This Ornamental Spinach Keeps You in Tasty Greens All Summer!
Malabar Spinach Red Stem
Large, mild-flavored green leaves look terrific climbing up a bean tower, mailbox post, or fence!
The red stems really jazz up the plate!
55 days. The thick, dark green leaves of this edible ornamental provide tasty greens throughout the summer, when traditional spinach will not grow. The mild flavor makes Red Stem equally good cooked or fresh, and is more palatable to children than the peppery cool-season varieties.
Heat-loving and vigorous, these attractive plants reach 6 feet or more if trained on a bean tower, trellis, lamppost, or any vertical structure with some porousness for twining. The plants sport scarlet stems that contrast beautifully with the deep green of the thick, broad leaves. Many people grow Red Stem for purely ornamental purposes, but there's a lot of good eating on this productive plant!
Start seeds indoors, then transplant into the garden or large container (with support) in late spring. Nothing is easier or more productive. Pkt is 50 seeds.
| Genus | Basella |
| Species | alba |
| Variety | Red Stem |
| Days To Maturity | 55 |
| Fruit Color | Green |
| Habit | Vining |
| Plant Height | 6 ft |
| Item Form | Seeds |
| Additional Characteristics | Cool Season, Edible |
| Harvest Season | Late Summer, Summer |
| Light Requirements | Full Sun |
| Resistance | Heat Tolerant |
| Soil Tolerance | Normal, loamy |
| Uses | Outdoor, Vines and Climbers |
Great in Houston
I direct planted this to shade a west window. The soil was unimproved clay gumbo, barely broken up into clods after digging. Definitely not garden soil. The spinach came up and was healthy and vigorous. The vines climbed past the top of the window in about two months, and just kept on going, trailing down the rest of the summer. The next year spinach came up on its own when the soil became really warm, mid May. I hadn't touched it.
A rare source of fresh greens in the hot Houston summer. Not much survives Houston's humidity and BUGS but this was a champ. In the hottest part of the summer, use the young leaves, stems, buds, and even flowers because the older leaves get a little leathery. It doesn't really taste like spinach to me, but it is a very very mild green and my whole family liked it. Highly recommended.
Amazing flavor !
If you have a small garden this is the perfect choice. If you are person that likes vegetables this is the product that you need to plant in your garden. AAA+ from me !
