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Post by hortusbrambonii on Mar 23, 2014 13:56:30 GMT -5
I did try a lot of plants that can be used like spinach in the garden (including the tree spinach that formed a seed bank that I'll probably never get rid of anymore) but it seems like all of them are for the summer: annual chenopodiums, atriplexes, new zealand spinach, even Hablitzia...
Is there any plant that can be used as a spinach that keeps on giving leaves whenever it's not too cold in the wintertime in a temperate climate?
Does the 'good king henry' give leaves in winter? Would a sea-beet be a good candidate maybe? (I've tried neither up till now but will grow both this year)
Any other suggestions?
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Post by khoomeizhi on Mar 23, 2014 15:12:56 GMT -5
scorzonera is usually the last plant still standing the fall and one of the first up in spring for me...though they usually take a few months off. frequently a bit coarser than spinach, but not all of them are. and sorrel, but it's sourer than spinach...
not perennial, but i'd almost say spinach itself is your answer. will grow through a milder temperate winter, or germinate after snow melts...
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Post by hortusbrambonii on Mar 23, 2014 16:59:47 GMT -5
You eat scorzonera as a leaf vegetable? I only know it as a root vegetable...
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Post by steev on Mar 23, 2014 21:04:34 GMT -5
I generally cook both leaves and roots of salsify, but it's true that the leaves are a bit coarse.
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Post by khoomeizhi on Mar 24, 2014 4:22:49 GMT -5
some scorzonera varieties have wider amd less coarse leaves (c. deppe talks about breeding for better more 'lettuce-y' leaves in her book on breeding)...
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Post by hortusbrambonii on Mar 24, 2014 10:57:53 GMT -5
Are those lettucy-leaf-scorzoneras of Carol Deppe availiable anywhere?
And if Spinach itself would be a good candidate, are there varieties that are good for self-seeding and coming back in the colder time of year?
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Post by raymondo on Mar 24, 2014 16:28:24 GMT -5
The orach cultivar Green Velvet self sows in my garden in summer and I harvest leaves over the winter. Not sure if all orach does this.
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Post by oxbowfarm on Mar 24, 2014 17:11:31 GMT -5
Is there a specific reason you don't want to just grow spinach? I'd have to agree with khoomeizhi that spinach is the best, most reliable spinach-like green in the cold of winter. I've always seen folks exploring spinach substitutes for summer, when spinach is poorly adapted. |
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Post by hortusbrambonii on Mar 24, 2014 17:41:57 GMT -5
I was more looking for something perennial. And maybe I found regular Spinach too, eh, regular because I'm a snob for different plants than what you can find in the store?
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Post by ferdzy on Mar 24, 2014 18:06:40 GMT -5
Have you considered Miners' lettuce (claytonia perfoliata)? It's an annual, but it self-seeds - if it's happy, I would expect it to self seed prolifically. It's best in the winter, providing you don't have snow. We have overwintered it under hoop-houses, and have found it flowering already sometimes when we open them up in the spring. (Too warm, in other words.) But we enjoy it as an early spring green. It isn't good in the summer, when it is not cool and damp. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claytonia_perfoliata |
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Post by oxbowfarm on Mar 24, 2014 19:02:27 GMT -5
I think the fundamental problem is that most perennials that can tolerate winter do so by going dormant. You are looking for a perennial leaf-spinach that is non-dormant in the winter. That sounds pretty cool, but I don't know of anything that fits the bill. Ask trixtrax, he's the master of bizarre plant lore. |
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Post by Leenstar on Mar 24, 2014 22:37:34 GMT -5
Anyone grow Good King Henry and vouches for its culinary attention?
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Post by trixtrax on Apr 15, 2014 14:39:16 GMT -5
I like Hablitzia over its close relative of Good King Henry. It's much more productive and I think better flavored. www.ridgedalepermaculture.com/1/post/2014/03/perennial-plant-profiles49.htmlThere is also a Facebook page, Friends of Hablitzia tamnoides, the Caucasian Spinach I also like Minutina/Erba Stella (Plantago coronopus). It is so mild for a plantain and fairly productive in the winter. Johnny Jump-Ups (Viola tricolor) have edible leaves and can often overwinter here. Second khoomeizhi's scorzonera and Steev's salsify leaves! Claytonia perfoliata and other species and closely related Montia species are really great spinach-like plants that work in a variety of climates. Corn Salad is a great addition to winter salads that is spinachy Finally, really like Campanula species for their edible leaves, the favorite so far is the Korean Bellflower (Campanula takesimana) which has delicious mild leafs and leaf shoots under the soil followed by large sweet bell flowers |
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