Anyone grown New Zealand spinach?

[antipodes]

i was given this by a friend, who brought the seeds from Hungary (so it's all in Hungarian  ;D
I saw something was different when I sowed it and saw that the seeds were different to the other spinach seeds I sowed at the same time. Looking up the name I have realised that it was New Zealand spinach.
apparently it is not a real spinach but a related plant that looks and tastes very similar. We do like all leafy things like chard and kale so maybe it will be OK. It says short growing season, 50-60 days. And it likes warm weather.
Has anyone grown this?

In the past I have never had luck with spinach so maybe this is a good omen for me :)

[antipodes]

[Bugloss2009]

they grow it on the next plot, because they can never grow spinach. Fleshy succulent leaves, bit of a spreader, and does self seed. Looks easy enough, but i've never tasted it.
Looks like it should be growing by the sea, which is probably what it does  :)

[1066]

I'm growing it for the 1st time this year - it was a request of Mr 1066's - so I've yet to see about the taste! I got mine from Kings (so at least the instructions weren't in Hungarian!)
Here's what I'm following -
WHEN TO SOW
March to late May.
WHERE TO SOW - Soak seeds for 12 hours before sowing in trays under glass at 15ƒC, later sowings direct into growing site 2cm deep.
WHAT TO DO NEXT - Glasshouse sowings should be priced off into trays 5cm apart and gradually hardened off before planting out. Direct sowings should be thinned to 45cm apart with 60cm between rows.
MATURITY - First pickings about 6 weeks after sowing.
HANDY TIP - The plants have a trailing habit, pinch out the growing tip when about 30-40cm long to encourage side shoots.

[Tin Shed]

I now grow it instead of the usual variety as my OH prefers the more chunky cooked texture.  The plant certainly spreads its self and is also a great ground cover.
Certainly worth growing although I have had some trouble getting it to germinate so perhaps I will soak it before sowing.

[antipodes]

oh bugger, I just stuck them in the ground! Oh well it has been rainy here, maybe it will be OK.  Ha ha so ignorant!  I was really surprised at the seeds! Huge pods, about the size of a pea.
Well They are next to some ordinary spinach. Actually that was a laugh, as I opened the packet then a gust of wind caught it and spinach seeds just scattered all over the place  ;D ;D  Oh well, it will be edible I guess, even if it's between two onions or a row of spuds ha ha ha

I will post some pics of the NZ spinach, I seem to think my friend said it was widely grown in Hungary, so I am hoping it is hardy and easy to succeed!!!

[Ian Pearson]

It is very productive, and can make do with poor dry soil. It makes good ground cover as tin shed says. I grow it under soft fruit bushes and tall herbs, (where it gets no watering or care) mixed with sorrel and orach for a wild self-seeding edible ground cover that comes up each year on its own. It can survive surprisingly cold weather at the end of the year, but eventually gets the chop from harder frost.

[earlypea]

I grew it last year, 3 batches of it, accidentally because it takes so long to germinate that I kept resowing - so be patient because it all crops up in the end.

I wouldn't grow it to eat again - it's kind of bland in my opinion and crops when you're drowning in more tasty things.

BUT, I would definitely grow it as a living mulch around the edge of beans again or something like that - keeps my dry earth beautifully moist against the odds.

[1066]

Earltpea - thanks for that tip, I was wondering where exactly I was going to plant it out!!
I'm also growing other spinach, which will be more for late summer / early winter eating :)

[earlypea]

it also throttled my weeds, including the dratted Mare's Tail, more than anything else, though not 100% (92%ish)  ;D

[1066]

well that is a real bonus !!

[Florain]

Grew it when we lived in the Channel Isles and it tried to take over the garden! Solved the problem buy just tearing up armfuls and throwing over the wall to the chickens who loved it. Was thinking of trying it again and interesting to see it used as a living mulch. Will perhaps get some for under the sweetcorn. Just need to find the nearest chickens first in case.

[amphibian]

Looks like it should be growing by the sea, which is probably what it does  :)

Which rather suggests you could grow it in extremely sandy or salty soil.