The seeds need a period of cold (stratification) before they’ll sprout. In September the flowers may provide seed.I didn’t realise how quickly and how large the fig tree would grow, but the Caucasian spinach does well scrambling up the branches in the shade. This was an error on my part that worked out OK. One is in the deepest darkest shadiest part of the garden where it grows well with the hostas and wild garlic. I have a constant urge to grow food in every available space and this and the hostas are my shade loving perennial saviours. The compost bin would live there if I was willing to share my kitchen with the clouds of fruit flies that have taken up residence in the compost. It’s a good place for a compost patch or a wormery but my the deepest shade is right next to my back door. It’s not where you want to put your garden furniture as it’s not fun sitting OUT OF the sun. When you have a small garden this just feels like a waste. Pretty much every garden, especially those in the city with its large buildings, have some areas of deep shade. This feels rather unnatural, as we often talk about edibles needing a MINIMUM amount of sun. In October it is losing vigour after flowering and going to seed, but there are still a few meals on this one that climbed the fig.I didn’t know back then that I would write a blog. The shoots can be harvested a couple of times before you leave it to grow in the spring. This means that once established it makes a great filler of the hungry gap. The shoots will make a reappearance in late winter / early spring. Over a cold winter it will look like it has disappeared forever, never to return, but this is a hardy plant. This is a perennial, so it will grow back year after year once it is established. The branches you can see in the photos are fig branches that the Caucasian spinach has been happily climbing up. The clusters of tiny pale green/white flowers.It seems to go against everything gardeners think of when they compare required effort and sun with the ability to produce food. I can’t believe this vegetable, officially called Hablitzia tamnoides, exists. Mild tasting, spinach like, shoots and leaves that climb well, grow in shade, are perennial and can be grown from seed.
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