Basella alba
Malabar spinach
Common names: Ceylon spinach, Indian spinach
Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Basella alba, commonly known as Malabar spinach, is a trailing leafy vegetable that is botanically unrelated to true spinach. It thrives in warm, humid conditions and prefers a climate where ordinary spinach has already gone to seed in summer. The plant produces thick, glossy leaves that taste somewhat like spinach but are slightly slimy and are usually lightly steamed before eating. As a vine it requires a trellis or fence to climb and benefits from warm, sheltered spots, where it can grow vigorously into the fall.
Care instructions
Plant after the last frost, ideally around mid‑May (week 20), as the plant cannot tolerate cold. It prefers a warm, sunny to partially shaded location and consistently moist, nutrient‑rich soil; never allow the soil to dry out completely. Provide a support early on, as the stems can quickly grow several meters and naturally seek support. Harvest young leaves and shoot tips regularly to encourage bushier growth. In regions where it is grown as an annual, harvest the last crop before the first frost, as temperatures below about 5 °C are not tolerated.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
moist, humus-rich, nutrient-rich, well-drained
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Notes from real gardens
What other gardeners have written down about this variety — anonymous, voluntary.
No notes shared yet. Will you be the first to write one down?