Chijimisai

[sic transit gloria]

I just wanted to make a quick post to extol the spinach-like Chijimisai. Tastes better than spinach, doesn't bolt like spinach, and grows to a nice sized leaf. I never grow spinach anymore.

[pepperhead212]

I grow something that might be the same thing, just a different name - Misome, which is a cross between komatsuna and tatsoi, and has been the longest growing Asian green in my garden, before it bolted, which was later August, after starting in early April. Senposai - a cross of komatsuna and cabbage - is even larger, and almost as resistant to bolting, as they almost always grow into August, for me. And both are incredibly productive - the "cut and come again" type, where I cut the perimeter leaves, and they just keep growing back! I have never found a spinach I can grow, without them bolting early, spring or fall, or indoors - it just doesn't like me!

I also grow komatsuna - one variety that is heat resistant - Summer Fest - and another that does best early for me, as well as in the fall - Green Boy. I tried some red variety once, and it wasn't very large, and bolted sooner.

[Cranraspberry]

Thank you both! Just added Misome to my Pinetree cart (free shipping right now). We had fantastic results with both tatsoi and komatsuna last year, so looking forward to trying the cross.

[sic transit gloria]

I grow something that might be the same thing, just a different name - Misome, which is a cross between komatsuna and tatsoi, and has been the longest growing Asian green in my garden, before it bolted, which was later August, after starting in early April. Senposai - a cross of komatsuna and cabbage - is even larger, and almost as resistant to bolting, as they almost always grow into August, for me. And both are incredibly productive - the "cut and come again" type, where I cut the perimeter leaves, and they just keep growing back! I have never found a spinach I can grow, without them bolting early, spring or fall, or indoors - it just doesn't like me!

I also grow komatsuna - one variety that is heat resistant - Summer Fest - and another that does best early for me, as well as in the fall - Green Boy. I tried some red variety once, and it wasn't very large, and bolted sooner.

Misome does look very similar to Chijimisai. The leaves on the left are Chijimisai.

[GoDawgs]

My brother sent me some of these seeds last spring. I think they were a freebie from B. Creek. They grew well but became such a flea beetle magnet that I had to either pull them or spray often. I pulled them. The same thing happens to any bok choy or lettuce. I'm trying some romaine in window boxes on the porch this year, hoping they're far enough from the garden that flea beetles won't be a problem.

[pepperhead212]

That's weird about them being magnets for flea beetles. The only thing I could say this about are some napa varieties, and eggplants.

[peebee]

Mine are always full of tiny holes, but all I've seen underneath the leaves are aphids, and they usually don't create these holes which do look like flea beetle damage. However I don't see any and believe me, I'm known as the flea beetle whisperer around these parts so I'd know if there were any. I got rid of every single one of them years ago & they've never been back. In their place the spider mites have taken residence in my garden. So I wonder what causes the holes?
I love chijimisai but the variety I got from Baker's is so tiny! A whole plant can fit in my mouth so I need to grow a lot lol. Do you all have these tiny ones too?

[pepperhead212]

The ones I get are from Pinetree, and are fairly large, though not as large as senposai. And I sometimes get large holes in my greens, from slugs, though I always put down some Sluggo, before planting, and occasionally, while growing.

[sic transit gloria]

Mine are always full of tiny holes, but all I've seen underneath the leaves are aphids, and they usually don't create these holes which do look like flea beetle damage. However I don't see any and believe me, I'm known as the flea beetle whisperer around these parts so I'd know if there were any. I got rid of every single one of them years ago & they've never been back. In their place the spider mites have taken residence in my garden. So I wonder what causes the holes?
I love chijimisai but the variety I got from Baker's is so tiny! A whole plant can fit in my mouth so I need to grow a lot lol. Do you all have these tiny ones too?

That picture I posted above (I assume you all can see it?) is from Baker Creek seed. It wasn't tiny at all.

[peebee]

I did see yours, the leaves look to be a decent size. The outer leaves on my plants were only as large as my thumb & if you harvested the whole plant the inner leaves were so small. None grew to look like the ones pictured on Baker's website. I think next year I'll try growing them in a different bed with super enriched soil. And covered with a thin row cover. They're certainly worth the extra effort.