How to grow malabar spinach
Basella alba · Basellaceae · Vegetable
Malabar Spinach is a warm-season vegetable in the Basellaceae family, grown either from a direct sowing or from transplants. It wants full sun, though it tolerates a little afternoon shade in hot regions and consistent moisture — it resents drying out. From sowing to first pick is about 55–70 days. It is killed by frost, so nothing goes outside until the danger has passed and the soil has warmed.
Grower’s note: Not a true spinach - a heat-loving climbing vine that gives glossy, mild, slightly mucilaginous leaves all summer, when real spinach has long since bolted. Needs warmth to germinate and a trellis to climb; red-stemmed types are ornamental.
Sowing
Sow about 0.5″ deep, into soil between 75–95°F — germination is quickest near 85°F. It is slow and often erratic to germinate (10–21 days). For an early crop, start seed indoors about 5 weeks before your last spring frost and grow it under bright light.
Spacing & layout
Give each plant about 12″ along the row with roughly 24″ between rows. On a square-foot grid that is 2 per square foot. Allow at least 12″ of loose, workable soil for the roots. It grows well in containers at least 12″ deep.
Fitting it to your season
Malabar Spinach needs roughly 55–70 frost-free days to crop. Where the season is shorter than that, start it indoors and choose the earliest-maturing varieties, or grow it in a container you can move under cover on cold nights. In long, hot-summer regions it can often be planted twice — once in spring and again in mid-to-late summer for a fall harvest.
Quick facts
When to plant malabar spinach
Companions
No strong companions recorded.
No strong antagonists recorded.
Common problems
Pests: leaf miner.
Diseases & disorders: cercospora leaf spot.
Figures are typical home-garden ranges from Cooperative Extension planting guides, cross-checked against multiple state sources. Your variety and conditions will vary.