Okinawa Spinach

Diny says...
Basella would be good too, it climbs or grows as a ground cover. Ceylon spinach is another name for it.

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Stoney says...
how do I obtain ceylon spinach in brisbane

Charles cant spell says...
also Ceylon Spinach is more commonly referred to as Malabar Spinach, there is red and green type, they grow readily from seed so just get the seed.

Charles cant spell says...
Yep I can vouch for NZ Spinach (Warrigal Greens) however due to their "high" oxalic Acid content your meant to blanch them 2-3 minutes then ice or cook like spinach before eating and discard water.
So like most of these things very health, but use young leaves (not old) and use in moderation with a host of other veges, specifically Kales as its very low in oxalic and tasty and easy to grow.

Most of the tasty alternative veges are high, purslane, lambs quaters, NZ Spinach, etc, etc, but its all about ratio's those plants are full of goodness so you only need a few leaves, unlike lettuce where you need to eat the whole lettuce and get indigestion before you have enough goodness to last five minutes.....yes its my anti lettuce crusade again ;)

Phil@Tyalgum says...
There is a catalogue available which has had Okinawa spinach seeds listed on and off. May be worth contacting them for availability

http://www.echonet.org/content/SeedBank

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snottiegobble says...
Okinawa spinach sounds interesting, I wonder if it will grow in the Sth West.
BTW Charles c s if you feed lettuce to budgies it will kill them!

Mike says...
B.Bill, I also saw Okinawa spinach for sale yesterday at ecomart in Aumuller St. Cairns.They also has a variety of other herbs that you don't see at Rusty's.

Jo Martin says...
Hi backyard bill, I am most definitely still looking for Okinawa Spinach. I'm in Kuranda - where are you? My phone number is 0401 423 573.

Thanks!

BryanBurlingame says...
"...Seedlings revert to a toxic weed without the purple..."

I've seen this mentioned a couple times in random web comments - does anyone actually have a legitimate source for this information? Most sites I've seen have gynura bicolor listed as non-toxic with no mention of reverting to any wild toxic forms.

MaryT says...
It must be delicious 'cause I have mine stripped bare by snails or something. It was growing so well too, Mike. One of yours.

BJ says...
They will root if you just throw a bit on the ground. super easy, just wish it was a bit softer.

denise1 says...
It grows in Auckland which is cooler than Sydney. Put it in a warm spot.

loewenzahn says...
It is a superfood. Sydney? I want to grow it in Katoomba, but that's probably too cold???

SueM says...
Be careful with Ceylon/Malabar Spinach. It is extremely vigorous and grows like a weed.

I had a vine in brisbane, once the seeds drop, loads of them germinate and grow extremeley fast. they have big thick leaves, they probably suck a lot of the nutrients out of the soil and outcompete everything else.

they are very hardy so just keeping one vine in a pot is the best bet if you want to regularly harvest leaves.

Michael D says...
Okinawa Spinach is a pretty plant for ground cover.My mum has it in her garden.I grow Gynura Procumbens as a medicinal plant .It tastes pretty bland so very easy to eat like a leafy salad.I'm no doctor so I can't confirm it's health benefits but you should read about it on the internet if interested in growing.

davewastech says...
Well, I have found that Okinawa Spinach grows easily in Sydney. Needs a shady spot, else it goes quite limp.
There's at least two varieties I've seen. The one with spoon-shaped leaves is less tough and less rampant. Tastes better in my very limited experience. Could it possibly be basella and not O.S.?

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