kitchen garden
HOW TO GROW SPINACH
Sun
Exposure:
Full Sun
Soil
Type:
loamy
Botanical
Name:
Spinacia oleracea
Plant
Type:
Vegetable
Soil pH:
Neutral
Planting
·
Prepare
the soil with aged manure about a week before planting, or, you may wish to
prepare your spot in the fall so that you can sow the seeds outdoors in early
spring as soon as the ground thaws.
·
If
you live in a place with mild winters, you can also plant in the fall.
·
Although
seedlings can be propagated indoors, it is not recommended as seedlings are
difficult to transplant.
·
Spring
plantings can be made as soon as the soil can be properly worked. It's
important to seed as soon as you can to give spinach the required 6 weeks of
cool weather from seeding to harvest.
·
Select
a site with full sun to light shade and well-drained soil.
·
Sow
seeds ½ inch to 1 inch deep, covering lightly with soil. Sow about 12 seeds per
foot of row, or sprinkle over a wide row or bed.
·
Soil
should not be warmer than 70º F in order for germination.
·
Successive
plantings should be made every couple weeks during early spring. Common spinach
cannot grow in midsummer.
·
For
summer types, try New Zealand Spinach and Malabar Spinach.
·
Plant
in mid-August for a fall crop, ensuring that soil temps are cool enough.
·
Gardeners
in northern climates can harvest early-spring spinach if it's planted just
before the cold weather arrives in fall. Protect the young plants with a cold
frame or thick mulch through the winter, then remove the protection when soil
temperature in your area reaches 40º.
·
Water
the new plants well in the spring.
Care
·
Fertilize only if necessary due to slow growth, or use as a
supplement if your soil's pH is inadequate. Use when plant reaches
⅓ growth.
·
When seedlings sprout to about two inches, thin them to 3-4
inches apart.
·
Beyond thinning, no cultivation is necessary. Roots are
shallow and easily damaged.
·
Keep soil moist with mulching.
·
Water regularly.
·
Spinach can tolerate the cold; it can survive a frost and
temps down to 15ºF.
Pests/Diseases
·
Leaf Miners
·
Bolting
·
Downy Mildew
Harvest/Storage
·
Keep an eye on your plants. Harvest when leaves reach
desired size.
·
Don’t wait too long to harvest, or wait for larger leaves;
bitterness will set in quickly after maturity.
·
The whole plant can be harvested at once, and cut at the
base, or leaves may be picked off plants one layer at a time, giving inner
layers more time to develop.
Cooking Notes
A
pinch of baking soda in the cooking water keeps spinach greener.
Spinach
boosts your brainpower; it can hinder iron absorption. For better absorption of
iron, eat spinach with orange slices.
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