Zone 12 – 9 Perennial Vegetables That Grow Easily

Most of the US regions don’t really have to tolerate the unbearable heat of growing plants in hardiness zone 12. But for those living in the far southeastern parts, you may be looking for some tough plants that can beat the heat.

For other hardiness zones, here are some related articles that may interest you:

• The Top 10 Easy Perennial Vegetables to Plant
• 10 Best Perennial Vegetables That Will Thrive in Zone 3
• 10 Hardy Perennial Vegetables to Easily Grow in Zone 4
• 20 Best Perennial Vegetables to Grow in Zone 5 Easily
• 12 Best Perennial Vegetables to Plant in Zone 6
• 12 Perennial Vegetables To Grow Easily in Zone 7
• 10 Perennial Vegetables You Can Plant Easily in Zone 8
• 10 Unique Perennial Vegetables to Grow in Zone 9
• 10 Fascinating Perennial Vegetables to Grow in Zone 10
• 9 Perennial Vegetables You Need to Grow in Zone 11
• 9 Best Perennial Vegetables to Plant in Zone 13

Here are 9 perennial vegetables that you should considering in zone 12:

(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

1. Chaya (Cnidoscolus Chayamansa McVaugh)

What are its basic care needs?

• Sun: 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight.
• Soil: Moist, well-draining soil filled with nutrients.
• Water: Weekly watering after the soil’s surface has dried out.
• Fertilizer: Yearly application of compost.
• Special Care: Harvest frequently or prune the plant back to 2 feet tall or at a manageable height for easier harvesting.

Any precautions or notes on growing this vegetable? Harvest Chaya leaves once it has been established, ensuring to use gloves when collecting the leaves to avoid stinging hairs and irritating sap. Where possible, grow the ‘Stingless’ variety if you’re able to source them out. After collecting, cook the leaves out thoroughly as the raw version is toxic for consumption.

2. Clumping Bamboos (Bambusa Multiplex)

What are its basic care needs?

• Sun: 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight.
• Soil: Moist, well-draining soil.
• Water: Weekly watering, after the soil’s surface has dried out.
• Fertilizer: Yearly application of compost around the plant.
• Special Care: Check to see if you can grow clumping bamboos in your local area. Running bamboo, which is another type of bamboo and aggressive spreader, is considered invasive in certain regions. Ensure you are growing a ‘clumping bamboo’ cultivar to begin with too.

Any precautions or notes on growing this vegetable? Harvest Clumping Bamboo shoots six weeks after planting, using a large knife to separate it from the rhizomes/tuberous roots. Remove the leaf sheath surrounding the shoots before slicing it into chunks and boiling twice before consumption.

3. Eggplant (Solanum Melongena)

What are its basic care needs?

• Sun: 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight.
• Soil: Well-draining, nutrient-rich, slightly acidic soil with pH 6.3 to 6.8.
• Water: Weekly watering, after the soil’s surface has dried out. 
• Fertilizer: Yearly application of compost around the plant.
• Special Care:
  • Use trellis supports like stakes or poles to support the plant as it bears fruit and keep it off the ground.
  • Like all plants in the Nightshade family, replant Eggplants after 3 to 4 years into another area where no other members of the same family like Tomatoes and Peppers have been grown. This is to reduce the chances of the same pests & diseases from attacking the plant.

Any precautions or notes on growing this vegetable? Harvest Eggplants once they are firm and dark purple by cutting the stem above the fruit using a sharp knife. If they taste bitter, that means they are overripe.

4. Habanero Pepper (Capsicum Chinense)

What are its basic care needs?

• Sun: 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight.
• Soil: Moist, well-draining soil filled with nutrients.
• Water: Weekly watering, after the soil’s surface dries out. Ensure to water more frequently during drought periods and when the plant starts flowering.
• Fertilizer: Yearly application of compost around the plant.
• Special Care: 
  • Apply mulch around the plant to suppress weeds and keep the soil cool.
  • Use row covers or other forms of shade to protect the plant from drying out.
  • Like all plants in the Nightshade family, replant Peppers after 3 to 4 years into another area where no other members of the same family like Eggplants and Tomatoes have been grown. This is to reduce the chances of the same pests & diseases from attacking the plant.

Any precautions or notes on growing this vegetable? Harvest Habanero peppers once they turn red or orange, depending on the cultivar you’ve chosen. 

5. Lima Bean (Phaseolus Lunatus)

What are its basic care needs?

• Sun: 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight.
• Soil: Moist, well-draining soil filled with nutrients.
• Water: Weekly watering, after the soil’s surface dries out.
• Fertilizer: Yearly application of compost around the plant.
• Special Care: 
  • Provide a trellis support for the plant’s vines to climb on and grow better.
  • Harvest the pods regularly to encourage new growth.
  • Use the pole cultivars as they are perennials; bush-types only last for a year.

Any precautions or notes on growing this vegetable? Harvest Lima Beans pods while they are young or collect the green seeds instead. You can also allow them to mature and collect the dry seeds later on. But ensure to cook them thoroughly before eating.

6. Malabar Spinach (Basella Alba)

What are its basic care needs?

• Sun: 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight.
• Soil: Moist, well-draining soil filled with nutrients.
• Water: Weekly watering, after the soil’s surface dries out.
• Fertilizer: Yearly application of compost around the plant.
• Special Care: 
  • Use sturdy trellis supports to allow the plant’s vine to climb upwards and grow better.
  • Prune the vines back regularly, at least twice a year, to keep the plant at a manageable level and encourage new growth often. 
  • Pinch back any flower buds to prevent the leaves from going bitter.

Any precautions or notes on growing this vegetable? Harvest Malabar Spinach leaves once the plant is established. Young leaves can be eaten raw but older leaves should be cooked thoroughly, and can be used to thicken soups and sauces due to their slimy texture once broken down. Yum?

7. Tannier Spinach (Xanthosoma Brasiliense)

What are its basic care needs?

• Sun: 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight.
• Soil: Wet, well-draining soil. 
• Water: Every 3-7 days, ensuring a very moist soil environment for the plant to thrive in. You can also keep it just constantly damp, ensuring the soil never dries out completely.
• Fertilizer: Yearly application of compost around the plant.
• Special Care: 
  • Keep this plant in a container or isolated garden pond, far away from open waterways to prevent it accidentally spreading.
  • Divide the plant every few years to prevent overcrowding and ensure better growth.

Any precautions or notes on growing this vegetable? Harvest the leaves and stems of Tannier Spinach once they are large enough and cooked thoroughly before consumption. It’s ideal to cook the stems first as it takes longer to soften than the leaves, making sure to discard the leftover cooking water. 

8. Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum)

What are its basic care needs?

• Sun: 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight.
• Soil: Moist, well-draining soil filled with nutrients.
• Water: Weekly watering, after the soil’s surface dries out. Ensure to water more frequently during drought periods and when the plant starts flowering.
• Fertilizer: Yearly application of compost around the plant. You can also feed the plant fertilizers high in Phosphorus once flower buds start to form.
• Special Care: 
  • Apply mulch around the plant to prevent weeds.
  • Provide stakes or cages as trellis supports for the plant’s vine to grow against and bear fruit above ground.
  • Like all plants in the Nightshade family, replant Tomatoes after 3 to 4 years into another area where no other members of the same family like Peppers and Eggplants have been grown. This is to reduce the chances of the same pests & diseases from attacking the plant.
  • Use an indeterminate tomato cultivar for continuous growth throughout the years. Read this ‘Determinate vs. Indeterminate Tomatoes’ article to find out more about their differences.

Any precautions or notes on growing this vegetable? Harvest Tomatoes after 65 to 90 days of planting.

9. Ube/Winged Yam (Dioscorea Alata)

What are its basic care needs?

• Sun: 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight.
• Soil: Loose, well-draining soil filled with nutrients.
• Water: Weekly watering, after the soil’s surface dries out.
• Fertilizer: Yearly application of compost around the plant.
• Special Care:
  • Place stakes or poles in during the initial planting as trellis support for the plant’s climbing vines.
  • Keep the plant contained in a 3 gallon pot or larger. It can rapidly spread by seed or its tubers and quickly become a weedy problem. Check in your local area if you need to get a permit before growing this plant because it may be considered invasive like in Florida and Alabama.

Any precautions or notes on growing this vegetable? Harvest Ube’s tuberous roots after 7 to 10 months of planting, leaving behind small or broken off pieces of the roots to regrow the following year.

References:

1. BLOGS.IFAS. (2015, July 17). Perennial Vegetables. UF/IFAS Extension Leon County. https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/leonco/2015/07/16/perennial-vegetables/
2. Capsicum chinense (Carolina Reaper, Habanero, Habanero Pepper, Habanero Type Pepper) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. (n.d.). Plants.ces.ncsu.edu. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/capsicum-chinense/
3. Clumping Bamboo – University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. (n.d.). Gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/clumping-bamboo.html
4. Eggplant | Diseases and Pests, Description, Uses, Propagation. (2010). Psu.edu. https://plantvillage.psu.edu/topics/eggplant/infos
5. Growing Tomatoes in a Home Garden | University of Maryland Extension. (n.d.). Extension.umd.edu. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://extension.umd.edu/resource/growing-tomatoes-home-garden
6. HS578/MV045: Chaya—Cnidoscolus chayamansa McVaugh. (n.d.). Edis.ifas.ufl.edu. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/MV045
7. Lima beans | Cooperative Extension | University of Delaware. (n.d.). Www.udel.edu. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://www.udel.edu/academics/colleges/canr/cooperative-extension/fact-sheets/lima-beans/
8. Malabar spinach, Basella alba. (n.d.). Wisconsin Horticulture. https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/malabar-spinach-basella-alba/
9. Rojas-Sandoval, J., & Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. (2022). Dioscorea alata (white yam). CABI Compendium, CABI Compendium. https://doi.org/10.1079/cabicompendium.19293