have been lots of flowers this year so I’m hoping for a crop of fruit.
Hmmm…I’m not sure why the comment I made a few days ago didn’t show. Anyway, we grow quite a few different edible perennials here; raspberries, apples, blueberries, strawberries, chives and many different herbs.
I was on staycation last week and not checking email or approving new commenters.
Asparagus, rhubarb, chives, raspberries and blackberries this year. I really want to grow gooseberries next year. Love the podcast!
I love Alys! she is my gardening guru (besides you) and I have her book out for the second time from the library…so I would love to win a copy! We actually have a small urban lot on Cape Cod and have begun our perennial gardens to include wild arugula, asparagus, rhubarb, berries, strawberries, herbs, flowers, orache, purslane, a perennial spinach, grapes, mâché, and the list will continue as we hope to add a fig tree eventually. And even though Marty says no to backyard chickens, I was delighted to meet my neighbor’s 8 chicks in her kitchen yesterday, so I think Marty will relent and at least let me keep bees (he’s afraid he’ll get stuck with the extra work)!
Also, bought a cobra on your recommendation a few weeks ago…it actually makes weeding almost fun! I do wish they made it with handles you could swap out though so as not to have to buy two. Wrote about it here: http://brabarella.blogspot.com/2014/06/garden-update.html
Glad you like it! I still use my two short-handled cobra heads everyday in the garden. I’ve had them for so many years and they don’t show it!
We have strawberries, mint, & chives. I’d like to squeeze in a few more herbs. Thanks for the giveaway!
I grow a number of perennial edibles but this year I’m all about the strawberries. In the past they’ve had a small turn out of tiny fruit. This year they flourished and have been giving me fruit that’s twice its usual size or larger, with at least three times the amount of fruit as usual. It is one of the few plants that has turned our intense rains all spring and summer into a real positive outcome.
The edible perennials in my garden are largely herbs (chives, thyme, volunteer dill that always appears no matter what I do, and the blasted mint that escaped its pot . . .). However, when we moved in, we inherited a large horseradish and rhubarb plot. I then added blueberries and strawberries to that side of the yard.
My favorite is rhubarb. I’m up to 6 plants!
Raspberries, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, rhubarb, and as many herbs as I’ve been able to get my hands on.
I really enjoy those surprise perennials that come back even though you think they won’t. We’ve got a patch of strawberries that have gone wild and we keep thinking have kicked the bucket, but will kick out a few really sweet treats early in the season before our more domesticated strawberries do.
I have a ton of perennials here in Oakland. My favorites have to include my perennial peppers from South America; Rhubarb; the copious amounts of Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Mint and Marjoram; and of course, my now 4-year old tree collards.
ramps
Count me in! I’m growing scented geranium for the first time this year, to join the oregano, chives, and mint.
We grow basil and lots of green beans!
Mostly herbs! Chives, rosemary, thyme and nasturtiums, and my Meyer lemon and fig trees haven’t produced anything yet, but they are in their second year in my yard so I have high hopes. We’re lucky to have a super long growing season with mild winters in New Orleans, so rosemary plants get HUGE here!
We have basil, chives, dill, lavender, leeks, and thyme!
I have chives that are special to me as they are the only plant I have that was originally in my parents garden that I grew up with. They have amazing gardens – lots of vegetables, herbs and fruit trees. When I moved to another province I brought some plants with me – including some chives to transplant. I have given away lots of chive plants from the original one. And every year make chive blossom vinegar to give away – and to appreciate its beautiful colour and nice taste. The gardens here have volunteer wild strawberries which is magical as when we moved here it was all grass and no garden space.
quite a few … the usual strawberries, rhubarb (which i love for it’s foliage), figs, vine etc but recently invested in a mulberry tree. looking forward to it fruiting :)
Blueberries! Also tried planting asparagus this year but we were late getting it in the ground.
I haven’t been able to really garden this year, but am SO very happy to have my rhubarb, raspberries, and parsley appear with absolutely no effort. (also some self seeding lettuce and arugala which is a treat!)
Every year I grow herbs, radishes, greens, several varieties of tomatoes and peppers, broccoli, beans. New to my garden this year are watermelon, two kinds of cucumbers, strawberries and onions. I’ve finally harvested a few raspberries from twigs I planted 2 years ago, and next year I’ll have a few delicious asparagus spears to enjoy.
Count me in! Blue berries, black berries, peaches and figs!
We just got some rhubarbs in the ground this spring! Hoping it survives!
I’m growing garlic, which I love…just plant in the Fall, and harvest in July! So simple and unassuming. I’m also growing rhubarb. It’s a new planting and I haven’t been able to harvest any yet.
Somehow, even as their horribly cliche tiered pot disintegrates from under them, my strawberries are still alive and producing…. I really need to get them into a better container. (Maybe I’ll go do that now! ^^) Also, a tiny thornless blackberry has decided it is actually a kraken, and is just getting HUGE (much to my surprise). My blueberries are still alive and fruiting despite being in sore need of more room (not. Enough. Pots! Ahh!) and my moringa tree, if that counts, is just all flowers all the time!
okay, just typing about it has spurred me to action – time to go fix up the garden today! Gotta get those tasty tasty fruits from somewhere!
I just started my garden at my new home this year, but I put in a bunch of chives, thyme, and sorrel to start my perennial herb collection.
We are on year 1 in our house. Our approach has been not only focusing on edibles and perennials, but acquiring those plants (and, indeed, most of the materials in our yard) from friends and neighbors, native plant rescues, Craigslist free postings, and other sources of free-to-cheap goods. Once our garden is established, we’ll happily share the bounty (and in the future seeds and cuttings). So, in answer to the question, we’re growing chives, mint (2 varieties), lemon balm, and raspberries.
I love growing chives for salads, the blossoms are wonderful. Also rosemary and sage for seasoning and drying. Oooh and lavender for desserts and tea! I wish i could have some fig trees in my yard. Please enter me :-) I’d love some more inspiration.
We have chives, raspberries and rhubarb.
Chives and rhubarb.
I recently moved, but at my old house I grew so many different things in such a tiny space. My front yard was a mixture of small evergreens, native wildflowers, and lots of veggies, herbs, bulbs, etc.. And it looked different every year. The best part was the forest of dill that came up in early summer. Of course, I’d let it flower and go to seed …extra beauty and ensured I would enjoy it the following year. Lucky me, my new yard is not any bigger than my old, but it has raspberries…which seem like a great start!
Aside from the common edible “weeds”, we’ve got rhubarb, asparagus, raspberries, blackberries, currants, chives, oregano, walking onions, blueberries, grapes, elderberries, gooseberries, and young apple, peach, cherry, and paw paw trees.
My oldest edible perennial is a chive plant I have had for 15ish years or so. I have divided it up for friends over the years and it just keeps on giving. We had a very bad winter this past year and I lost my thyme and rosemary but it was fun to shop for replacements and no where it was going to go for once!
I have a herb garden filled with rosemary, sage, thyme, chives, oregano and mint! Next to it is a berry patch with two blueberry bushes, a grape vine, raspberry stalks and blackberry stalks! The blackberries are just right and big and juicy!!
I only have one perennial — a blackberry bush that I grow in a recycling bin on my balcony and that miraculously survived the harshest winter I’ve ever seen.
Count me in!
I’m growing raspberries and black currants in my garden!
(I’m loving this podcast…listening…and smiling… as I type.)
The perennial edible I’m growing in my garden (again) this year — but more for the bees than me, I think — is lavender (‘Hidcote’). Until last year, I’d never cooked/baked with this herb because I feared the flavour would be overpowering. But last summer I made Lavender Shortbread for our end-of-season community garden potluck. It was delicious with a delicate flavour. And very pretty too. Highly recommended.
I love Alys! My neighbors on either side both have pretty, perfect flower gardens, and I’ve got a bit of a chaotic edible garden, but I love it. I grow chives, thyme, bee balm, lemon balm, strawberries and blueberries in my perennial edible garden.
Chives and raspberries!
I love my perennial herbs all season long. I’m addicted to all things oregano, lavender (Sharon Roberts and Buena Vista), and my multiple varieties of mint (black micham, Vietnamese and Moroccan spearmint), and any type of sage. Chives in the spring are a must for the bees and in my area they self seed. My newest addiction is lemon balm and lemon verbena (thanks, Gayla!). And finally the special treat of grapes growing over the fence from my neighbors backyard (he doesn’t touch a thing back there, not even water and when the grapes are at there best late summer I never complain!).
I am currently renting so I only have space for containers
We just moved, so now we have to start over. We have a pot herb garden for this year, but what I want are figs, blueberries, plums, cherries, and asparagus!
Growing eggplant, peppers, cilanto, beans, and tomatoes!
I move a lot but I can’t be without my container gardens. As far as edible perennials I have a raspberry bush, chives, peppermint and spearmint, and aloe. Loved this post, thank you for sharing!
How apropos! I recently picked up a copy of Alys Fowler’s, The Edible Garden. I love her book and it totally reminded me of You Grow Girl. And I just happened to visit the blog and learned about the podcast and this podcast featuring Ms. Fowler.
Am now subscribed to the podcast via iTunes – looking forward to listening to the previous episodes.
I’m currently growing heirloom tomatoes, various sweet and chili peppers, and cucumbers. Beans are finishing up now. BTW, I’m growing all these in containers on a balcony on the 8th floor.
Hi Gayla,
I listened to your podcast while gardening, and I was so happy to hear from Alys and you, that you both also think your gardens are kinda messie ;-)
I always look at pictures in garden magazines, trying so hard to have a nice garden, but weed is alsways faster ;-) And then people come and say they like my garden. Maybe one has to see the beauty in the mess ;-) I never liked naked lawns and rectangle beds. Your gardens are so cosy and I enjoy every photo of them. Fortunately I have all the books of you both :-)
Greetings from Berlin, Germany
Petra