Pūhā
A traditional Māori kai green, central to the classic NZ boil-up alongside pork and watercress. The pūhā grown and gathered for kai is usually the common sow thistle (Sonchus oleraceus), a naturalised plant now found right across New Zealand, not the rarer true native sow thistle (Sonchus kirkii), which is far less common today. It's an easy, forgiving plant in most soils and positions, direct-sown in full sun and thinned to 15cm apart. Leaves turn noticeably more bitter as the season moves from spring into autumn, which is why the traditional harvest window runs from spring through midsummer; traditional preparation rubs the leaves vigorously under running water to reduce that bitterness before cooking.
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- Sun
- full sun
- Water
- moderate
- Spacing
- 15cm
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Grows in
- Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago, Invercargill / Southland
- Expected yield
- Cut-and-come-again leaves from spring through midsummer
When to plant by region
In Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson and Tasman: September-November. In Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago and Invercargill / Southland: October-November.
Growing stages
SowingSpring
- Direct-sow in full sun; it tolerates most soils and positions without much fuss
- Thin seedlings to around 15cm apart
Vegetative growth
- Self-seeds readily once established, often returning on its own in following seasons
- Keep soil moderately moist; growth is fast once it gets going
HarvestSpring through midsummer
- Pick leaves cut-and-come-again style while they're young and milder
- Leaves grow noticeably more bitter moving into autumn; traditional preparation rubs leaves vigorously under running water to cut the bitterness before cooking
- A light prune in autumn can prolong the harvest a little longer than leaving the plant to run to seed unchecked