SPERLI Erdbeerspinat Rote Gans

An almost forgotten garden vegetable: strawberry spinach Rote Gans provides tender leaves and small, berry-like fruit clusters from June to October.

The story

Origins & history

Strawberry spinach is an old garden plant that was long grown in Europe’s cottage and monastery gardens as a leaf vegetable. Later it was forgotten in many places; today gardeners are rediscovering it.

Uses

Young leaves are used like spinach, raw in salads or briefly steamed; the small fruit clusters decorate salads and plates. One packet is enough for about 100 plants in sun or partial shade.

Meaning

The goose in the variety name, Rote Gans or red goose, suits the genus: Chenopodium means goosefoot – after the shape of the leaves, which recall a goose’s foot.

A thought for giving

Strawberry spinach was long forgotten and yet never quite disappeared – somewhere, someone always passed its seeds on. That is how good things endure: from hand to hand.

At a glance

• Contents: 1 packet for approx. 100 plants
• Botanical name: Chenopodium foliosum
• Life cycle: annual
• Position: sunny, partial shade
• Sow outdoors: May–August
• Harvest: June–October
• Sowing depth: 2–3 cm
• Germination temperature: 10–25 °C
• Germination time: 14–21 days
• Plant spacing: 25 cm
• Row spacing: 30 cm
• Seed type: loose seed

How to sow

1. Sow directly in the bed from May to August, 2–3 cm deep.
2. At 10–25 °C the seeds germinate in 14–21 days.
3. Space plants 25 cm apart with 30 cm between rows.
4. Sun or partial shade, ideally in peat-free vegetable compost (Gemüseerde torffrei).

Delivery time: 1–2 weeks. Manufacturer: SPERLI GmbH. Seeds, not a plant – the image shows the original packet.

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