Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: prakash_mib on June 26, 2010, 10:53

Title: spinach beet, perpetual spinach
Post by: prakash_mib on June 26, 2010, 10:53
went to GC to buy couple of courgettes to fill space and came back with three more seed packets. Two salad bars and one called spinach beet perpetual spinach.
so does that do what it says on its name? sow once and pick for couple of years.
can I sow them now now or wait for next season.
packet says sow mar-jul and harvest jun-oct.
Title: Re: spinach beet, perpetual spinach
Post by: viettaclark on June 26, 2010, 13:12
Plant straight in now and keep damp and cool until plants are established (doesn't mind some shade) and it wil go through the winter and run to flower next summer. I've just been out thinning mine.
Excellent crop...continuous baby leaves or proper size spinach leaves. No care required!!! I don't know why more people don't grow it....
Title: Re: spinach beet, perpetual spinach
Post by: izzy on June 26, 2010, 15:46
yes i grew this last year and left two plants to over winter they came through and went to seed a few weeka ago just as my new harvest was ready.
Title: Re: spinach beet, perpetual spinach
Post by: Ice on June 26, 2010, 21:06
Have to agree, an excellent plant that overwinters well though the frost nips it if you are not careful.  I grow it every year and it's prolific once it gets going.
Title: Re: spinach beet, perpetual spinach
Post by: johnfh on June 26, 2010, 22:51
Mine was great last year asnd kept going right through (cut and come again leaves) until I pulled it up around Christmas time.  Lovely strong spinach flavour if you  like that sort of thing.  Easy to grow as others have noted.
Title: Re: spinach beet, perpetual spinach
Post by: prakash_mib on June 27, 2010, 09:35
should i sow in situ (said on packet) or seed in modules and plant them out later. Am raising this question because the weather is awful and I wont be there to water the seedlings everyday!
Title: Re: spinach beet, perpetual spinach
Post by: viettaclark on June 27, 2010, 22:32
They're really tough plants but if you won't be able to water the seedlings in this weather you may have problems.
Why not do both and see? You get plenty of seed in a packet and it's quite large seed so you can sow thinly. I had 14 plants last year which was plenty.....