I live in a place with 6 to 11 of inches of rain a year, and I only irrigated a few areas. This plant pops up everywhere, and I doubt I'...Read Morell every get rid of it all. Big ole pain in the arse.
This plant may be often grown as an annual, but is actually a frost-tender perennial that can be overwintered in pots with sufficient lig...Read Morehting if desired.
It is easily grown from seed with high rates of germination - a 24hr presoak accelerates germination time.
It tolerates just about anything, but does best in a warm sunny environment, in moist but well-drained soil.
This plant flowers constantly during the growing season, each tiny yellow flower forming a hard, spiked seed capsule that turns dark and falls to the ground. A few plants will yield hundreds of seeds, which are easily collected. Buy seed once and you'll probably never need to buy it again.
The foliage contains medium concentrations of oxalic acid, so sensitive individuals should blanch accordingly before consuming.
I am just growing this from seed for the first time--right now all I have are tiny seedlings (from germinating them in a wet paper towel)...Read More. However, I was already fond of this plant from my urban foraging days in San Francisco. It grows well along the sandy beaches on the ocean side (especially at Fort Funston and the end of Golden Gate Park). One reason why New Zealand Spinach is a great wild food to forage in coastal areas is that it does well in soils with high salinity levels, where other plants might struggle. The leaves, consequently, are actually a little salty, and really delicious. I'm sure the ones I grow at home won't be salty, but try some of the wild ones if you can!
I just checked on this site because I wanted to be absolutely sure that I had the plant id right. See this plant growing wild on sandy d...Read Moreune areas on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. This morning on my beach walk, after several days of big rain, I found that thousands and thousands of little seedlings had come up.....looked like a lettuce farm! Young and tender free veges for the picking. Anyways it shows that this NZ spinach will live just fine in our alkaline coral sand without any help and it seeds just fine. Aloha
New Braunfels, TX (Zone 8b) | July 2007 | positive
This is so easy to grow, and it loves the heat.
I noticed it says you can't grow from seed, but that's how I grew mine - from a ...Read Morepacket of seeds.
Not a true spinach, but similar in flavor and usage. Large strong spreading plants branch freely. Small brittle fleshly green leaves, gre...Read Moreat for fresh summer greens. Thrives in hot weather, will not bolt or get bitter like true spinach. Best when 4" tips of branches are picked all summer and fall. New Zealand native brought to Europe by Captain Cook in the 1770's. Seeds are slow to germinate. 50-70 days.
I live in a place with 6 to 11 of inches of rain a year, and I only irrigated a few areas. This plant pops up everywhere, and I doubt I'...Read More
This plant may be often grown as an annual, but is actually a frost-tender perennial that can be overwintered in pots with sufficient lig...Read More
I am just growing this from seed for the first time--right now all I have are tiny seedlings (from germinating them in a wet paper towel)...Read More
I planted the seeds for New Zealand spinach in 2006. It comes back every year and makes a nice addition to a fresh salad.
I just checked on this site because I wanted to be absolutely sure that I had the plant id right. See this plant growing wild on sandy d...Read More
This is so easy to grow, and it loves the heat.
I noticed it says you can't grow from seed, but that's how I grew mine - from a ...Read More
Not a true spinach, but similar in flavor and usage. Large strong spreading plants branch freely. Small brittle fleshly green leaves, gre...Read More
This produced all season long for me in great quantity. It has a nice flavor, and I will plant it again.