Good Kink Henry, an old fashioned perennial salad plant, growing to 36in. (90cm) tall. Gently forced in Spring the young shoots resemble Asparagus. Use young leaves just like Leaf beet.. Flower buds can be sautéed in butter. Also known as Lincolnshire Spinach, Mercury or as 'poor man's asparagus', this perennial produces edible shoots and spinach-like leaves. Once common in gardens, it's something of a rarity today.

Ideal Site- Good King Henry prefers a sunny open location with fertile soil that does not dry out easily. Prior to planting prepare the site with a medium-fertility soil improver. This plant can be grown in deep containers with rich soil. The ideal soil pH is 6.5-7.0

Cultivation- sow directly into beds in late spring in 1/2in (1cm) deep drills, 18in (45cm) apart. When seedlings appear, thin to 10in (25cm) apart. Otherwise, to get an early start on the weather, sow undercover in early spring into seed trays, harden off and plant out in late spring 10in (25cm) apart when they are large enough to handle.

Spacing- Rows:10in (25cm) x 18 (45cm)

Plant Care- You shouldn't expect too much in the first season. Just keep the plants weeded and well watered and harvest just a few leaves from each plant for cooking. In its second autumn, cut down the foliage and mulch with peat, leaf mold or well-rotted compost.  or Organic Compost Plus, You should have new shoots to harvest the following spring. Divide established plants every 2 to 3 years.

Problems- Good King Henry is generally trouble free, so while it won't give you much food in the first year, it won't give you any trouble either.

Harvesting- You will need to allow plants to grow for a year before harvesting, but pretty much all of the plant can be eaten. From about April to June, you can harvest growing shoots to cook in the same way as asparagus. After June leave the shoots to develop, then you can eat the young leaves and flowering stems in salads, or saute the flowers in butter.

Nutrition- Good King Henry contains Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Zinc, Vitamin C , Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Folate, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin K.