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Malabar Spinach
Basella alba
Still time — sow latevegetable
Tropical heat-loving climbing vine grown as an annual for thick, succulent spinach-like leaves that hold up to summer heat when true spinach bolts.
In Zone 9b, right now
Still time to plant — it should mature before frost
The usual transplant window (Early to Late March) has closed, but with about 70 days to harvest there's still enough season left. Get it in now.
Edible?
Yes — vegetable
Small space?
Yes, but it gets tall
Sun
Full sun (6+ hrs)
Comes back yearly?
No — replant each year
Harvest in
70 days
Ways to plant it
Start seeds indoors
Past the ideal window — still time
Early to Mid January
Start seeds in trays now; they only need a few weeks indoors before they go straight out into the warm soil.
Direct sow
Past the ideal window — still time
Early to Late March
Plant seeds straight into the ground (or a container) outdoors.
Transplant
Past the ideal window — still time
Early to Late March
Buy a young plant from a nursery, or move one you started indoors, into the ground or a pot.
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