Though easy to overlook and sometimes even viewed as a weed, this is a plant that I find very useful in my forest garden. So today, I thought I would write a little about what it is, why I grow it, and how you might be able to grow it in your own garden.
Good King Henry, perhaps originally just good Henry, is one of the common names given to the plant Blitum bonus-henricus, which was formerly classified as Chenopodium bonus-henricus.
Other common names for this plant include "poor man's asparagus" and "Lincolnshire spinach"—both names that tell of its various uses. Formerly, this plant was commonly used as a vegetable in parts of the British Isles and other parts of Europe.
Originally native to parts of southern Europe, this plant is loosely related to lamb's quarters (the well-known edible weed) and to quinoa. It spread northwards from southern Europe and is believed by some to have been brought to the British Isles by the Romans.
In the United States, it grows best in USDA Zones 4-8 and is hardy to −25 F (−31.7 C). Where Good King Henry does not grow as a perennial, it can be grown as an annual. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
