Mexican tree spinach (Chenopodium giganteum)
This frost-hardy annual is a beautiful plant to have in the garden or allotment. It can grow tall - easily over two metres and has pink-tinged, bright green leaves. The leaves on new growth have a deep, vivid magenta colour that seems to glow.
The young tips are the best bit of the plant to actually eat, so although growing it tall provides you with an eye-catching display in the garden, in a smaller space it can be more productive to grow plants sown close together as a ‘cut-and-come-again’ vegetable. Snip off the shoots once they get to around 20cm high, leaving the lowest few centimetres to grow on.
Very young shoot tips can be eaten raw in salads, or wilted in butter or oil. Older leaves can be steamed as a good spinach substitute.
Sow March to July. Seeds are best sown directly outdoors. Rake soil until it is well broken up. Scatter seed on the surface and water in with a fine spray. Can also be grown in deep modules, but seedlings need to be planted out with minimal root disturbance and before they become rootbound. Aleways scatter and just water in seed. Dont cover them as light speeds up germination.
The young tips are the best bit of the plant to actually eat, so although growing it tall provides you with an eye-catching display in the garden, in a smaller space it can be more productive to grow plants sown close together as a ‘cut-and-come-again’ vegetable. Snip off the shoots once they get to around 20cm high, leaving the lowest few centimetres to grow on.
Very young shoot tips can be eaten raw in salads, or wilted in butter or oil. Older leaves can be steamed as a good spinach substitute.
Sow March to July. Seeds are best sown directly outdoors. Rake soil until it is well broken up. Scatter seed on the surface and water in with a fine spray. Can also be grown in deep modules, but seedlings need to be planted out with minimal root disturbance and before they become rootbound. Aleways scatter and just water in seed. Dont cover them as light speeds up germination.
