Good King Henry Perennial Greens - Sustainably Grown

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Good King Henry Perennial Greens - Sustainably Grown

Blitum bonus-henricus
Open-pollinated. Perennial to Zone 3. Also known as Lincolnshire Spinach and Fat Hen. Used as a potherb, one of the first greens of spring and one of the last of fall. Harvest the dark green arrow-shaped leaves and use like spinach. Ancient plant used in festive meals, in meat dishes and as a side dish, very popular in Europe before it was supplanted by spinach.

The name comes from the germanic haganrich literally ‘king of the hedge,’ supposedly a goose-footed gremlin that helps around the house and puts things where they belong. (We could use one of those!)

Considered a great delicacy. Gather shoots while they are still tender at about 5" high, peel and boil, then use like asparagus. Or harvest the dark green arrow-shaped leaves like and use spinach. Beloved by chickens, both for the greens and the oil-rich seeds.

Prefers rich soil in semi-shady areas, though will grow in full sun. Stratify seeds: fluctuation of high and low temperatures aids germination. Direct sow in spring or fall or transplant very young seedlings in spring. Once established the plants don’t like transplanting. Requires a year of growth before leaves can be harvested. If left uncut, center stalks grow to 2½'.

ECOThis item is sustainably grown


3096 Good King Henry - Sustainably Grown
Item Discounted
From
A: 0.5g for $3.50   
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B: 1g for $4.75   
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C: 2g for $7.25   
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D: 8g for $16.50   
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E: 16g for $25.00   
New catalog listings coming in late November

Additional Information

Greens

  • Days to maturity are from emergence after direct seeding.
  • All greens are open-pollinated except where noted.

    Culture: When to harvest greens? Research from trials conducted in England and Kenya showed looseleaf lettuce, red chard and arugula harvested in the evening had a longer shelf life than when picked in the morning.

Germination Testing

For the latest results of our germination tests, please see the germination page.

Our Seeds are Non-GMO

Non GMO

All of our seeds are non-GMO, and free of neonicotinoids and fungicides. Fedco is one of the original companies to sign the Safe Seed Pledge.