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Malabar spinach

Basella alba

Malabar spinach is a fast tropical vine with thick, glossy leaves that cook like spinach. Unlike true spinach it loves summer heat, so it gives fresh greens in the months when lettuce and spinach quit. Grow it on a trellis or fence.

Growing facts

Scientific name
Basella alba
Origin
Tropical South Asia and New Guinea
Plant size
Vine 6 ft or longer; grow on a trellis or fence
Growth rate
Fast
Sun
Full sun or part shade; a little shade gives bigger, more tender leaves
Soil
Rich, moist soil high in organic matter; sandy loam is ideal. Keep it evenly watered, since dry spells make leaves bitter and push the plant to flower.
Soil pH
5.5–7.0
Pollination
Not needed for the leaves
Cold hardiness
No frost tolerance; grows best above 80°F and stalls below 60°F
USDA zones
Perennial in zone 10; a summer annual elsewhere, down to about zone 7
Harvest
About 70 days from seed
When to plant (zones 9–11)
Mar–Jul
When to plant (zones 5–8)
May–Jun
Water
About every 2 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young
Feeding
About every 30 days
Taste
Leaves are mild with a light lemony, peppery note; slightly slippery when cooked, like okra
Nutrition
Vitamins A and C, calcium, magnesium and potassium

Is malabar spinach safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts

What you can eat

  • Leaves and tender stem tips, raw or cooked

Toxic parts and cautions

  • Good to know: Ripe berries hold a strong purple dye that stains hands, clothes and patios.
  • Good to know: It reseeds readily. Pull plants and fallen berries at the end of the season so it doesn't spread.

Pets: No reliable data on toxicity for dogs, cats or other pets.

How to eat and enjoy malabar spinach

  • Stir-fried with garlic (and soy sauce)
  • In soups, curries and stews, where it holds up to long cooking
  • Young leaves raw in salads

When it's ripe

Start cutting leaves and stem tips once vines are growing strongly, about 10 weeks after sowing. Regular cutting keeps the vine bushy and tender.

Storing it

Best used within a few days. It keeps about two weeks at 50–60°F; a home refrigerator is colder than it likes and can chill-damage the leaves.

Pests and diseases to watch for

  • Scale insects

    Small bumps, waxy or shell-like, on stems and leaf veins; sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.

    What to do: Scrub small colonies off with a soft brush.

  • Mealybugs

    White cottony clusters in leaf joints, under leaves and on fruit stems; honeydew and sooty mold.

    What to do: Blast off with a strong spray of water.

  • Aphids

    Clusters of tiny soft insects on new shoots; leaves curl and get sticky.

    What to do: Spray off with water.

  • Sooty mold

    Black, papery film on leaves and fruit that wipes off; it grows on honeydew.

    What to do: Control the insects making honeydew; the mold then weathers away.

  • Spider mites

    Fine pale speckling on leaves, dusty undersides and fine webbing; leaves bronze and drop.

    What to do: Hose the undersides of leaves.

Growing malabar spinaches? Let Yardkin keep track.

Yardkin tells you when your malabar spinach needs water based on your local weather, reminds you to feed and prune in season, and keeps every harvest and photo.

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General guidance, not medical or veterinary advice. Poison Control (US): 1-800-222-1222. ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435.