Malabar Spinach
Malabar Spinach is a vegetable in the Basellaceae family. It grows best in full sun to part shade with medium moisture, and is listed for USDA zones 2-13. Plants reach harvest about 50–81 days after planting and sit about 6 inches apart.
Varieties
3 from True Leaf Market · sorted by days to maturity▸Big Round Leaf50–60 days
Heirloom; Non-GMO; Container; Vegetable; Annual
Malabar Spinach Seeds - Big Round Leaf. Heirloom, Basella alba. 50-60 days. Warm season annual. Non GMO. Open pollinated. This is a green big leaf variety. Leaves are thick. Slow bolting and heat tolerant. Prepare fertile, well-drained soil. Avoid clay soils. Sow seeds in late spring/early summer (soil temp at least 60°F) in a warm and sunny location or start seeds inside 6 weeks before last frost date (or 8 weeks before expected transplanting date). ~ 800 seeds / oz.
View on True Leaf Market ↗▸Green Vines Supreme Malabar51–69 days
Heirloom / Open Pollinated; Vegetable; Annual; Container; Non-GMO
60 days. Basella alba. Green Vines Supreme Malabar Spinach Seeds. Non-GMO, warm-season annual/perennial, heirloom, open-pollinated. This crop is suitable for trellised garden plots, raised beds, and large containers. This spinach substitute thrives in heat and humidity, with vigorous green vines and thick, succulent green leaves. ~800 seeds/oz.
View on True Leaf Market ↗▸Red Malabar59–81 days
Heirloom; Container; Vegetable; Annual
70 days. Basella rubra. Red Malabar Spinach Seeds. Non-GMO, warm-season annual, heirloom, open-pollinated. This crop is suitable for trellised garden plots, raised beds, and large containers. Red Malabar is a vining leafy green with bright green leaves and vivid red-purple stems, often grown as an ornamental; leaves have a mild, fairly bland flavor and love heat. Perennial in Zone 10, grown as an annual in most of the USA. ~2,100 seeds/oz.
View on True Leaf Market ↗
Plant spacing
In a square-foot bed, space malabar spinach about 6 in apart — that fits 4 plants in each 1-foot square (2×2). Wider rows or containers space the same.
Plan your malabar spinach planting
Add malabar spinach to a free GardenDraft plan and get sow, transplant, and harvest dates computed for your ZIP code — with a drag-and-drop bed layout and reminders when it’s time to plant.
Start your free plan →At a glance
Storing & preserving
Refrigerate in a bag with a paper towel; best within a week.
- Freeze: Cooking greens freeze after blanching; salad greens don't.
General home-preservation guidance — for tested processing times and safety, follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Growing timeline
Companion planting — with cited sources
From US/Canada cooperative-extension publications and peer-reviewed studies. Evidence-tier dots show how strongly each recommendation is backed: ●●● peer-reviewed mechanism · ●● extension consensus · ● traditional knowledge with a plausible mechanism.
Pairs well with (2)
- Common LettuceEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationshade-shelter
The tall twining Malabar vine can cast light afternoon shade that protects heat-sensitive greens like lettuce through summer.
Source: S7
- StrawberryEvidence tier C: Traditional practice with plausible mechanism but limited empirical replicationshade-shelter
Malabar spinach is reported to pair well with strawberries, offering light summer shade.
Timing: Trellis the vine; low aromatic herbs (oregano, thyme) at its base act as a living mulch.
Source: S7
Avoid planting near (1)
Sources cited
- S7
- University of Minnesota Extension
Care & troubleshooting
No curated care & troubleshooting advice for malabar spinach yet. Our extension-sourced library currently focuses on common edible crops; we're expanding it over time.