Cut outer stalks without stripping the growing crown. More heat tolerant than spinach, but quality is best in cool weather.
EdibleCool-season crop
Growing spaceVegetable bedClimate fitUrban core · USDA 9b–10a · Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b · Desert outskirts · USDA 8b–9bCrop familyAmaranthaceaeLife cycleAnnual cropPhoenix planting windowSeptember–January; fall planting gives the longest cool-season harvest.How to plantDirect sow or transplant; thin multigerm seedlings.Plant spacing8–12 inFrostTolerates light frost once established; cover during a hard freeze.Time to harvestAbout 60–90 days for full leaves; baby leaves soonerSuccessionOne planting yields repeatedly; add a second sowing in late fall.Special categoriesEDIBLETypical harvestRepeated leaf and stalk harvest from late fall into spring.
Before you plant
These conditions determine whether it will thrive.
Cold hardinessCover in a hard freeze below 28°F
Takes light frost, but leaves can burn below the upper 20s. Cover it in a hard freeze.
Leaves and wood: damaged below 28°FHeat toleranceShade from late-afternoon sun
Holds up to heat better than most greens and can limp into early summer with afternoon shade. Leaves get tougher and more bitter once it's in the 90s, around May.
