New Zealand Spinach – 10 Seeds

New Zealand Spinach Seeds. Tetragonia tetragonioides is a leafy groundcover also known as New Zealand spinach, Warrigal greens, kōkihi (Māori language), sea spinach, Botany Bay spinach, tetragon and Cook’s cabbage. It is native to New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Chile and Argentina.

The species prefers a moist environment for growth. The plant has a trailing habit, and will form a thick carpet on the ground or climb though other vegetation and hang downwards. The leaves of the plant are 3–15 cm long, triangular in shape, and bright green. The leaves are thick, and covered with tiny papillae that look like water drops on the top and bottom of the leaves. The flowers of the plant are yellow, and the fruit is a small, hard pod covered with small horns. The plant is a halophyte and grows well in saline ground.

This is a perfect spinach type of plant, to grow in south Africa’s hot weather. Few insects will bother it, not even slugs and snails. The plant can be quite invasive, so if you do not want to grow it as a ground cover, then growing it inside a pot or planter to contain it, will be the way to go.

New Zealand Spinach Culinary Uses

• It is grown for the edible leaves, and can be used as food or as an ornamental and delicious ground cover.
• As some of its names signify, it has similar flavor and texture properties to spinach, and is cooked like spinach.
• Like spinach, it contains small amounts of oxalates; its medium to low levels of oxalates need to be removed by blanching the leaves in hot water for one minute, then rinsing in cold water before cooking.

Growing New Zealand Spinach

Indoor Sowing: Not Recommended.

Direct Sowing: Spring and Early Summer

• Scarifying the top of the seeds first, helps with the germination rate.
• The seeds should be soaked for 12 hours in cold water, or 3 hours in warm water, before planting.
• Sow the seeds in spring, up to end of January (in South Africa).
• Seeds should be planted 5 to 10 mm deep, and spaced 15 to 30 cm apart.
• The plant does not transplant well, so sow the seeds where it is to grow.
• Can be grown in full sun, provided that you water it regularly, as the plant prefers moist soil. Grows well in partial shade.