What are your favorite hot weather greens?

We're eating a lot of purslane right now, since the turnip greens have turned bitter and the spinach, etc. has all bolted.

What are your favorite hot weather greens?

Better still, are any of them perennial?

Purslane and amaranth--both the cultivated red kind and wild lamb's quarters.

Sweet potato, malabar spinach, longevity spinach, jewels of opar

I’m still having good luck with orache. Eastern Pennsylvania. We have had multiple days in the 90s F, mid 30s C, and it’s just getting more vigorous and tasty. It’s pretty, too, and since I garden in my front yard, that’s important to me.

I cleared a space and just planted some more seed today. We will see how it does.

Daniel

Oh. Swiss/rainbow chars also do well in the summer here.

I have noticed that some of my cooler weather greens have started to bolt. Anyone have some favorites to add to this thread?

So far, I am putting swiss chard in the ground.

I have read that Swiss chard, amaranth, Malabar spinach, and collard greens are more heat resistant though I have no experience with most of them.

Fort Worth, Tx here. Chard is the absolute best here. I have good king henry just barely hanging on, but maybe I could start it in the fall instead. It and tree collards are both perennial, both of which I have, neither of which are faring too well. I have poke growing rampant here, but there are controversial takes on its safety. I've never eaten it, but I did throw an absolute ton of the berries into the chicken run in the fall last year. Not sure if the chickens ate any, but none of them have died since that time, and several dozen seedlings popped up in the spring, which the chickens did eat voraciously. Muscadine leaves are perennial, and serve as some type of untraditional green, if you like. Arugula does really well here all winter and the slow bolt variety lasted until just a few weeks ago. In fact, I used it to thickly cover crop over a bunch of beds in the fall and some of it is still hanging on, though its 90% bolted. I also have amaranth, which I grow for the grain and the biomass. Never eaten the greens, but they are huge and not many pests. I had malarbar last year, and it is so incredibly prolific, and the berries are beautiful. I was too busy with trees this spring that I didn't get around to planting. I was also the only one that liked it. My wife thought it was gross.

Swiss chard got to the point of self seeding and growing in random spots. All other greens that I tried did not even germinate. Radishes started growing spontaneously when I rototilled my upper garden to prepare it for cucurbits. Form the mid March to the end of April I had plenty with zero effort. I also use radish greens.

A lot of my greens thrive in the summer, but get bitter, which I'm not fond of. Fortunately the chickens don't mind.
We still seem to enjoy dinosaur Kale, and dwarf curly leaf blue kale. For some reason they don't get bitter. Sorrels grows like a weed and tastes good year round. Okinawa spinach and longevity spinach. Are a good perineal.
This year I'm trying Malabar spinach, swiss Chard perpetual spinach, and Sahara kale. I've heard they taste good all summer, but it's my first year, so the verdict is still out.

Here in SoCal Growzone 10b, we get up to 120F from July to October. Right now temperatures are in the 90’s. I have learned that using shade cloths are essential for us to get any greens (except for sweet potato greens), spring that time. Our favorite is beet greens. If they get established before the heat hits, and get a little shade, especially albino sugar beet greens will keep us in greens until I can plant lettuce again in fall. Sweet potato greens are also super nice, but have to be cooked. Dandelions and chicory also grow really nicely even though they aren’t covered with a shade cloth, because I plant them on the west side of the house, so they are in shade during the hottest time of the day. Longtivity spinach will also provide greens all year round without needing shade just like the jungle of tree collards we have growing in the forest garden.
My kids will still buy lettuce at the store, but I try to avoid store bought vegetables due to my chemical sensitivities. I am pretty sure I can grow lettuce under the pecan tree, if I use a container to keep it away from the rodents and rabbits. Underneath the pecan tree, temperatures rarely go above 85F. Only problem is that the plants won’t get a lot of light there.

Anne Miller wrote:I have read that Swiss chard, amaranth, Malabar spinach, and collard greens are more heat resistant though I have no experience with most of them.

This is pretty much my list of what I eat during the summer!! (add sweet potato greens to that list, along with pereskia, a type of cactus/succulent that is impossible to kill). I eat lots of collards, especially. Malabar spinach tends to take over, and I get tired of swiss chard after a while.
I have found amaranth to be amazingly temperamental. I bought a few packets of a gorgeous chinese multicolored variety and grew it in hot and cool weather and just got tiny stunted things. Not sure what it wants!! I was so looking forward to eating it, and no go. I'll try it again in the spring, right now my winter greens will keep me happy through september.

If anyone has any tips on how to make amaranth work, please let me know!!!

I am impressed by Patience dock (Rumex patientia) which I planted for the first time last Fall. To learn about it check out
[url=https://backyardlarder.co.uk/2021/03/patience-dock-plant-profile/]
It still tastes good in my 90 degree weather. Just gather the newer leaves.

I love mallow!

Also look at milkweed and nettles. They are some other favorites.

Amaranth is good.

Swiss chard and collard greens are my go to during hot weather. Most times I mix them with nettles. Great stuff.

Definitely sweet potato leaves. A definite winner. It serves well even in our 40°C days. Malabar spinach does well, unfortunately no-one in my family like it....it's a texture thing, a bit slimey sort of ..not the outside...more the juice/sap sort of.