Malabar, Red

Lovely heart shaped thick glossy leaves with red leaf veins and deep red, almost purple stems. Price for 20 seeds

SOW: in spring and early summer.  The seeds have a hard coating and may well benefit from soaking overnight or scratching before planting

GROW: grow this in the greenhouse or conservatory (it is a tropical plant and likes warmth through glass) or where it can enjoy the reflected warmth from a wall behind hanging baskets or window boxes or a trellis: it will trail down or twine upwards. Careful harvesting (leaving 2-3 leaves on the branches to resprout) will allow this to continue to grow happily throughout the season

EAT: harvest the as you need them.   The fleshy stems and tips are also edible.  There is a lot of good eating on this mild spinach flavoured productive plant; indeed it is an excellent alternative to spinach during the summer months.