Basella Alba or Malabar Spinach - Ferme de Sainte Marthe untreated seeds

Malabar Spinach is an attractive perennial grown as an annual in colder regions. Despite its spinach-like foliage it actually bears no relation to true spinach! It is tasty eaten fresh in salads or cooked. This heat-resistant climber can reach 4-6 meters in height and will need a suitable support to scramble up. Sow from March to April for a harvest 3 months later.

Malabar Spinach has been cultivated in China, Japan and India since the Middle Ages. Its young shoots are eaten raw, finely chopped in salads. The leaves can be cooked as you would spinach, stir-fried or added to soups and stews.

Harvesting: for immediate use, harvest the leaves and roots as and when required.

Good to know: Malabar spinach benefits from a supply of manure or well-rotted compost (3 kg/m²) in late autumn or early spring.

NB. Untreated seeds are produced from conventionally grown plants (that are often treated with phytosanitary products); however, they do not undergo any post-harvest treatment. These seeds are approved for organic market gardening when organic seeds are not available.