Care of Strawberry Spinach
So exactly what is strawberry spinach? The strawberry spinach plant (Chenopodium capitatum syn. Blitum capitatum), also known as strawberry blite, grows in the wild across North America, parts of Europe, and New Zealand. It hasn’t gone through much cultivation, but even the commercially sold seeds are very easy to grow. Strawberry spinach is a cold weather plant that can withstand a light frost, but it’s more heat tolerant than true spinach. You do want it to bolt eventually though, as that’s when its distinctive berries appear. Plant it in moist soil in full sun and water regularly. If you live in an area that experiences cold winters, plant in early spring for a harvest of leaves through spring, and leaves and berries in the summer. If you live in an area with warm winters, plant it in the autumn for growth through the winter and harvest throughout the spring.
How to Grow Strawberry Spinach Plants
The strawberry spinach plant is an annual and can be sown directly from seed for harvest the same year. Plant your seeds 1 to 2 inches (2.5-5 cm.) apart in rows 16 to 18 inches (41-46 cm.) apart. Apart from regular watering, care of strawberry spinach plants is very minimal. It is self-seeding, however, and because of this, some people consider it a weed. Deadhead your plants if you don’t want to see them in the same spot next year. Otherwise, leave them to drop their seeds and enjoy an unusual and nutritious addition to your garden and diet every year.
