{"id":2003,"date":"2019-10-05T23:01:12","date_gmt":"2019-10-05T23:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?p=2003"},"modified":"2019-10-07T02:15:51","modified_gmt":"2019-10-07T02:15:51","slug":"new-zealand-spinach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2019\/10\/05\/new-zealand-spinach\/","title":{"rendered":"New Zealand Spinach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tetragonia<\/em> <\/em>tetragonioides<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong>: This species is native to coastal areas of New Zealand and\nAustralia, where it grows on sand dunes and beaches. As the name suggests it\ncan be used like spinach, but is rarely found for sale in markets so you may\nnot have heard of it. It finds its way into the home vegetable garden as a warm\nweather substitute for spinach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutritional content<\/strong>: Like many greens it is high in vitamins A, B1, B2 and C. Like\nspinach it also contains oxalic acid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate: <\/strong>New Zealand spinach is best known for being much more tolerant of hot and dry weather than spinach. It is actually a perennial, but it doesn\u2019t like frost, so must be grown as an annual in all but the mildest areas (zone 10 or 11). It grows best at fairly moderate temperatures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ease of growing: <\/strong>I have found this plant to be extremely easy to grow in my garden.\nIn fact I only planted it once and it is still out there  producing greens three years later. Not only\ndoes it self sow vigorously, but it is hardy enough that some parts survive the\nlight frosts of winter and regenerate. It is actually a tender perennial and in\nmy garden it has proven itself a true no work plant. It grows rapidly and forms\na dense carpet that could even be used as a groundcover. It is rarely bothered\nby pests and tolerates high temperatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

pH 6.0 – 7.0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Zealand Spinach grows best in the typical ideal garden soil,\nmoisture retentive, well-drained and fertile. It is quite tolerant of saline\nand alkaline soils and grows wild along the coast of California (which is\npretty close to its native habitat).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is quite drought tolerant, but prefers to grow in moist soil\n(on the coast near here you usually see it growing wild in damp spots).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil preparation<\/strong>: Incorporate 2\u02dd of compost into the soil, as well as some\nfertilizer mix. If the soil is poor it may bolt quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About New Zealand Spinach<\/strong>  
Seed facts<\/strong>
Germ temp: 50 (60 – 70) 90\u00b0F
Germination time: 14 – 21 days
Germination percentage: 40%+
Viability: 3 – 5 years
Weeks to grow transplants 3 – 5  

Planning facts<\/strong>
Hardiness: Tender
Growing temp: 60 (65 – 75) 95\u00b0F
Days to harvest: 60 – 90 days
Plants per person: 5
Plants per sq ft: 1
Height: 12\u02dd
Width: 24 – 36\u02dd  

Planting<\/strong>
Start: 4 wks before last frost
Plant out: 2 wks after last frost
Direct sow: 2 wks after last frost  

Harvest facts<\/strong>
Days to harvest: 60 – 75 days
Harvest period: 12 – 20 weeks
Yield per sq ft: 1 – 2 lb
Yield per plant: 1 – 2 lb
  <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

Planning<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where<\/strong>: In cool climates this plant needs full sun, but in warm weather\nit does better with light shade during the hottest part of the day. It is a low\ngrowing, sprawling plant and is independent enough to do well in wilder parts of the garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: This is a warm weather crop and can\u2019t stand frost. There is no point in starting it until all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed up to at least 60\u00b0F (usually at least 2 weeks after the last frost date). If you want to start it earlier you can warm the soil with cloches or plastic mulch (or start it inside).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Planting<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The seeds are a little temperamental in their germination and may\ntake 3 weeks to emerge. They are often soaked overnight prior to planting, to\nsoften the skin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each \u201cseed\u201d is actually a capsule and contains several seeds. When\nall have germinated you should thin to the best one (or you could transplant the extra seedlings).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transplants<\/strong>: If the growing season is short it should be started indoors\nabout 4 weeks before the last frost date. Plant the seedlings out 2 weeks after the last frost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct sowing<\/strong>: In hot climates it is easier sow the seed directly in the garden. Plant them \u00bc\u02dd deep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spacing<\/strong>: Space the plants 12 – 18\u02dd apart in the beds, or 12\u02dd apart in\nrows 24 – 36\u02dd apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Care<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watering<\/strong>: This succulent plant is quite drought tolerant, but you should\nalways keep the soil moist. If it gets dry the quality of the leaves\ndeteriorates and growth slows down drastically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulch<\/strong>: This is useful while the plants are young, to suppress weeds and\nkeep the soil moist and cool. As the plants mature they sprawl over the ground\nand form their own living\nmulch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests<\/strong>: New Zealand spinach is usually almost (never say never in the\ngarden) totally free of pests and diseases. The first time I tried growing it\nin my present garden, the quail demolished the seedlings as they came up. Once\nI got them well established they were so vigorous and fast growing that I had\nno more problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvesting<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: Don\u2019t start harvesting until the plant is about a foot tall and\nhas enough vigor to tolerate cutting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How<\/strong>: If you only harvest the growing tips the plant will regenerate\nquickly and can be harvested for months (this is the preferred method). You can\nalso cut it down almost to the ground and (hopefully) it will sprout up again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The abundantly produced seeds of the mature plant aren\u2019t very nice\nto eat and it can become a bit of a challenge to harvest the tips without\ngetting too many of them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plants is best used fresh, but can be kept in the fridge in a\nplastic bag for a few days. If you suddenly have a glut you can cook and freeze\nit like spinach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seed saving<\/strong>: This couldn\u2019t be simpler, just leave it alone and it will\nproduce seed abundantly (you don\u2019t need to know any more). If you allow it to\nproduce seed, it will often self-sow too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unusual growing ideas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cuttings<\/strong>: In mild climates, where this succulent plant can be grown as a\nperennial, it is commonly propagated vegetatively from cuttings. These root\nvery easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wild\ngarden<\/strong>: This plant is so independent it can be\ngrown as a semi-wild plant. Use it in a sunny part of a forest garden (it\ndoesn\u2019t really like shade), or any vacant spot. If it likes the conditions it\nwill self-sow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ornamental use<\/strong>: The dark green triangular leaves make this quite an attractive\nplant and it can be used as a border or backdrop for ornamentals. It might also\nbe used as a temporary groundcover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Container growing<\/strong>: It does quite well as a container plant, though you need to keep\nit well watered for best flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varieties<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I haven\u2019t seen any, but apparently there is one called Maori.\nUsually it is just plain old generic\nNew Zealand spinach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kitchen use<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t think the fleshy leaves are very good raw, though some\npeople like them. They make a pretty good spinach substitute when cooked\nthough. (I prefer to remove any large seeds before cooking). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use the leaves in any recipe calling for cooked spinach. Some\npeople say you should blanch them for 3 minutes and then boil in fresh water to\nreduce their oxalic acid content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tetragonia tetragonioides Introduction: This species is native to coastal areas of New Zealand and Australia, where it grows on sand dunes and beaches. As the name suggests it can be … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2004,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[241],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leaf-veg","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/NZ-spinach.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2003"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2008,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2003\/revisions\/2008"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}