In earlier times, Good Henry was guaranteed a place in the garden. Then the spinach came and pushed him out of the bed. Allow the ancient vegetables to return and they will thank you with their spicy taste. The cultivation does not place any great demands.
How to grow Good Henry in the garden?
Guter Heinrich works best in sunny or partially shaded locations with sandy, well-drained soil. Sowing takes place between March and May or September and October without covering the soil. Regular care includes fertilizing, loosening the soil and removing weeds. Harvesting of young leaves is possible from the second year onwards.
Best sowing time
The Good Henry is a perennial plant that provides us with fresh green leaves for about 4 to 5 years before a change of location and re-sowing is necessary. It can begin its existence in the garden sometime between March and May or between September and October. When exactly you want to sow this vegetable is up to you.
Suitable location
Good Heinrich prefers sunny or partially shaded locations. These should be enriched with an organic long-term fertilizer in autumn and fertilized with nitrogen again in spring. Good Heinrich also likes sandy, well-drained soils. Heavy soils can be improved by adding sand.
Sowing
This leafy vegetable is a light germinator, so the seeds are not covered with soil. After it has been sown thinly, it only needs to be lightly pressed. After the first strong plants appear, the plants are separated to 50 x 50.
Tip
After sowing, cover the bed with transparent foil (€13.00 on Amazon), then the seeds will germinate even faster.
Care
Young plants are piled up with soil. Some care measures are also required during the following cultivation period of several years:
- fertilize regularly with compost
- ensure even soil moisture
- Loose the soil regularly
- remove sprouting weeds promptly
Tip
Cover the plants with straw or leaves in winter, then you can harvest even earlier in spring.
Harvest
Depending on the weather, the first, tender leaves can be plucked from the stems just eight weeks after sowing. However, such an early harvest weakens the plants and should be done with caution. From the second year onwards, Guter Heinrich can be harvested without any problems. The harvest season begins in spring and ends with the first frosts.
Only young leaves are used because older leaves contain too much oxalic acid. In addition, the vegetables should be harvested shortly before preparation because the leaves wilt quickly.
Tip
If you pile up soil on some plants in the fall, you can use the pale new shoots like asparagus sprouts in the spring.
