Hablitzia, also known as Caucasian mountain spinach, is a perennial climber that has developed quite a reputation with the permaculture/homesteader community. Hardy,, perennial, tasty… what’s more to love? My attempts at growing the plant convinced me, however, that most people talking about the plant do not actually grow it. Because in most of the continental US, Hablitzia is not going to do well.
Attractiveness:
The flowers of Hablitzia are somewhat unremarkable, but they do have delicate and sweet fragrance, with hints of citrus and a subtle earthy undertone. The plants themselves are green with heart-shaped leaves. They are very interesting when they emerge in the spring and the new growth is often bright lime-green. They are definitely interesting plants, just very subdued in appearance.
Ease of Cultivation:
Mountain spinach is theoretically easy to grow. It is hardy even to intense cold, growing even in Northern Europe. It is relatively deep-rooted and can take some drought once established. For some reason I see a lot of claims that it is resistant to pests, which is the absolute opposite of my experience. I have tried growing this plant for 3 years in a row now: starting seedlings, separating them out into pots, growing them until they are decent size, transplanting them into the garden, then putting them on drip irrigation. My survival rate? 0%.
Germinating the seeds was easy, as I mention below. I tried with three different batches of seeds. Most seeds I stratified in the fridge, which worked the best for me. Some I tried sowing directly outside, with no success. The seedlings seemed to transplant well, too, and grew pretty well in the spring in flats on a bench in the shade. Once they were large enough to put in the ground everything fell apart.
Because I suspected slugs might be an issue I only planted the largest seedlings in early spring and used iron phosphate pellets and hand-picking for protection. Slugs seemed to love the young plants, attacking them any chance they got. Over the course of the spring the plants did grow a bit and formed stout, swollen crowns. Then summer came.
Summer for the last few years has basically meant heatwave after heatwave. After a week over 90 Fahrenheit and three days over 100, more than half of the seedlings had died with daily water, and 100% of those without daily water (around 25% of the seedlings got only weekly water after establishment). Over the rest of the summer most of the others died from what looked like a mix of sunburn and dehydration, though they were mostly in the shade and still receiving regular water. Several survived, however, and grew a bit more in the fall before going dormant.
The next spring I checked up on them. They looked fine, and were even beginning to send up small shoots. The slugs also noticed, however, and burrowed their way from the shoots down in the crowns, killing all but one. That lone survivor then died during an unusual spring heatwave, withering and rotting in the warmth despite (or maybe because of) the damp soil.
I tried this whole process two more times. My longest-lived plant made it to one year old before being picked apart from the inside out by slugs. Many of them in the first year grew to a certain point and just stopped, possibly because the soil not being basic enough. I attempted to fix this with lime in the next two seasons, which seemed to help, but didn’t stop the other issues from happening.
Growing this plant in the Willamette Valley is challenging. This plant was growing near some perennial kale, a variety of alliums, and yacon. None of them had any of these issues. This is probably because even western Oregon is at the warmer end of the suitable range for Hablitzia, which is only reported as surviving from USDA zone 3 up to zone 8b. I am in zone 8b: a rapidly warming 8b. To even survive here it likely needs:
- Consistent moisture. This plant cannot survive our dry summers without a lot of water.
- A lot of coddling. Regular spinach or any of the Basella species are much, much easier to grow in the Willamette Valley. The plants need to be started indoors and cultivated until they are large before planting.
- Part shade. Plants that got full sun all died, and plants in full shade didn’t grow. Use shade cloth or grow under the shade of larger plants.
- Slug protection. Of the plants that did establish, most were annihilated by slugs. Slugs tunneled through the shoots into the crowns, leading to rot and plant failure. Slugs are a huge issue in the PNW, so you need to hand-pick with diligence and/or use iron phosphate (which doesn’t work very well). I tried both and still didn’t have any luck.
- Soil amendments. Hablitzia seems to prefer lime-rich basic soil, essentially the opposite of the soil here. Amend with lime and test the soil pH.
Ease of Propagation:
From seed or division.
It starts easily from the tiny, shiny, black seeds. Simply place them on top of soil and put the whole container into the fridge. Check them every week or so until you see sprouts. It may take a month or more, however. Hablitzia really prefers to germinate in cool temperatures.
Mountain spinach grows in clumps, and these clumps can be divided to create more plants. Simply divide the crown with a sharp shovel or knife when the plant first starts emerging in the spring and keep moist until the plants recover.
Ease of Harvest and Storage:
Mountain spinach is relatively fragile, so harvest as you need it. Leaves will keep a couple days in the refrigerator and young shoots a bit longer. This is a plant best enjoyed seasonally.
Ease of Processing:
Simple. Wash, cut, and cook. Leaves are smooth and there is not much opportunity for bugs and dirt to get stuck in the leaves.
Taste:
Mountain spinach has a taste very similar to regular spinach, with less flavor. Despite facing challenges growing it in this climate, I managed to harvest tiny amount to sample. The flavor carries a subtle earthiness reminiscent of spinach, a bit beet-like possibly due to the presence of geosmin in the greens. The leaves maintained their texture when cooked, offering a smooth and slippery mouthfeel without turning slimy. Whether consumed raw or cooked, this green is a delightful choice, free from any bitterness or stringiness. If you can get it to grow consistently.
Overall:
Caucasian mountain spinach is not the easiest plant to get established and has proven incredibly susceptible to slug damage in my garden. Keeping the plants alive during heat waves and then protecting them from slugs over the entire winter was challenging, and none made it to their second year even with regular summer irrigation. The plants just don’t seem adaptable in this rapidly changing climate: they suffered in the heat and do not grow in the winter, leaving only small windows of growth in the spring and fall. It is perennial and tastes decent, but perhaps is more suitable for a much colder climate or the milder coast.