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How to Grow Good King Henry USA | Planting & Establishment

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Good King Henry (Blitum bonus-henricus)

A single arrow-shaped Good King Henry leaf — “Chenopodium bonus-henricus sl1” by Stefan.lefnaer is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons

2 sources cited · Verified

Good king henry (Blitum bonus-henricus) — perennial.

Unlike an annual crop, the work here is front-loaded into establishment: get the planting and the site right and the same plants crop for several seasons.

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural and university-extension sources — see References.

Growth Stages

A flowering Good King Henry plant — “Chenopodium bonus-henricus01” by Meneerke bloem is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Chenopodium bonus-henricus01” by Meneerke bloem is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Stage BBCH Notes
Sowing or planting 0 Sow seed or plant into fertile, well-drained, organic-matter-rich soil in full or partial shade, sheltered position (RHS, Harvest to Table).
Establishment 1 Grows rapidly in ideal conditions once established; may need staking if it becomes tall (Harvest to Table).
Leafy cropping 3 Harvest leaves as required to keep the plant compact and cropping well; young shoots can also be blanched and eaten like asparagus (Harvest to Table, RHS).
Flowering and dormancy 6 Tiny yellowy-green flowers appear on the plant; as a hardy perennial, it dies back and re-sprouts each year, surviving most UK winters (RHS).

Quick Facts

A single arrow-shaped Good King Henry leaf — “Chenopodium bonus-henricus sl1” by Stefan.lefnaer is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Chenopodium bonus-henricus sl1” by Stefan.lefnaer is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Factor Value
Drainage Well-drained or moist but well-drained
Lifecycle perennial
Edible parts leaves, young shoots, flower buds

Harvest & Storage

A whole harvested Good King Henry plant with its root — “Chenopodium bonus-henricus sl15” by Stefan.lefnaer is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Chenopodium bonus-henricus sl15” by Stefan.lefnaer is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

When to pick: RHS: "Harvest the leaves as required, to keep the plant compact and cropping well"; "only pick lightly in the first year after planting" to let the plant establish.

Storage

Best used fresh

References

  1. country=INTL

  2. country=UK

2 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.

Plan next season before the problems start

Almost everything on this page resolves to your own frost dates rather than the calendar — the last spring frost moves by roughly two months between zone 3 and zone 10. The USA Garden Planner works from your zone so the timing is already decided before the season starts.

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SoilCommander Editorial Team

US vegetable growing guides · Checked against USDA & Cooperative Extension guidance

Every SoilCommander guide is written and maintained by our editorial team for real US growing conditions, and checked against USDA hardiness and frost-date data and Cooperative Extension growing advice before publication.

Vegetable Growing Guides USA

Last verified 2026-08-30

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