Planting Kang Kong (Water Spinach)
Kang Kong (Water Spinach) is a warm season vegetable in the Convolvulaceae family. Getting the timing right is the difference between a strong stand and a disappointing one, so the windows below are given relative to your own last spring frost and first fall frost rather than a generic calendar date. Look up your local frost dates and count back or forward from there.
Kang Kong (Water Spinach) is started indoors 3–4 weeks before your last spring frost date, giving seedlings a head start before they move outside.
Sow Kang Kong (Water Spinach) directly into the garden 1–2 weeks after your last frost, once the soil has warmed.
Kang Kong (Water Spinach) can be grown by direct sowing and starting indoors. Starting indoors gives the longest, most controlled season, while direct sowing is simplest where the season is long enough.
Spacing and Planting Depth
Give Kang Kong (Water Spinach) room to mature. The figures below come from verified extension and seed-supplier data for typical varieties.
| Spacing in row | 6 inches |
|---|---|
| Row spacing | 12 inches |
| Plants per sq ft | 2 |
| Planting depth | 0.5 inches |
| Sun requirement | Full sun |
Days to Maturity
Kang Kong (Water Spinach) reaches maturity in 50–65 days from transplant.
For a continuous harvest, sow a new batch every 21 days. Use the succession planting scheduler →
Kang Kong (Water Spinach) is ready to harvest after about 58 days. Harvest before the first fall frost, which will end the plant's productive season.
Conditions and Care
As a warm-season vegetable, Kang Kong (Water Spinach) needs warm soil and settled weather to thrive, and is set back or killed by frost. It is frost tender, so wait until all danger of frost has passed before planting out and harvest before the first fall frost.
Kang Kong (Water Spinach) needs full sun — give it at least six hours of direct light a day for the best growth and flavor. Sow seed about 0.5 inches deep, then keep the soil evenly moist until seedlings establish.
Kang Kong (Water Spinach) belongs to the Convolvulaceae family; rotating where you grow members of this family each year helps limit the build-up of soil-borne pests and disease. Because it matures relatively quickly, Kang Kong (Water Spinach) rewards succession sowing: small, repeated plantings keep a steady supply coming rather than one short glut.
Growing Notes
Heat-loving leafy green; thrives in wet soil.