Malabar Spinach - Best Asian Vegetable to Grow in a Container

People often ask about good Asian vegetables to grow in containers. Immediately, my friend Grace’s pots of Malabar spinach come to mind.  This vining spinach thrives in the heat.  When the fordhooks and other similar leafy greens have gone kaput for the summer, Malabar spinach looks as gorgeous as can be, as evidenced by the containers you see in the photo! On the left is the spinach Grace planted this season.  On the right, is spinach she’s kept going year round!  You can see that this season’s greens look a bit more tender with larger leaves that last year’s.

​Grace will cut leaves as she needs them and come frost, will just bring the containers inside and tend to them as houseplants.  In the winter when she’s enjoying soups and stews, she’ll go over to her pretty houseplant, cut some leaves off, chop them up, put them in the bottom of a bowl, and ladle hot soup on top.  Doesn’t that sound so easy and perfect?