Specifications
How to Grow Malabar Spinach
Malabar spinach, or Basella alba, is a perennial vine native to tropical Asia. In cooler climates, growers sometimes treat it as an annual, replanting it each year. Commercial growers cultivate this plant commercially, but it is also popular among gardeners. Malabar spinach produces thick leaves with a mild flavor. The procedure for growing it in the garden is generally similar to that required for raising other warm-weather vegetables.
Instructions
1.Plant Malabar spinach each year if you reside in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 through 9. This plant cannot reseed itself in areas that have freezing temperatures during the year.
2.Select a planting site in full sun with protection from the wind. Rich, sandy loam provides the nutrients and good drainage that Malabar spinach prefers, although it can tolerate poor soil. Mix peat moss into the topsoil as needed to reduce the soil pH to between 4.3 and 7. Add powdered limestone to the soil if necessary to raise the pH to this range.
3.Plant Malabar spinach in the spring when daytime temperatures are above 60 degrees and nighttime temperatures are above 50 degrees .
4.Soak the seeds in water for a full day before planting to soften the shells. Plant the seeds at a depth of 1 inch and in rows at least 2 feet apart. Seedlings should sprout within two weeks.
5.Provide 1 to 2 inches of water per week to keep the soil moist during the growing season, which generally lasts until nighttime temperatures are consistently below 50 degrees .