It’s a cut-and-come-again crop that can grow over 6 feet tall and produces all season long for me. It also packs a nutritional punch, beating out beet greens, spinach, and chard in calcium, niacin, and iron content.
In mild climates, perpetual spinach grows all summer long, over fall and winter, and even through the following spring. It’s a versatile green that should be a staple in everybody’s garden!
While not as long-lasting as perpetual spinach, ‘Vulcan’ chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris) can tolerate summer temperatures up to 85°F (even higher with afternoon shade or shade cloth) and keeps going until the first frost.
It’s one of the fastest growing greens in my garden, reaching maturity in just 40 days and producing for several months. The leaves have a mild flavor when young and become a bit more bitter as they grow larger.
Malabar spinach (Basella alba) is a tropical perennial vine with bold red stems that loves to climb… and climb… and climb… capable of reaching 10 feet long but generally staying smaller in home gardens.