Monday, February 14, 2011

Fertigation Weekly: Malabar Spinach steal the show.

I never thought Malabar spinach will grow here.  The name suggests its Indian origin  . In fact malabar spinach seeds arrived here as seeds gift,  as Wendy  from Rockville Maryland. celebrated her first blogiversary. I received it August last year. Some seeds had been tried in Putrajaya. Now is the turn for Malabar spinach....


Malabar Spinach
malabar spinach

malabar spinach
There was a Bangladesh guy walking down our street one day. He simply couldn't resist ,  he stopped and talked to me. We grew that in Bangladesh, very nice he said. Then a week later, the plants added more leaves as automatic irrigation system fed them three times a day. One plant, being the healthiest, and tallest, showed what does it take to spurt  malabar spinach flower, which I had never seen in my entire life... They grow so healthy with fresh looking leaves, that in the end kakdah doesn't have the heart to cut for the kitchen.

Probably we just let them grow 
and flower this time around.. 
and climb up as others had done before...

from Nancy J Ondra

from deborahsilver

from farm3

from charlottefresh


 bangchik and kakdah
Taman Kota Harmoni, Tanah Merah
Kelantan.

17 comments:

  1. Your irrigation system seems to work out!
    I wish my spinaches will grow as healthy as yours.
    Now in Japan it's in the middle of winter so the growth of vegetables are slower.

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  2. The full grown spinach looks so beautiful !! Now I understand why Kakdah doesn't want it to end up in the pot!!

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  3. Bangchik, I have started some malabar spinach from Wendy too. I didn't know that they are actually our 'chan choy' and will grow into a vine. I germinated all in one poly bag but after that I read that we have to sow it directly on the ground. Is it ok to transfer the seedlings to the ground?

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  4. I will have to investigate Malabar Spinach...it is new to me. So nice that it flowers and climbs and leaves can be eaten. Very impressed with your irrigation system!

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  5. I used to play with the seeds as you press them red juice sprouts out like blood.
    I had planted the red coloured vine type - very commonly famous in indian cruise. (Red Vine Spinach) You can use the stalk to plant them after cutting the leaves for cooking.

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  6. Your spinach looks very healthy. I did not know that this is called Malabar Spinach, just as Autumn Belle says, it is "chan choy", and I never knew that the can grow to a beutiful vine too! Great in soups and stir-fries. Used to plant these by using the stems, and are easy to grow. Looks like very soon you will have lots of spinach.

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  7. Bangchik, why not let them grow first like in your photos there, then Kak Dah can peruse them as and when needed for her kitchen, and they can grow back easily after that. Your fertigation really works well judging by the healthy plants you have in your garden!

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  8. The spinach looks beautiful :)

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  9. This spinach is beautiful! This green refreshes the eye. Grow more if you like the taste or if you uses this vege a lot in your cooking ;-)

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  10. They are so beautiful!! I would also let them grow. :)

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  11. Hi Bangchik, i haven't been here for awhile. I can see you're growing that spinach also, it is called alugbati here in our country, Basella rubra or B.alba. There is also a variety with purplish stems and veins, it looks more aesthetic than the green. They love it here too as vegetable, but i dont eat it. With that growth in your yard, you will certainly be able to supply lots of your neighbors. The stems can also be readily propagated.

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  12. Hi,

    This has a purple variant too right?? I remember playing with the seeds when i was young and my grandma used to make soup out of this variant... Hmm... where can I get the seeds??

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  13. Hello everyone.

    takaeko: you have winter, we have very heaty dry season...... soon you can get serious with gardening.

    i amsterdam: I dont know how long she can refrain herself.

    autumnbelle: it should be alright to put them to the ground.

    Theanne: they really are pretty plants.... very green and healthy looking.

    James: Thanks for the info..., i will start looking for the red vine too.

    kitchen flavours: I dont see these veggie sold anywhere in Putrajaya and Tanah Merah. I heard malabar spinach is widely grown in Johor.

    -------

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  14. p3chandan: I think we let them climb 2 feet or so, and start cutting off shoots for kitchen.

    Marie: Thanks for the visit, yes they are beautiful.

    Stephanie: Malabar spinach just grow, they are not even affected by the current hotspell... let them produce seeds first, then we shall grow more!

    Rebecca @ In The Garden: Thanks... i am considering cooler spots for them to grow for the next season.

    Andrea: Thanks for the info..., we may let them grow higher before cutting.... and will look for purple variety.

    Food so delicious!
    I have not seen malabar seeds sold anywhere. Probably shops in Cameron Highland sell these. or like others had suggested, buy the veggie and save stems for propagation.

    Cheers, happy gardening
    ~bangchik and kakdah
    Tanah Merah Kelantan.

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  15. Great photos. We used to grow malabar spinach in a tunnel here in the UK. Though you might be able to grow it outside in a hot corner of the garden. Looks really good and it's very tasty.

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  16. Blogwalking journey just so refreshing today as i see the color of green malabar. Love this veges so so much. It taste great when you fried it with prawn and some oyster sauce. I had planted this once using cutting where i bought this vege from pasar cina. I used this soil named Peatgro as the media where i put them in a planter box and the result was great.
    Just wanna share this Peatgro info @ www.peatorganic.com

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  17. I love seeing all this green!! Looking forward to getting my garden back up and running after moving to a new area. In the meantime, I will live vicariously through you!

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