Vietnamese mint (Polygonum odoratum) has been the most productive perennial crop I've grown in Wellington, New Zealand (hardiness zone 9), I've tried hundreds of crops (still looking for other crops as productive and hassle free). I've found just one Vietnamese mint in the right spot will spread in a year or two to form a patch around 2 meters wide, it will then stop expanding. These patches repress most or all weeds, even outcompeting the dreaded Tradescantia fluminensis. It can be viewed as a groundcover around 1 m tall.
I've found I can harvest one of these patches to get enough for a decent salad most days of the week year round, new leaves keep being reproduced. I've found they need reasonably moist soil in half shade to be productive like this, clay soil is fine. It will grow on steep slopes as long as there is deep soil. It will survive dryer and sunnier spots but will not be nearly as productive. Finding the right spot may require some trial and error.
Most sources say harvest the younger leaves, older leaves are "too tough" or "too peppery". I've gotten used to eating the large older leaves, they probably require a bit more chewing but I like them most of all, probably for their luxuriant appearance and because they can be harvested more quickly or easily. I agree with advice that the leaves are not good to eat if they turn red but this hardly ever happens to mine, perhaps because of the mild climate. I find the leaves need to be eaten immediately after harvest, they deteriorate quickly if stored, they are also no good cooked in my opinion.
The flavor is delicious and interesting in my opinion but not liked by everyone, it is mildly hot and peppery. It is good uncooked mixed in with a stir fry, or in a salad. The plant is said to reduce sexual drive, this is completely false in my experience.
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