Heirloom New Zealand Spinach: Heat-Tolerant Vegetables in Texas

New Zealand Spinach

Gardening in Texas during the summer can be a challenge. While traditional spinach often bolts as temperatures rise, New Zealand spinach thrives in the heat and continues producing through much of the summer. That's one reason I was excited to add this heirloom variety to my garden. Not only is it productive, but it also gives me the opportunity to save seeds and grow it again year after year.

What Is New Zealand Spinach?

Despite its name, New Zealand spinach isn't true spinach. It's a warm-season leafy green that produces tender leaves similar to spinach but performs much better during hot weather. Once established, it tolerates drought far better than traditional spinach and can provide a continuous harvest throughout the summer.

Growing Tips for New Zealand Spinach

Unlike traditional spinach, New Zealand spinach actually loves warm weather. Once summer temperatures climb into the 80s and 90s, this plant continues producing while regular spinach often bolts and becomes bitter.

A few tips I've learned:

• 🌱 Plant after all danger of frost has passed.
• ☀️ Grow in full sun, although a little afternoon shade can help during extreme Texas heat.
• 💧 Water regularly while plants are getting established. Once mature, New Zealand spinach is surprisingly drought tolerant.
• ✂️ Harvest by pinching off the tender growing tips instead of pulling the entire plant. Frequent harvesting encourages bushier growth and keeps fresh leaves coming all season.
• 🌿 Give plants plenty of room. They tend to spread several feet across during the summer.

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How to Use New Zealand Spinach

Although the leaves are a little thicker than common spinach, they're delicious when:

• added to salads while young
• sautéed with garlic and butter
• stirred into soups
• mixed into omelets
• added to casseroles
• frozen for later use

Because it keeps producing through hot weather, it's one of my favorite vegetables for extending the harvest when other leafy greens have already quit.

Wow, I couldn't believe my eyes when I checked my mail today. Talk about FAST shipping! I went online and ordered more heirloom seeds Wed, and here it is FRIDAY.

New Zealand Spinach seeds, Broccoli, Now Peas, and Lettuce 

I decided to order the New Zealand Spinach. This spinach is especially hardy in sweltering hot climates and can tolerate drought conditions. It's also a rare variety, so I wanted to pass on the heritage and grow my own each year.

Why I Love Growing Heirloom Vegetables

One of the reasons I enjoy heirloom varieties is the ability to save seeds from healthy plants and grow them again the following season. Unlike many hybrid vegetables, heirloom plants generally grow true from seed, making them an excellent choice for gardeners interested in self-reliance and preserving older varieties.

 

hybrid tomatoes 

I also ordered a batch of heirloom broccoli, peas, and more lettuce.

My hybrid tomatoes are thriving and doing very well. This will be the last season I grow them as I plan to start fresh heirloom tomatoes. I have several varieties of the Brandywine. I'll probably grow the Brandywines in the front yard until my hybrid tomatoes are past their season. This will prevent any risk of cross pollination. (Growing different tomato varieties separately helped simplify my seed-saving plans. While tomatoes are largely self-pollinating, separating varieties can reduce the chance of occasional cross-pollination, especially if you're saving seeds.) 

I Hope My Thumb Gets Greener: Beginning Seed Saving and Heirloom Gardening

Bell Peppers

My hybrid bell peppers are thriving as well. I have two varieties growing.

variety of heirloom peppers

I have three varieties of heirloom bell peppers started -- the yellow, red, and green peppers. As soon as I feel they're strong enough, I'll be transferring them outdoors.

heirloom lettuce for seed saving 

Heirloom lettuce. I'm hoping to keep batches growing fresh in the greenhouse to add to the varieties of spinach for salads.

One lesson I've learned over the years is that choosing vegetables suited to your climate is just as important as choosing productive varieties. A garden full of heat-tolerant crops is far more likely to keep producing during long Texas summers.

Staying Organic: Letting Nature Do the Work

Happy gardening!