Good King Henry, also called mercury, lincolnshire spinach or poor man's asparagus is a variety of goosefoot which has been grown as a vegetable in cottage gardens for hundreds of years, although this dual-purpose vegetable is now a rarity.
Good King Henry is a perennial plant which grows up to 2 ft high. It should be planted in a fertile, sunny spot which is free from perennial weeds. Sow the seeds in April in drills which are a quarter of an inch deep and 1 and a half ft apart. You then thin the seedlings to 1 ft. Good King Henry does not like to be transplanted.
Don't expect too much in the first season. Keep the plants regularly hoed, well watered and each time you harvest, pick just a few leaves from each plant for cooking.
Cut the foliage in autumn and mulch with peat, leafmould or well-rotted compost. Cropping can begin in spring. Cut some of the new shoots as they appear from April until June and cook like asparagus. All cutting should then cease and all shoots must be allowed to develop. The triangular succulent leaves are picked a few at a time until the end of August and cooked like spinach.
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