New Zealand Spinach - Can it grow in shade or in pots?

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by Aldo, Jun 29, 2019.

  1. Aldo

    Aldo Super Gardener

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    I have managed to germinate a few New Zealand Spinach seeds (Tetragonia Tetragonoides, only three seeds made it), but I am running out of sunny corners in the garden. Also, In understand that it self propagate easily and can become invasive, so not necessarily something I would want to let run wild in my vegetable beds.

    So I was wondering if it could perhaps do reasonably well in a shady patch instead?
    Alternatively, I could try it in pots, but I am not quite sure about what pot size would be appropriate.

    Thanks for any advice!
     
  2. Marley Farley

    Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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    Hi @Aldo I was intrigued to find out what it was.. Interesting, I did come across this though not sure if it helps you though.. ;)
     
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    • Aldo

      Aldo Super Gardener

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      Thanks Marley, that is a pretty good site actually, I liked the sowing/planting planner.
      Well, yesterday I planted out a few in a not so sunny corner, covered with a plastic bottle, even if apparently slugs are not fond of them.

      I'll see how they do.

      In principle, while they are not true spinach, they only allegedly taste like it, I found them a very attractive alternative.
      We are overrun by slugs, which have managed to raze to the ground relatively large courgettes, tomatilloes and cucamelons. Plus dozens of garden giants. They even got in our mini greenhouses and damaged shiitake mushrooms and the only two pumpkin plants I managed to germinate!

      I love spinach, so something which tastes like it and does not attract the beasties would be ideal..
      However, they need blanching to be eaten safely, due to high levels of oxalic acid.
      So, perhaps it would not be something I would eat every day, blanched or not, just to be safe..
       
    • Marley Farley

      Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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      It sound interesting but not a big spinach fan so might give that a miss.. My Tomatillos are doing fab in my tunnel and fruits forming already.. I will get some pics of my tunnel later and update my thread again.. I am growing a couple of Luffa plants this well just to see if I can grow some
      Luffas.! :biggrin:
       
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      • Aldo

        Aldo Super Gardener

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        I would be very curious to see the Luffa plants, I did not even know they were a thing!
        I understand the fruits are edible before turning into, hemm, Luffa?
        And the tomatillos.. Mine are quite behind but they are outdoor, so perhaps it is not warm enough for them.
        Those are tropical as well, are they not?
         
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        • Marley Farley

          Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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          Thanks @Aldo i will get some pics together later:thumbsup:
           
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          • Marley Farley

            Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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            Some pics @Aldo of my Tomatillos and Luffa in my tunnel..
            [​IMG]
            Tomatillo fruits forming
            [​IMG]
            More tomatillos not quite as far forward
            [​IMG]

            Below is the Luffa growing up in the bean tower with my Thai long beans

            [​IMG]
            Luffa leaf so you know which is which


            [​IMG]
            The Thai beans are the longer pointed leaves..


             
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            • Aldo

              Aldo Super Gardener

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              @Marley Farley
              Thanks for the pics, your plants look in great shape!
              Your tomatilloes are way larger than mine, planted outside, which seems to develop faster indoor or on particularly warm days.
              I think they must enjoy the heat, on top of your expert ways, of course :)

              When is the Luffa supposed to produce fruit?
               
            • Marley Farley

              Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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              TBH @Aldo I don’t think for a long time as no flowers yet, once formed they take quite a while and I don’t know if our summer is going to do it this year. You let the few female flowers set to produce the sponge and this is where it might fall down but if the summer stays hot and sunny like last year now I might be in with a chance for a couple of smallish ones perhaps. End of summer. Got to try these things. :SUNsmile:
              The Tomatillos are starting to romp away now, they get huge a sprawley and produce lots of fruits. :SUNsmile:
               
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              • Aldo

                Aldo Super Gardener

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                Are you going to make salsa with the tomatilloes?
                I read they are good for that, but I was wondering if they can be used in other ways too.

                As for the summer, I am crossing my fingers :)
                 
              • Marley Farley

                Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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                Hi @Aldo yes mainly Mexican food and Salsa verde is what they are best known for. I use them in Mexican mainly but have used one or two recipes from Here and some from Here too and I also have a google now and then, but last year I bottled 45lbs Salsa verde and seared and froze down another 4lbs and all nearly gone now.. :biggrin: very heavy croppers and the bugs don’t like them either.. ;)
                 
              • Aldo

                Aldo Super Gardener

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                45lbs Marley? All gone? :D
                Did you feed mexican delicacies to the whole neighbourhood for months on end?

                Thanks for the recipes, if the summer turns out ok hopefully they will come in handy !

                Regarding your suggestion that bugs don't like them, I will print it out and show it to the leopard slugs in my garden..
                For the moment I am quite positive that they do not eat plastic and metal alloys, anything else seems good enough for them..
                 
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                • Sian in Belgium

                  Sian in Belgium Total Gardener

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                  I’m sitting watching Saturday Kitchen sound bites, and saw tomatillos... straight onto GC to see if anyone has grown them!
                  @Marley Farley, would I be pushing my luck trying to grow them outside? Our summers tend to be longer than in the UK, so last frost in May, and a little warmer than UK (we had high of 42c) but drought and wind can be a problem...
                  And whilst I’m at it....Thai long beans? Someone gave me some seeds, a little late this year. I sowed a few, two germinated, but they haven’t grown more than 10” tall, so no beans! What time would I be looking to sow, and would they grow?
                   
                • Marley Farley

                  Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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                  Hi @Sian in Belgium yes my Tomatillos grow very well in the Poly tunnel.. They turn into huge sprawling plants but yield well.. As I say 45lbs last year but we did have an exceptional summer, in sYing that I am picking a roasting freezing every couple of days now and starting to get more each picking now.. :SUNsmile: I make the Salsa Verde and Green Sauce in 10lb batches..

                  I had no idea about the Thai long beans so sowed straight into the ground in the poly tunnel end of April.. Germinated well and were slow to start with but once weather warmed up they took off.. They are a much more sparce flowering and leaved bean than say French or Runner beans.. But I am doing well I am told, to be getting beans as long as I am in uk so think that’s due to tunnel growing.. :SUNsmile:
                   
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                  • Aldo

                    Aldo Super Gardener

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                    Mine were planted outside and are doing fine, however they are not nearly as impressive and large as Marley's ones.
                    The spot I choose is quite sunny and windy. They share it with a tomato, a few tromboncini and a few dozen sweet corn stalks, all planted in ring colture. At the moment it is a bit of a tangle actually, but apparently with no ill consequences, and there is a chance the other plants shelter the tomatilloes from wind to an extent.
                    They seem to withstand lack of watering quite well (I went on holiday a few weeks).
                    Slugs love them very much and I lost a few young plants to the slimy beasties.
                    The one I planted in partial shade is not doing very well, healthy but smaller and not very productive, so perhaps they will do fine outside in your climate provided insolation is good.
                     
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