Perpetual spinach confusion

I'm not sure I can help but:

Kings Seeds sells "Swiss Chard" (the white stemmed type that some people refer to as spinach) and they sell "Perpetual Spinach" which has a thinner green stem and is pretty hardy.

I think I'd search for a different seed supplier if the description / names in DT Brown's catalogue is confusing.

the are all one and the same thing according to Wiki and to John
http://www.allotment-garden.org/grow-your-own/vegetables/chard


I always think Swiss/Silver or Rainbow chards are the kind with thick stems and pepetual spinach is still chard but with thinner green stems and slightly softer leaves 

Mine was like this (carrots not included).



http://growingwithsuttons.diy.com/Shop/Vegetable+Seeds/Spinach+Perpetual+Spinach+Seeds+178443.htm

Yes, that looks like the leaves from a normal beet, which is what I was expecting the perpetual spinach to be. I've been enjoying eating the tops from my beetroot as green veg, so I wanted a crop of purely leaf but the same as beet leaf.

In the end, I popped in my local garden centre and picked up a packet of Country Value Spinach Beet, which looks like the right seeds. I do wish they'd all use the same name to mean the same thing. It does say they should be sown up to July, but I'm going to give them a try anyway.

I sowed some spinach Matador in the greenhouse last year (premier seeds, fleabay) and whilst they grew very slowly over winter, come spring, loads of lovely leaves. 

I agree, especially in the tunnel.  I grew some perpetual spinach in my tunnel a couple of years ago for the chooks, kept going for ages until one really wet and muddy day, we diverted the chickens into the tunnel for some respite from the rain.

The spinach lasted about 5 minutes after that!