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
- Steady through the heat waves
- Harvest
- Jul to Sep, pick the tips
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.