Reichardia picroides perennial salad leaf – pre order for delivery by 31st August
£6.50
SUPPLIED AS A PLANT IN A 1L POT
A perennial salad leaf with a crisp texture and sweet flavour, collected in Italy as a wild green. This item will be shipped between 22nd July and 31st August, please let us know any dates you are away by adding a note to your order.
16 in stock
Description
Reichardia picroides perennial salad leaf also known as French Scorzonera or Common Brighteyes is a sweet and crunchy perennial salad leaf and a wonderful substitute for lettuce. It seems to have great slug proof properties as well! In Italy it is known as Caccialepre and is collected as a wild green and grows in abundance there. In terms of hardiness we are still testing this one as we haven’t overwintered plants as yet, but reports say it can tolerate -5c to -10c. You can grow it undercover all year round, but if growing outside we would recommend you cover plants with fleece over the winter months. You can also grow in a container and move that under cover during the colder months. Plants will self sow and are in flower between April and September and are fantastic for pollinators, seeds are also easy to collect and are dark brown when ripe and seed heads are fluffy and about to disperse. You can still harvest the leaves when in flower, but more leaves are produced in autumn and again in spring. Cutting back the plants will help produce a flush of new foliage. This is an exciting addition to our perennial vegetable catalogue as plants and seeds very hard to find in the UK. We have established a permanent bed of plants so there will be lots of plants and seeds available for many years to come.
How to grow
Plants can be grown undercover all year round, or if planting outside, give plants protection over winter. Space plants about 20cm apart in a sunny position in well drained soil. You could also grow these in containers and bring them inside over winter depending on your location.
Harvesting and propagating
Leaves can be harvested any time, even when plants are flowering, but there are less leaves to pick when plants are in flower. The bright yellow flowers are fantastic for bees and other pollinators and carry on until September. Plants will self sow around the base or you can collect seeds and sow them in a different place. In autumn, cut back any old stems to encourage more leaf growth.
Cooking and eating
Use as a lettuce substitute, leaves are sweet and crunchy and make a wonderful addition to salads
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