Spinach - New Zealand Spinach
Spinach - New Zealand Spinach
Tetragonia tetragonioides. Familiar to many gardeners, this is not really a spinach. It provides copious amount of leaves for salads and cooked greens in mid-summer. Once it is established it is vigorous and trouble-free. New Zealand spinach seeds need lots of heat to germinate so start inside or wait until May or June to seed outside. Soak the small, hard seed overnight before planting. The flavour is better if the plants have some shade from the sun. Pick the leaves and young shoots of this trailing plant regularly to lengthen the harvest. New Zealand Spinach is perennial in mild winters.
Matures in 55-65 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
- Not really a spinach
- Provides copious amounts of greens
- Perennial in mild winters
- open-pollinated seeds
- Matures in 55-65 days
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Latin
Spinacia oleracea
Family: Amaranthaceae
Difficulty
Easy
Season & Zone
Season: Cool season
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Timing
Spinach does best in cool weather. Direct sow in the period four weeks before, and three weeks after the last frost date. Spinach will bolt once days get long and hot. Some varieties grow enough to harvest before they bolt. For continuous supply, plant every 3 weeks.
Sow again in the middle two weeks of August for a fall crop that, if cut at the soil level, will come back early the following spring where winters are mild. Shade summer-sown seed beds, keep very well watered, and sow more seeds than you need, as warm soil will reduce germination rates marginally. Thin seedlings, and use cloche protection as cold weather approaches. Late sowings like this can be harvested into December – in mild winters if cloche protection is provided.
Optimal soil temperature: 5-20°C (45-70°F). Seeds should sprout in 7-14 days.
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