Most of the African leafy greens we’ve written about so far — mrenda, terere, managu, kunde — get eaten for their leaves without a second thought about the plant itself. Saget deserves a closer look, because it’s one of the most useful and least fussy greens we grow: drought-tolerant, quick to establish, and generous with a harvest even in a rough North Carolina summer.
What is saget?
Saget is the Kalenjin name for Cleome gynandra, an annual leafy vegetable native to Africa and known in English as spider plant, cat’s whisker, or African cabbage. It goes by different names depending on the region: mwangani in Swahili, thageti among the Kikuyu, tsisaka in Luhya communities, alot-dek in Luo, chinsaga in Kisii, and mwianzo in Kamba. It’s a member of the Cleomaceae family — related to, but distinct from, mrenda and other jute mallow greens we grow.
In the wild it often grows as a volunteer weed at field edges, which says a lot about how little coaxing it needs once it’s in the ground.
Why we grow it
- Nutrient density. Saget leaves are a strong source of beta-carotene, folic acid, vitamin C, and calcium, with useful amounts of vitamin E and iron as well.
- Drought tolerance. It has a long taproot and handles dry spells noticeably better than tender greens like lettuce or spinach — a real advantage during Cary’s hot, dry stretches.
- Fast growth. As an annual herb that can reach up to about 5 feet tall when left unharvested, it puts on growth quickly and tolerates repeated cutting.
- Low pest pressure. It isn’t a magnet for the aphids and beetles that trouble many of our other beds.
Growing saget in Cary, NC (Zone 8a)
Site and soil
Give saget full sun and well-drained soil. It isn’t particular about soil fertility, but it rewards a bed that’s been amended with compost the way the rest of our beds are — richer soil means more leaf, faster.
Planting
Direct sow after your last frost date, once the soil has warmed — saget is a warm-season crop and germinates poorly in cold soil. Plant seeds shallow, about a half-inch deep, and space rows roughly a foot apart. Thin seedlings once they’re a few inches tall to give plants room to branch out.
Watering and care
Water consistently while seedlings establish, then ease off — established plants tolerate dry conditions well and can go longer between waterings than most of our other greens. Because it germinates as easily as a weed, keep an eye out for it self-seeding in surrounding beds if you let a few plants flower and go to seed.
Harvesting
Start picking young leaves and tender shoot tips once plants are established, roughly 3–4 weeks after sowing. Regular harvesting encourages bushier growth and delays flowering, which keeps the leaves more tender and less bitter. Once the plant starts flowering heavily, the leaves toughen up and the flavor sharpens — still edible, but better suited for long, slow cooking than a quick sauté.
A quick note on cooking
Like managu, saget has a natural bitterness that traditional cooks manage by blanching the leaves briefly before sautéing them with onion and tomato, or by pairing them with milk or cream to round out the flavor. If you’d like a full recipe, let us know in the comments — it may be the next one we write up.
Sources: Biovision Africa Trust, Spider Plant Growing Guide; Frontiers in Plant Science, “Cleome gynandra: A wonder climate-smart plant for nutritional security”; Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition species database.