
Top-dress with compost, after seedlings are well established.

New Zealand Spinach is perennial in mild winters. New Zealand Spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides) This species is not a true spinach but provides massive amounts of leaves for salads and cooked greens in. This allows the stems time to regenerate leaves. Pick the leaves and young shoots of this trailing plant regularly to lengthen the harvest. Repeated harvesting of a single plant is possible if only a few leaves are removed at a time.

Sow seed 12 mm (1/2") deep and 2.5 cm (1") apart in rows 30-45 cm (12-18") apart as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring and thin to 20 cm (8") after germination. Therefore, plan on growing New Zealand spinach with your summer. New Zealand Spinach seeds will take on average between 7-21days to germinate and should be soaked for 24. New Zealand Spinach belongs to the family of purslane (Portulacaceae) and looks completely different than regular spinach. It grows as a perennial in warmer climates in zones 8 to 11 and as an annual in cooler areas. If left to trail and sprawl on the ground, it can overgrow other crops. The vines need support to grow upright, such as a trellis, chain-link fence, poles, or a teepee. Soak seeds for 12-24 hours before planting. The stems are weak and the spinach is low growing. To direct seed Malabar spinach in garden soil, plant the seeds one-quarter inch deep, 1 to 2 inches apart, leaving 3 feet between rows. Soaking seeds for about 24 hours in room temperature water can help with germination. This variety has a high Vitamin C content and can be grown in. We recommend boiling and discarding cooking water rather than eating raw. (Plants take about 55 to 60 days to mature.) New Zealand spinach seeds. While not a true spinach, New Zealand spinach produces leaves that are very similar in flavor.

Small but broad pointed leaves develop on large, spreading plants - tender leafy shoots. Our heirloom variety is not significantly different than the wild plant. Direct sowing New Zealand spinach seed - 1/2 inch (12 mm) deep 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) apart in rows 24-36 inches (60-90 cm) apart. In European and North American garden cultivation for only about 100 years. Interestingly, it is a native of Australia and "non-endemic" wild species in New Zealand. This spinach-like plant thrives in hot dry weather.
