Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
• greenhouse or Mediterranean climate
POLLINATION NOTES
Malabar spinach plants have perfect flowers which typically self-pollinate,
though they do occasionally out-cross. Different varieties do not cross with each other. Blossoms are
white or pink and appear as small “ears” in the leaf axils. A short-day plant, it will blossom only when
there is less than 13 hours of daylight.
GROWING FOR SEED
Malabar spinach should be started indoors about a month before the last spring
frost, at which point it can be planted outdoors or in the greenhouse. Seedlings require lots of warmth.
Provide plants with climbing opportunities. Seeds don't become ripe until very late in the year. Malab-
ar spinach is a perennial and can be pruned back and overwintered indoors. It can also be propagated
vegetatively with cuttings.
HARVEST
Each seed is encased within its own individual fruit. These fruits start out green but are
black by the time they are ripe. Harvest black fruits from as many plants as possible. In a food pro-
cessor with plenty of water, reduce the harvest to small pieces; or press the fruits through a sieve with
a pestle or your hands (with gloves on) and leave them in cold water for 24 hours (for details, see “Wet
Processing Without Fermentation”). Then wash seeds well, put them in coffee filters (a teaspoon of
seed per filter), and allow to dry. In India, where Malabar spinach comes from, seed is often distrib-
uted by birds.
SELECTION CHARACTERISTICS
In Europe, there are no named Malabar spinach cultivars, though
plants from different source areas have variously colored stalks and leaves with different shapes and
hues. Potential selection criteria:
• large, fleshy leaves
• cold tolerance
Malabar spinach's succulent leaves
