My favourite fruits and veggies - New Zealand Spinach

[@jennynicholls1500]

Brilliant videos Steve, been really enjoying your favourite crops. Weather down south is a bit grey and not much rain yet.hoping we get a good downpour. 👍🏻

[@SteveRichards]

Thanks for the feedback Jenny! We had 3mm, we were hoping for 10mm, the 3mm has already evaporated! Hope you get a LOT more than us : All the best - Steve

[@gphx]

I scarified my seeds with sandpaper prior to a short soak and they came up in just a few days. If you're in a hurry you might give it a try.

[@SteveRichards]

Since NZ spinach drops so many seeds I now find that I have plenty of volunteer seedlings coming up in early spring. I transplant a dozen of them and put them in the polytunnel, where they grow much faster and then plant them out in May. If I ever need to grow from seed again though I will have a go : All the best - Steve

[@angelinegrows7765]

Thanks for the tips on alternatives to spinach, we love the stuff in our family 👍

[@SteveRichards]

We do too, that's why we have to have a plentiful supply all year round : All the best - Steve

[@markshaw5835]

Can't wait to try it. Never ready to pick. Not quiet though. My salad aren't the same woth out spinach lol

[@jet8485]

Hi Steve. I want to grow NZ spinach for the first time this year. I would like to grow as much as possible in one space. Is it possible to combine NZ spinach with Celeriac? Or are there downsides to it? Beginning gardener here.

[@SteveRichards]

No, it’s very prolific, you can’t interplant it

[@jet8485]

@@SteveRichards oke. Thankyou

[@SteveRichards]

see this chapter of my ebook: steverichards.notion.site/How-to-Grow-New-Zealand-Spinach-733fe61d61f94b66b0a79233bfa2b161?pvs=4

[@jet8485]

@@SteveRichards thankyou so much.

[@ronaldandsusanshaws-growing]

Hi Steve, It is great to see what other growers grow and what their favourite veggies are, this is for me definitely not on my radar, neither Susan or I like the stuff, I do admire people who like a vast variety of produce, we are used to the old favourite things that we were brought up on, Take care and you all stay safe.

[@SteveRichards]

I'm the same in a way Ronald. I like what I've always liked, but my family are very adventurous and so that gives me the chance to grow lots of different things, every year I find a few that I also like and add them to my limited list. I'm also trying to maximise nutrition and save people as much money as I can. Returning to potatoes, in the space/time that it takes to grow £5 worth of spuds I can grow £100+ of NZ spinach and provide much more nutritional value : All the best - Steve

[@terrykingsallotmentgardening]

Hello Steve, growing some of this for my vertical garden and you did say I believe its better in the ground? Growing from seed so will look out for plants next year that set themselves if we like it. ♻️🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️♻️Happy gardening, Terry King.

[@SteveRichards]

Hi Terry, we like it as a ground cover Terry, I don't think it climbs (no tendrils) but it is prolific so it will probably tanlge it's way through net and support itself somehow : All the best - Steve

[@terrykingsallotmentgardening]

@@SteveRichards putting it into my buckets so it will hang if it grows.

[@SteveRichards]

Trailing definitely suits it better than climbing Terry, although we tried it in 35 litre buckets 2 years ago and it didn't really thrive, I don't know why and I never tried again. One things I've found with NZ spinach is that it either thrives and grows like crazy, or it sulks and hardly does anything. I've never managed to diagnose why : All the best - Steve

[@terrykingsallotmentgardening]

@@SteveRichards thank you and you have been really helpful, will try different ways of growing it.

[@TelfordTrace]

Hi Steve, I've got New Zealand spinach which germinated far better than expected, so over run. But being late to the party, mine are about 3" - 8 inches tall. The spinach is fabulous. I can't believe the health benefits of this as I have a low immune system. Its a superfood. Mine are still in the poly, so thats probably why mine are trying to flower producing rounded buds at the stem of the leaves? I think I'm probably wasting my time potting on. My question is, if I make a cold frame bed just for this spinach, what do you plant in it after the September batch has finished before first frost, and how do you succession plant that bed? Do you plant anything else in that bed for the year?? Thanks.

[@SteveRichards]

Hi Trace, I read your earlier comment too, before you edited it, about the oxalic acid and we are aware of that, in fact I have oxalic acid data in my database. While we eat NZ spinach fresh, we only have a couple of leaves in a big salad mix. Unfortunately I don't think it's worth potting it all on, but you might do a few plants if you have space. Don't worry that it's flowering, they always do that at this time, but because of light levels. Once we get to mid-September their leaf quality declines, they are smaller and less succulent, then by October we don't bother with them. Right now if you were to build a cold frame it would be better used for true spinach in winter, but you won't need to close the cold frame lid until October though and even then you would keep it well ventilated night and day. I cover what to grow before and after in my growing guide for NZ spinach steverichards.notion.site/Individual-growing-guides-bc279089de074c0ab0bfedc4f41d54dd?pvs=4 : All the best - Steve

[@TelfordTrace]

Hi Steve, I sent the message I edited before I had finished watching the rest of your video, and when I watched it all, I heard that you covered the oxalic acid in there. Thanks for the link. I'm new to cold frames, so need to research using them now too. @@SteveRichards

[@SteveRichards]

@TelfordTrace thanks for the coffee! This is the section of my ebook that you need to get started, especially ‘growing under cover’ steverichards.notion.site/The-basic-growing-skills-and-techniques-fabeb9d9ba5d4227a63226824a29ac82?pvs=4 : all the best - Steve

[@TelfordTrace]

I've signed up to a membership now, least I can do, as I'm using your resources constantly at the moment as a relative newby @@SteveRichards

[@melredfamily1377]

Great video Steve 👏🏽👍🏻 thanks for sharing 👍🏻👍🏻 I am growing them too 👍🏻👍🏻

[@SteveRichards]

Excellent, did you have any tips I missed? : All the best - Steve

[@melredfamily1377]

Steve's Seaside Allotment No Steve. Not really. I tried over wintering them, keeping inside my polytunnel, they survived, but new plants look soo healthy than the last year one. Your videos are great inspiration for ideas on season extention crops, succession crops, self sufficiency and many more👏🏽👍🏻 Thanks lot for all the great useful videos you make for our garden community 👍🏻👍🏻

[@richardhart7652]

Going to grow some

[@Jill.Carter.]

I'm supposedly growing Good King Henry but it's tricky to grow from seed apparently and I'm not having any luck so far.

[@kennethnormanthompson2740]

Me too. I have tried several times but no luck yet.

[@richardpill8322]

Hi Steve, have you tried normal spinach in the poly tunnel over winter to have an early crop? I am now starting to think about what I should be growing in the tunnel over winter to get later and earlier produce and would be interested to get your thoughts on what you do. Thanks Rich.

[@SteveRichards]

Hi Richard, I certainly do, but it's very slow growing and although we harvest it all winter there's nowhere near enough, hence the field beans. Have you seen my polytunnel planting plan videos kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6eZfZuJerhpe6c kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpOynZyrn7inbdU kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6jGqYOHqLF0nZo. These document what I do now, I have some different plans for this year, I will be making a video soon : All the best - Steve

[@richardpill8322]

Thanks Steve, very helpful.

[@marilynm8812]

Love New Zealand spinach. Save the seeds,but usually comes up by itself in various places as my "cold" compost does not kill the seeds. Are the stems edible? I do not eat them. Also by August leaves start to get little spots on them. Do not know if insect or the weather, hot and humid by then on Long Island, NY,USA. Eat what I can.

[@SteveRichards]

I've never had a problem with leaf spot and we don't eat the stems so I can't comment on that either, sorry to be of no use : All the best - Steve

[@AJWGBFX]

Hey Steve, enjoying these vegetable cameo videos. I tried last year's NZ spinach seeds a month ago. Not one germinated. So, bought new ones - no show so far - do they take a long time to germinate? Best regards

[@SteveRichards]

They do indeed, my seeds germinated in the bed, I didn't try saving them : All the best - Steve

[@AJWGBFX]

@@SteveRichards Apologies Steve. I just watched the final five minutes of your video having had to leave it this morning and of course you talk about it's slow germination.

[@MynyddMunro]

Hi Steve, how big is your poly tunnel. Thanks steve

[@SteveRichards]

See the FAQ document linked in the description for all the details : All the best - Steve

[@SecrePeach]

Hi Steve, you mentioned a downside and limiting consumption. What did you mean? I use a good handful of spinach in my daily kale shake also using it instead of lettuce to bump up my nutritional value. I was going to switch to New Zealand spinach through the summer months, is that not advisable?

[@SteveRichards]

Hi Karen, it's high in Oxalic acid, just like true spinach, so it's advisable to limit consumption of uncooked greens to maybe a cup every other day. There are lots of differing opinions on how risky high Oxalic acid foods are for people who don't have a pre-disposition to kidney stones, but it pays to be cautious if you can. In our case all of our smoothie mixes are made from a mix of high oxalic acid and low oxalic acid greens : All the best - Steve

[@SecrePeach]

Steve's Seaside Allotment hi Steve thanks for that, interestingly I had my gall bladder out last year due to gall stones so I wonder if there may have been some kind of connection there too. What do you use as low oxalic acid greens?

[@SteveRichards]

examples include: turnip greens, kale, Brussels sprout leaves, red lettuce, onion tops, pea shoots, carrot tops, salad rocket : All the best - Steve

[@SecrePeach]

That’s great, thanks and a few unexpected ones in there too!

[@bigmaude31]

When cooking New Zealand Spinach does it reduce in volume like true spinach does? Do you know what Field Beans are called over here in the States? Do you ever let them actually produce beans?

[@SteveRichards]

Yes, but not quite as much : All the best - Steve

[@bigmaude31]

Are the beans you call Field Beans the same as Broad Beans? Are they same as what’s known as Fava Beas here in the States? Do you ever let yours produce beans are you just keep harvesting the tops? I apologize for asking so many questions, but you are a font of good information. 😁

[@SteveRichards]

Hi Maude, this video explains it all kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoPIdZWMp5eNo8U but briefly, field beans and broad beans/fava beans are all in the same family. Field beans are a very vigorous variety used as a green manure/animal feed. What I discovered by chance is that you can also harvest the growing tips, not like you would with broad beans (when they are mature) but over winter when the plants are very small, the plant will then immediately throw up another growing tip of tender leaves, which you harvest and repeat. : All the best - Steve

[@jpennturner]

Hi we are trying a tree spinach this year, it looks a bit like fat hen so far but very pretty red top, have you tried this? We love chard and new zealand spinach.

[@SteveRichards]

Hi penny, the only other spinach alternative we've tried is Malabar, but it was a bit earthy for most of us and the yield was very low by comparison with NZ spinach, I quite liked it in salads, but it didn't pass the cut for the following year. Please let me know how you find the tree spinach : All the best - Steve

[@richardsydenham4105]

👍 From Popeye