The Perennials In My Survival Container Garden

These are the perennials I’ve gathered and raised over the years in my survival container garden.

Over the course of five, six years, I have been creating a survival container garden with a wide range of perennial fruits, berries, herbs and vegetables. I made a careful plan of what I wanted to grow, as well as what I would need to grow for food security, and last year I crossed the last few perennials off my list. Anything I acquire from here on is simply a bonus. Icing on the cake.

I am very proud of the work I’ve done, and I get to harvest more food every year. I know that once my perennials are fully grown, I will have more than enough fruits, berries and herbs for myself and several others. Most of the berry bushes, for example, are expected to yield around 5 kg, give or take, per bush. I have multiple plants of most varieties on my list, and I propagate more every year. Once I have the room to care for that many plants, I could easily turn one plant into fifty. That’s the beauty of propagation.

Berries:

• Allåkerbär

• Blackberry

• Black currant

• Blueberries

• Blueberries, pink variety

• Cherry bush

• Gooseberry

• Honeyberry

• Lingonberry

• Red Currant

• Saskatoon

• Sloe

• Strawberry

• Wild strawberry

Herbs:

• Basil

• Chamomile

• Chives

• Lavender

• Lemon balm

• Meadowsweet

• Milk thistle

• Mint

• Oregano

• Parsley

• Rosemary

• Sage

• St. John’s Wort

• Tarragon

• Thyme

Trees:

• Apple trees + cuttings, 4 varieties

• Apricot trees from seed

• Cherry tree – ‘Stella’

• Damson tree

• Elder tree, 2 varieties

• Peach tree from seed

• Pear trees from seed

• Plum tree – ‘Opal’

Other:

• Asparagus, multiple varieties

• Egyptian walking onions

• Ginger

• Rhubarb

• Sunchokes

• Turmeric

The containers I use:

I have tried multiple types of containers over the years, but the ones I currently have are by far the best. I have switched to this type of container for all of my perennials and annuals. They are made from a black fabric and they have handles, which makes them so much easier to lift. They last for a long time, can be reused again and again and they are very cost-effective. Minimal investment needed and I know I can rely on them for many years to come. See more here below:

Tips and tricks:

Berry bushes

Berry bushes are one of the best perennials to invest in. Plant multiple berry varieties together for the first year/s, then place them in their own grow bags next to each other. Every few years, be sure to give them larger pots until they are in containers where they can comfortably remain for the course of their lifetime. Be sure to carefully consider their movability. Do not use containers that hold more than 30 gallons. They will be incredibly difficult to move, even if you are multiple people working together. I prefer not going beyond 25 gallons per pot.

Container size

It is okay to keep perennials in small to medium containers while they are young, as this helps with movability. They many need to be stored in greenhouses or even indoor if the weather gets too cold where you are, and the easier they are to move, the better. Established plants are fine to stay outside all year round, but you need to be extra careful with the baby plants.

Choice of container

Black containers attract warmth and therefore need frequent watering during the summer. However, this material and the fact that they attract warmth and sunlight has actually helped to keep all of my perennials safe during the colder months every year. So the good far outweighs the bad. You can also make them hold more moisture by mulching your plants and by mixing in perlite or coconut coir into your soil mix.

Propagation

Perennials can be propagated from soft cuttings and hardwood cuttings. You can also grow new plants from the seeds of the fruit and berries that you grow.

Recommended perennials

My top three berry bushes in order are honey berries, blueberries and gooseberries. They are all pest resistant, high yielding and easy to care for. Maximum amount of food per space used.

You can read more about the progress of my survival container garden in my weekly garden updates.

See you next time!