When to sow Good King Henry in the UK
Good King Henry is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Good King Henry is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow outdoors | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late March to late April | early April to early August |
| South Coast and Channel | late March to late April | early April to early August |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late March to late April | early April to early August |
| South East and Home Counties | late March to late April | early April to early August |
| East Anglia | late March to late April | early April to early August |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late March to late April | early April to early August |
| Wales and West Coast | late March to late April | early April to early August |
| Northern England | late March to late April | early April to early August |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late March to late April | early April to early August |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late March to late April | early April to early August |
| Northern Ireland | late March to late April | early April to early August |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late March to late April | early April to early August |
Growing notes
A hardy (H5) perennial spinach substitute for shade, reaching 0.5-1m tall, raised from seed and cropped as a cut-and-come-again leaf. Pick only lightly in the first year after planting, then keep picking to stop it running to seed; the RHS records it as generally pest and disease free.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 40 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 45 cm
- Plants per m²
- 5
- Yield per plant
- 0.3 kg
- Sun
- Partial
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 20 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 30 cm
- Balcony rating
- 3 out of 5
How long until it crops
Expect the first worthwhile pick about 2 years after planting.
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for good king henry.