Spinach vs New Zealand Spinach and more winter gardening

I live in So Cal and have only tried Mustard Greens as Winter Vegetables so far. I would like to start either New Zealand Spinach or regular Spinach as a Winter Vegetable. Which one is best for mild winters? Tenetatively I thought that I would like to try to start Mustard Greens, an appropriate Spinach cultivar and maybe some Coreopsis plants (not edible...LOL). What other winter vegetables are available for a mild winter.

Another question is which of these veggies can be started indoors (air conditioning) on August first? What about bok choy and Brussel Sprouts?

I haven't grown very many veggies in the past twenty years but I eager to to try some.

Thanks,

Chuck

New Zealand spinach is a summer warmth-loving veggie Chuck. I have it in my garden, and I love it.

Beet greens, turnip greens, and kale are all three good cool loving greens. Also Swiss Chard and various asian greens like Mibuna, Komatsuna, etc.

Lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage, pak choi, and brocolli should do nicely in your area in winter, as will peas and radishes.

I understand NZ Spinach is not popular with alot of people, though I haven't tried it yet myself. (I do have some poking along in the garden, though, and hope to weigh-in on it soon.) There are a couple of other spinach substitutes that are iffy, too, but taste is so subjective. You will have to just try it and let us know whatcha think!

http://www.humeseeds.com/falwint.htm

Here is one guide to what you can grow in a winter garden. But, hey in Zone 9a you can grow just about anything. A good guide is always your local County Extention agent, and in California, U.C. Davis is an excellent source. As i remember there were also experimental programs at the Santa Cruz campus.

I just got my catalog from Nichols Garden Nursery.

On the back cover they have a list of cold season vegetables:

Scarlet Supreme Beet, Evergreen Hardy White Bunching Onion, Red Russian Kale, Carrot Touchon, Tokyo Market Turnip, Survivor Parsley,
Lettuce Alone Mini Pak, Melody Spinach, and Packman broccoli.

Most oriental vegetables make good winter crops.

When I lived in San Bernardino, the native lambs-quarters (Chenopodium album) volunteered in my garden and I really enjoyed it. Often I cooked arugula with it and the taste was much better than spinach IMO. These are not so much winter crops as they are long season and can be planted and harvested just about any time. Swiss chard is a perennial here so should be super for you. I find I need to pull it out after the third year as the main stem becomes woody and the leaf size begins to shrink. I grow the variety "Bright Lights" and enjoy the beautiful colors.

Hey Chuck! I grow Melody spinach and Bloomsdale Longstanding in the winters here in Southern Cali. I also grow giant red mustard greens for a nice bite.

kanita

Dear Everybody,

Sorry about the delay!! I will try the Meloday Spinach and Bloomsdale Longstanding this winter. I think I am also going to try beets. I haven't had them since I was a child and I hated them then. But you know as I get older, the vegetables that I didn't like are now the ones that I am eating the most of in my meals. Also, my wife loves beets so they won't go wasted.

Thanks for responding,

Chuck

You can cook the beet greens also.