The water spinach, which is very popular in Asia, can also be grown in our latitudes. You can read here how it works and what care looks like.
The Water Spinach prefers to be grown in a greenhouse or outdoors during the summer season. You can either grow the water spinach as a shoot for direct consumption or sow it in swampy soil. The latter variant is suitable for consuming the water spinach as a fresh vegetable. We would now like to present both mounting variants to you here.
Growing Water Spinach
» Sprout Cultivation
To grow sprouts, you need to wash the water spinach seeds under running water and soak them in a bowl filled with fresh water overnight. For he althy sprout cultivation, you should always use a so-called sprout tower (also known as a sprout box), which is available from specialist garden shops or from Amazon.
The sprouts of the water spinach germinate as early as the third day and the harvest can take place from around the 10th to 12th day. A continuous germination temperature of around 20 degrees is recommended.
» Cultivation of seeds
If you plant the water spinach in the ground, you should spread the seeds in fresh potting soil if possible (about 0.5 centimeters below the soil layer). You then need to make sure that you keep the water spinach moist throughout, as this is the only way for it to really thrive.
It is also important that you always choose a bright, preferably sunny location for cultivation, e.g. on the window sill. Here, too, the temperature should not fall below 20 degrees.
After about two weeks, you can separate the seedlings and put them outdoors, provided that temperatures there are already consistently around 20 degrees. Or you can grow water spinach in a greenhouse, in a conservatory or in a light-flooded room.
Care of Water Spinach
During its mostly one-year growth period, the Asian water spinach always needs moist (not wet) soil that is as nutrient-rich as possible.
If necessary, you can also give the spinach a complete fertilizer during the first few days. But since it is a type of vegetable,you should then largely refrain from further fertilizer applications.
Harvest water spinach
A first harvest of this he althy type of vegetable is usually possible after 4 to 6 weeks - depending on the environment and temperature conditions - which makes its relatively easy cultivation particularly pleasant for a gardener. The entire leaf is harvested, which can be eaten with its stalk, e.g. steamed as a vegetable side dish, fried or boiled as a soup ingredient.