Summer spinach

BY L.A. JACKSON

SPINACH IS A DELECTABLE GREEN many gardeners enjoy from their spring veggie patch, but with temperatures rising, the time for harvesting this cool-season treat is growing short. However, the coming of summer doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the taste of homegrown spinach.

There are two other leafy greens that, although unrelated to spinach, taste similar to it, even in the sizzle of a South Carolina summer. Curious? Well, let me introduce you to:

Malabar spinach (Basella sp.). This alt-spinach is a perennial vine in its Asian tropical homeland and typically not winter hardy in most of our state. Under the summer sun, it is an ultrafast grower dripping in thick, glossy leaves that taste like spinach but with a slight peppery twang. It resists bolting and turning bitter during the hotter months, but extended dry spells can put a bit of a bite in the leaves’ flavor, so irrigate regularly and mulch generously.

Okinawa spinach has also been a triedand-true ingredient in tempura and stirfry recipes for ages.

TIP OF THE MONTH Ornamental

annuals such as zinnias, salvias, million bells, marigolds and petunias can become long and lanky and, in the flower power department, lazy. However, pinching back the plants when they are about 8 inches tall will encourage branching, which leads to bushier growth and more blossoms. And it is easy to do: Just use your thumb and forefinger to pinch the end tip off each limb. Later in the growing season, removing spent flowers will encourage a longer parade of blooms through the summer.

Give this vine room. It is also called “climbing spinach,” and that ain’t a lie. For the past few years, the pretty purple stems of Malabar spinach have galloped up one of my 8-foot trellises, spilled over the top and hung off the sides, looking for more territory to conquer.

Malabar spinach plants are becoming more common at locally owned garden shops, but if your hunt comes up empty, their seeds can readily be found online (parkseed.com and burpee.com are two good e-sources) and sprout very easily. Instructions: Throw seeds over shoulder and RUN!

Okinawa spinach (Gynura crepioides). This Southeast Asia native is a tender perennial. It has spinachlike flavor but with a slightly nutty tweak and hint of citrus, making for an obvious addition to summer salads.

Okinawa spinach will resist going to the bitter side in the summer sizzle, but to help maintain the leaves’ best flavor, mulch, water regularly and try to provide some light afternoon shade when the summer scorch is at its peak.

As a bonus, Okinawa spinach is a rather pretty plant. Growing to about 2 feet high and wide, it has slim, serrated leaves that are green on top but tinted with surprising-yet-pleasing purple underneath.

If you can’t find Okinawa spinach plants at any of your friendly local nurseries, they can be ordered from specialty growers at online sites such as Etsy and Amazon.

JACKSON is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine. Contact him at lajackson1@gmail.com.