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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