Spinach-Beet Greens/Bietina/Bieta Seeds - (Beta vulgaris spp.)

Spinach-Beet Greens - Discover the Secret of 'Bietina'

At a bustling Chicago farmers' market, a simple scene unfolds that tells a story of food and heritage. A grower sets out two boxes of identical, freshly harvested leafy greens. The first box, marked with the Italian name 'Bietina', is swarmed by eager customers, its contents vanishing by mid-morning. Next to it sits the second box, labeled 'Perpetual Spinach'. It remains nearly full. This isn't an anomaly; it is a living parable of how food serves as cultural memory, a tangible link to heritage for a community transplanted far from its origins. For a specific group of Chicagoans, the name 'Bietina' is not simply a label; it is a password, unlocking a rich storehouse of flavor, tradition, and belonging.

Details

This remarkable plant is the solution to one of gardening's most common frustrations: the search for a delicious, spinach-like green that won't give up in the summer heat. While it looks and tastes like a sweeter, more tender spinach, it is botanically a type of chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla), a heritage that gives it a legendary resilience against bolting. The secret to its superior flavor lies in the science; being naturally lower in the compounds that can cause bitterness allows its sweet, mild character to shine through, resulting in a flavor that 'lingers pleasantly on the palate'.

Spinach-Beet Greens, also known in Italy as Bietina, Bieta, Bietola, or "Perpetual Spinach," it lives up to its name by providing a continuous, season-long harvest from a compact rosette of smooth, dark green leaves and slender stems. Typically grown as a highly productive annual, this biennial reaches a manageable mature height of 1 to 2 feet with a spread of 1 to 1.5 feet, making it an excellent choice for any-sized garden. Its leaves are smooth and flat, bearing a stronger resemblance to spinach than to the heavily crinkled leaves of many Swiss chard varieties, with tender blades that typically grow 6 to 8 inches in length. As a true "cut-and-come-again" green, you can harvest the outer leaves repeatedly, and the plant will continue to produce from its center for months. We've found its flavor is consistently described as sweet and mild, with a delicate, silky mouthfeel when cooked. The young baby leaves are crisp and succulent, ideal for salads.

In our own hot, dry, and windy central Arizona garden, we've seen this plant's incredible hardiness firsthand. We planted it in early spring and were rewarded with a continuous harvest that took us all through the summer and late into the fall. It was so robust and productive in our challenging climate that it became the main ingredient in our summer salads long after the lettuce had finished. The large outer leaves seemed to form a protective canopy for the tender new growth at the center, and the plant kept producing right up until it was buried by an early winter snow.

History

The story of this green is a powerful tale with two parallel paths. In the hills of Tuscany, Italy, a specific lineage known as 'Bietola a Costa Fine' (chard with thin ribs) was cherished for its exceptionally sweet flavor and tender texture. Simultaneously, in the practical allotment gardens of the United Kingdom, what appears to be the same plant became a staple under the descriptive name 'Perpetual Spinach'. It was "Perpetual" because of its incredible cut-and-come-again productivity, and "Spinach" because its flavor was a dead ringer for the popular green, yet it solved spinach's greatest flaw: its remarkable resistance to bolting in hot weather.

Its most important history, however, may have been written in the backyards of American cities. For the Italian immigrant families who settled in places like Chicago's "Little Tuscany" neighborhood, this chard, known to them as 'Bietina', was a cornerstone of "cucina povera"—the resourceful "food of the poor." It wasn't a gourmet novelty; it was a dependable workhorse, a perpetual provider of essential greens that offered a living connection to their homeland and powerful self-sufficiency.

This dual identity—the Italian artisan and the English workhorse—reveals its universal appeal. It perfectly serves two of the most important 'jobs' in the garden: providing exquisite flavor for special meals and reliable abundance for everyday use.

Uses

In the kitchen, Spinach-Beet Greens should be used anywhere you would use spinach, but with the expectation of a sweeter, more tender result. The young leaves are exceptional in fresh salads, while the mature leaves can be wilted into pastas, added to soups, or sautéed with garlic and olive oil. Because of its lower oxalic acid content, it retains a smoother texture and milder flavor when cooked. The slender, crisp stems are tender enough to be chopped and cooked along with the leaves, adding a pleasant textural contrast.

Companion Planting

As a member of the chard family, it benefits from the same companions. Aromatic herbs like mint, dill, and cilantro can help deter common pests like aphids. It grows well alongside members of the onion family, as well as brassicas and lettuces. 

Avoid planting it near corn or potatoes, and be aware that it can be susceptible to the same diseases as other beets and chards, so proper crop rotation is beneficial.

Planting and Growing Tips

Spinach-Beet Greens are remarkably easy to grow, making them a perfect choice for gardeners of all skill levels. For an early start, sow seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before your last frost date, or sow directly in the garden as soon as the soil can be worked. It thrives in fertile, well-drained soil with full sun to partial shade. Unlike true spinach, it is famously slow to bolt, tolerating summer heat with a resilience that is rare among common greens. You can plant a new succession of seeds every few weeks to ensure a continuous, "perpetual" harvest. When seedlings are about 3-4 inches tall, they must be thinned to a single plant; these tender thinnings make a delicious first harvest. In cooler zones (e.g., 4-7), it is grown as a spring and summer crop, while in warmer zones (e.g., 8-10), it excels when planted in the fall for a winter and early spring harvest.

Harvesting Tips

You can begin harvesting baby leaves for salads in as little as 30 days. For a continuous harvest, use the "cut-and-come-again" method, always snipping the oldest, outermost leaves near the base of the plant. This encourages the plant to constantly produce new, tender growth from its center, allowing a single planting to provide you with fresh greens for months on end. For the best quality, use the leaves within a few hours of picking or store them in the refrigerator for a maximum of three days. 

Learn More

• Chard of Many Colors
• Cool Season Vegetables to Love

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