FRENCH SPINACH IS PACKED WITH VITAMINS AND IS A VERY RARE AND UNUSUAL VEGETABLE WITH A STUNNING COLOUR THAT WOULD ADORN THE FLOWER GARDEN AND THE VEGGIE PATCH!

An indigenous plant from Southern Europe, it’s also known as Mountain or French Spinach, this is Atriplex hortensis Red Plume. The preparation and use of the young, shiny leaves are the same as that of, for example, spinach, apart from the much longer harvesting time. Great for stir-fry or as an addition to salads! The seeds are also edible and are best used ground and mixed with flour or added to breads or cereals.

Harvest the whole plant when 30cm high or harvest leaves as required. The leaves can be plucked the entire year, if they have not shrivelled or showing lost colour. The flavour is finer than that of spinach or Sorrel and contains many minerals. Cut at approx. 20 cm from the ground. Easy to cultivate and heat tolerant.

Ornamental wine-red seed pods make a great filler for cut flowers displays!

Grow Notes

Keep your seeds in the fridge (normal shelf) inside the ziplock bag until planting.

Heat tolerant and slow to bolt during warm periods, they do best in full or part sun in moist, well drained soils. However, they are tolerant of poor soil conditions, growing to 160cm.

Self-seeding plants drop seeds onto the soil at the end of the season that may germinate and grow without help the following season.

Sow
Sow direct at a depth of 2mm in Spring after frosts have passed. Space plants at 30cm and rows at 30cm.

Germination
7-14 days at 20-22°C

Maturity
75-110 days