This easy-to-grow vining plant is both edible and decorative.
Enjoy homegrown, nutrient-packed greens all summer long with Malabar spinach.
The heart-shaped dark green leaves taste a bit likespinachwith a hint of pepper and citrus.
Credit:Carson Downing
However, it’s typically grown as an annual in colder regions.
This edible vine can also be decorative when planted in the right spot.
Malabar spinach can also be planted in large containerslarge enough to support a tall trellis.
Credit:Jason Donnelley
Because it needs lots of moisture, youll need to water container grown plants often.
It generally takes 2 to 3 weeks for Malabar spinach seeds to germinate.
This allows water in more easily, which helps the seeds sprout faster.
Credit:Marty Baldwn
Because Malabar spinach is a twining vine, it needs asuitable support to climb.
A trellis can be purchased or you canDIY a trellisnext to your planting.
Or if theres a convenient fence, sow the seed along it.
Once you introduce them to their support, theyll twine on their own.
Light
Malabar spinachgrows best in full sunbut will tolerate some shade.
Soil and Water
Malabar spinach grows best in awell-draining loamy or sandy soilwith lots of organic matter.
It will also do well in damp soils as long as they arent constantly soggy.
This plant does poorly where soils dry out.
Water frequently and deeply.Apply a two-inch layer of mulchto help retain soil moisture.
If the soil dries out, plants tend to develop flowers prematurely, which causes leaves to turn bitter.
Temperature and Humidity
This heat-loving plant does not do well if nighttime temperatures consistently dip below 60F.
Malabar spinach thrives during hot and humid summer days, climbing quickly to cover its support.
Growth slows as temperatures cool in the fall.
Fertilizer
Incorporate a generous amount of compost to the soil before planting.
Encourage steady growth throughout the summer with applications of a liquid fertilizer every 2 to 3 weeks.
Pruning and Harvesting
Prune vines to maintain the desired height.
Remove flower stems whenever they appear to keep the plant’s energy going towards growing leaves.
Begin harvesting young leaves and tender shoot tipswhich are more tender than mature onesabout 55 days after sowing.
Continue harvesting through summer.
Snipping the tips of the shoots will encourage the development of more lateral shoots.
Pests and Problems
Malabar spinach is relatively pest-free in most gardens.
Infected leaves develop darkened spots with reddish or purple margins.
Keep your garden weeded.
Its leaves boast pinkish veins.
Its colorful stems and leaves add to its ornamental value.
Use the medium-green leaves as you would spinach.
Take stem cuttings from outdoor plants in late summer and root them in moist soil or water.
Pot them in your container and watch them grow.
They may need to be trimmed frequently to keep them within desired bounds.
When cooked, the leaves of Malabar spinach have a texture that’s similar to cooked okra.
You probably wont notice much sliminess if you use the leaves raw.
The dark purple, pea-sized berries of Malabar spinach are edible, but they lack flavor.
If allowed to drop to the ground, you may find many Malabar spinach volunteers the following spring.
you’re able to transplant these to the spot or container where you want to grow them.
