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Little River Cooperative

Okinawa Spinach

$12.00 USD
$12.00 USD
Sale Sold out

Okinawa Spinach
Gynura bicolor

days to maturity:
plant spacing: 1 plant per square foot
sunlight requirements: 6-14 hours
look out for: mealy bugs, slugs and worms
harvest notes: harvest whole growing tips as they are the most tender
perennial

Okinawa spinach is a dense, low growing spreading herbaceous plant. Easily one of the most low maintenance perennial leaf vegetable; it is a hardy plant and relatively pest-free. Thriving in warm, wet conditions Okinawa Spinach does best in subtropical and tropical areas and is native to Indonesia, Myanmar, Taiwan & Thailand. 

It is a very nutritious vegetable that is rich in protein, iron, potassium, calcium & vitamin A. It can be eaten raw or cooked, but be careful not to cook it too long or itll become slimy. The leaves and young shoot tips are steamed, used in stir-fry, tempura, stews, and soups. The leaves have a crisp, nutty taste with a faint hint of pine, and if its grown in partial shade the new growth tips and shoots will be even more tender. 

Even if you don’t end up eating lots of this perennial green its still nice to have around, as it spreads easily, is beautiful with its bright purple undersides, and propagates easily so you can share it with your plant community.

According to TCM, Okinawa spinach is known as a cooling culinary ingredient, which can be attributed to the mucilage rich content of the leaves and stems, and are consumed to reduce swelling, detox the body and stimulate blood flow. The leaves have also been crushed, chewed or pound into a paste// poultice to be applied topically on wounds or body sores to reduce inflammation

 

Materials

All of our plants are produced using OMRI certified organic materials (potting mix, fertilizer & pesticides) however our nursery is not certified organic. Plants are shipped in compostable peat moss pots and we use heirloom & organic seeds whenever possible.

Shipping & Returns

We ship plant orders every Monday. Due to the nature of shipping plants we only offer expedited shipping for our live plant orders. Our returns & exchanges policy is also quite strict since its hard to control the quality of a plant once it leaves our facility, however we do our very best to make sure that each and every customer is satisfied with their plants. Read more about our policies here. 

Size

All of our plants are potted in 4" pots and their foliage size varies based on how large the plant is naturally when its root ball is the correct size for the pot. If a plant is too tall for our shipping box we may prune it to fit (bonus: many plants do better after being pruned since they make bushier growth). We do our very best to ship all of our plants in the "sweet spot" of maturity however so long as the roots have colonized the pot we will consider a plant mature enough to ship.

Care Instructions

When you receive your plant its critical to get it out of its box and into the light the day it arrives. It will also want to be removed from its compostable plastic wrapping and given fresh water to drink. Keep in mind, this plant was grown in the tropical humid climate of South Florida, so if it's terribly cold or dry where you are it'll need to be hardened off before planting outdoors. Visit our care instructions page for more thorough info about caring for your new plant friend.

  • What Our Customers Have to Say:

    This is a great, local organization with really knowledgeable & friendly staff. They make gardening easy and accessible, and I've purchased many high quality plants and equipment from them.
    -Kate Black (5 star google review)

  • And Another One:

    How lucky we are to have a resource like Little River Cooperative here in Miami, not only for the access they offer to a great selection of plants and produce, but also for the knowledge they provide and the sense of community they foster!
    -Nick Vagnoni (5 star google review)