Interesting plant. It is available in the US under the name perpetual spinach or leaf beet but never got my attention. Given the amount of time and space I waste trying to grow spinach here, maybe I should try it.
Just wondered what the texture is like compared to baby spinach? I like my greens real tender and these look kinda rough!
You are right. Perpetual Spinach is "robust", compared with the normal types. You wouldn't want to eat any but the smallest leaves raw. Thank you for taking time to leave me a comment!
Please note that Comment Moderation is enabled for older posts. Sunday, 15 March Perpetual Spinach. I hadn't intended to grow any Perpetual Spinach, but last year three plants of it appeared amongst the Beetroot I was growing. I can only suppose that the seeds got mixed in with the Beetroot ones during packaging. Since these two vegetables are closely related, the seeds look very similar, so it is understandable how this could happen.
Jo 15 March at Margaret 15 March at Daphne Gould 15 March at So, ladies and gentlemen, here are 8 things you might or might not know about perpetual spinach. It is very similar to spinach but has a slightly earthier taste. Perpetual spinach is incredibly long-lasting and will be on the plot for 9 months before going to seed.
Time sowings well, and you can be harvesting perpetual spinach all year round. The seeds can be sown as early as March and as late as August, which will provide harvests during both summer and winter.
Later sowings undercover will do well too. Keeping picking the leaves! One of the best things about perpetual spinach is that it is a cut and come again vegetable. The more you pick, the more the roots produce. During the warmer months, perpetual spinach grows at an incredibly speedy rate. Swiss chard is quite tolerant to crowding, so don't worry if they appear too close.
Plant the seedlings firmly, after which they should be well watered taking great care not to disturb the roots. Chard prefers cool temperatures.
High temperatures slow down leaf production, but chard tolerates heat better than spinach. Insect infestations are fairly uncommon. Occasional chewing and sucking pests will affect them, most notably aphids. Most infestations occur in mid-summer when the leaves take on a slightly bitter taste. For home gardeners, we do not recommend sprays.
Discard any affected leaves. In our home garden, if an infestation occurs in the mid summer, we turn to another leaf vegetable, as Swiss Chard at this time of year is a little too bitter for our taste anyway.
Keep removing infested leaves. Swiss Chard can be picked as soon as the leaves are large enough to harvest, usually in four to six weeks. The time from planting to harvest is 55 to 65 days. Start harvesting chard when the outside leaves are three inches long.
Don't let the leaves get much longer than 10 inches, or they'll taste earthy. Either take a few leaves off at a time or cut the entire plant down to three inches and let it grow back. If you harvest the leaves as they grow, the plant will go on producing all season. Here's the best thing about Swiss Chard.
As the weather cools, the leaves are their tastiest. Swiss Chard tolerates frost and freezes into the upper twenties. Even if a freeze kills off the outer leaves, the inner leaves may be protected.
Cut away any frost damaged leaves. You still have chard to pick. In fact, its leaves serve as a good substitute for spinach in most recipes, but they will need to be cooked slightly longer.
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