Spinach Alternatives: Warm Weather Salad Greens

Is it too hot now to grow spinach where you live? You may know that there are a couple varieties of spinach that can withstand high temperatures, but there are also several other excellent greens that can easily take the place of spinach in your garden and in your diet. Try growing one of these nine tasty and nutritious varieties this summer.

PLANT NAME	DESCRIPTION	GROWING TIPS
Patience Dock* Rumex patientia	Perennial to Zone 4; Produces new flushes of edible leaves each time it is cut back; Learn more about patience dock here	Tolerates partial shade. Clip off flower stalks as they form to prevent reseeding.
Golden Purslane* Portulaca oleracea	Lemon-flavored juicy leaves add crunch to salads; Warm-season annual; Learn more about purslane here	Sow in late spring in beds or containers. Pinch back often to prevent reseeding.
Perpetual spinach, spinach chard Beta vulgaris ssp cicla	Actually a compact, green-leafed Swiss chard; quite popular in European gardens	Direct-sow from mid to late spring. Plant fall crop in late summer.
Garden sorrel* Rumex acetosa	Perennial to Zone 4; produces tangy leaves for cooking; 'Profusion' does not produce seeds; Learn more about sorrel here	Tolerates partial shade. Clip off flowers as they fade to prevent reseeding.
Lambsquarters* Chenopodium giganetum	Young leaves of "Mexican tree spinach" taste like spinach; Plants can grow to 6 feet	Leaves of 'Magenta Spreen' are splashed with pink. Prune as needed to prevent reseeding.
Orach Atriplex hortensis	Needs an early start, like spinach, but easier to grow and tolerates partial shade	Red-leafed varieties make great edible ornamentals.
Vegetable amaranth* Amaranthus species	New leaves make tender and nutritious cooked greens; often added to Caribbean soups; Learn more about amaranth here	Sow after soil is warm. Pinch back often to push out new growth and prevent reseeding.
New Zealand spinach* Tetragonia tetragonoides	Young growing tips taken from sprawling plants resemble spinach when cooked	Direct-sow from mid to late spring.
Malabar spinach Basella rubra	Vigorous twining vine from India produces glossy edible leaves with fair flavor	Sow in early summer, and train to grow on pillar or post.

*These plants can become weedy, so maintain tight control on reseeding. Grow responsibly!

To learn more about growing spinach, browse our archive here. And if you have any favorite hot weather greens of your own, please use the comments section below to tell us about them.