Good King Henry
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| iGood King Henry | ||||||||||||||
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| Chenopodium bonus-henricus L. |
Good King Henry (Chenopodium bonus-henricus), also called mercury, lincolnshire spinach or poor man's asparagus is a species of goosefoot native to much of central and southern Europe. It is an annual or perennial plant growing up to 40–80 cm high. The leaves are 510 cm long and broad, triangular to diamond-shaped, with a pair of broad pointed lobes near the base, with a slightly waxy, succulent texture. The flowers are produced in a tall, nearly leafless spike 10–30 cm long; each flower is very small (3–5 mm diameter), green, with five sepals. The seeds are reddish-green, 2–3 mm diameter.
[edit] Cultivation and uses
Good King Henry has been grown as a vegetable in cottage gardens for hundreds of years, although this dual-purpose vegetable is now rarely grown and the species is more often considered a weed.
It should be planted in a fertile, sunny spot which is free from perennial weeds. Seeds should be sown in April in drills 1 cm deep and 50 cm apart. The seedlings should then be thinned to 10–20 cm. Good King Henry does not respond well to transplantation.
Typically, very little is produced in the first season. The plants should be regularly weeded and well watered. Harvesting should be moderate, with just a few leaves at a time collected from each plant.
The foliage can be cut in autumn, and a mulch, such as leaf mould or well-rotted compost applied to the plot. Cropping can begin in spring. Some of the new shoots can be cut as they appear (usually from mid spring to early summer) and cooked like asparagus. All cutting should then cease so that shoots are be allowed to develop. The succulent triangular leaves are picked a few at a time until the end of August and cooked like spinach.
