Greens & herbs
Malabar / NZ spinach
Thrives in July to August when true spinach bolts.
- Outside
- Direct late May to Jun, warm nights
- Where
- Trellis for Malabar; NZ sprawls in a bed
- Sun
- Full sun; heat is the point
- Water
- Deep soak through heat; finger test
- Harvest
- Jul to Sep, pick the tips
Care
- Water
- Both drink hard through July and August, when they hit their stride: a deep soak every 3 to 4 days in that peak heat, more in a wave, with the finger test settling it. New Zealand can shrug off a dry stretch once rooted, but the leaves turn tough and flat, so keep it steady for flavor. Malabar just wants steady moisture.
- Sow
- Direct sow both once frost is past. Malabar goes a quarter inch down, thinned to 6 inches at the foot of a trellis. New Zealand goes a half inch down and sprawls, thinned to a full 12 inches; soak its hard seed overnight first.
- Feed
- A shovel of compost or castings at planting for both. New Zealand feeds heavy, so a fish and seaweed drink every couple of weeks pushes the lush growth you pick for. Malabar gets by on far less and even tolerates lean soil.
- Ready
- Pick by the tip on both, a handful of young leaves and stem ends every few days; that steady pinching is what forces more branches and keeps the new growth soft.
- Trouble
- Almost nothing bothers either one once they are growing. The real risk is going out too early: both are true tropicals that sulk or rot in cold, wet soil, so wait for warm nights to set them out.
In a bag?
- Yes
- Up to a 10–15 gal bag.
- Water
- A bag dries far faster than open ground, so water daily through a July heat wave, checking the top half inch. About 60 to 90 sec on the shower dial until the seams drip.
- Feed
- Top-dress New Zealand monthly and keep the fortnightly fish and seaweed drink going; a bag leaches with every watering. Malabar still wants little.
- Sow
- One Malabar up a trellis, or one New Zealand plant left to spill over the rim, per big 10 to 15 gallon bag; New Zealand would rather sprawl in open ground.
Two heat-proof stand-ins for spinach: Malabar climbs and New Zealand sprawls, and both hit stride in the July heat that ends the real thing. Neither is related to spinach, or to each other, which bothers no one at dinner.
Growing
Both go out when nights warm in late May or June, and both start slow; the payoff runs July through September, when picking the tips every few days keeps tender growth coming. Malabar wants a trellis and real heat before it moves. New Zealand spinach spreads into a thick groundcover, and its hard seed appreciates an overnight soak before sowing. Neither bolts, which is the point of hiring them. Water hard through the heat waves; the tender new tips are the first thing a dry spell takes.
Varieties
Red Stem Malabar earns its trellis twice, once at dinner and once as ornament; New Zealand spinach is sold as the species, no variety names to memorize.
In the kitchen
Cooked, both pass for spinach without apology. Raw Malabar is juicy and slightly slick, which splits opinion; the pan settles the argument.