How to Plant Red Malabar Spinach
Red malabar spinach is a vegetable that resembles spinach but is not part of the spinach family. It has red veins and a Swiss chard-like taste. Red malabar spinach does well in hot locations and is often cultivated because it provides a continuous supply of leaves. It grows up to 6 feet in height so it needs a support structure, but it will attach itself to the trellis and doesn't need to be tied on. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Sow the seeds indoors five to six weeks before the last frost. Fill a seed tray with a sterile planting medium -- ideally formulated for seedlings. Press the individual seeds into the medium and water the tray. Cover the tray with a clear lid and keep it in an area where it gets plenty of filtered light. Spray the soil daily with water in a water bottle to keep it moist.
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Prepare the planting location by tilling it, removing any debris and adding plenty of well-rotted manure or compost for nutrients. This spinach variety isn't picky about soil conditions, but it will not tolerate water-logged soil. Add some sand to the soil if it doesn't drain well. The soil should feel like a wrung-out sponge when squeezed.
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Transplant the seedlings outdoors when the temperature is consistently between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant the seedlings along a trellis and set each seedling 1/4-inch deep in the soil and 6 inches apart. Water the seedlings after transplanting them.
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Water the spinach with at least 1 inch of water a week -- depending on the growing conditions and soil. Do not let the soil dry out.
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Harvest throughout the growing season when the leaves are large enough to eat. The leaves regrow, providing an ongoing supply of greens.
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