Requires a position in full sun in any well-drained but not too fertile soil. Tolerates saline and very alkaline soils. A polymorphic species. This species is a poor companion for potatoes, inhibiting their growth when growing close to them.

Leaves - cooked. Used as a spinach substitute, they have a fairly bland flavor and are often mixed with stronger tasting leaves. Seed - cooked. Ground into a powder and used to thicken soups etc or added to wheat flour and used in making bread. Very fiddly to harvest because the seed is quite small.

Seed - sow April/May in situ. Germination is usually rapid.

Waste or disturbed ground, often near the sea, on sand, shingle and mud above the high-tide mark.