How do I grow spinach? Spinach is an easy-to-grow vegetable. It can be grown in the garden and on the balcony.
Spinach is sown from early September to early February.
Spinach is a cold-hardy plant. It needs low temperatures to thrive.
Spinach is grown in a wide variety of soils, but sandy loam is the most suitable. For early winter crops, sandy, drained and humus-rich soils are the best for early winter crops.
Experimental data have shown that spinach is very sensitive to acidic soils with a pH of less than 5.5. The ideal pH is between 6.0 and 7.0.
Fertilizations – Fertilizer for spinach
The ideal fertilizer for spinach has the NPK ratio 8-8-8 or 12-12-12. For what the numbers in the fertilizer mean, see the article: Fertilizer basics.
I grow spinach
Spinach has a shallow root system and thrives in an evenly moist soil. The first irrigation is done immediately after germination, as long as there is no moisture. Three irrigations should be made between germination and harvest if there is no rain or sufficient moisture.
Spinach can withstand temperatures below 6 degrees Celsius. The seed also germinates at temperatures of 5-15 degrees Celsius and the plants continue to grow below 5 degrees Celsius.
To obtain continuous production, sow the spinach seeds 15 days apart.
Spinach varieties
There are two main varieties. Those that give curly leaves and those that give smooth leaves. I usually sow both varieties.
Sowing method
The most common way of sowing spinach is to place the seeds directly in the soil.
The sowing depth is about 1 cm. In each hole, place 3 to 4 seeds. Each pit should be 30 to 40 cm from the other. If sowing in rows, each row should be 30 to 40 cm apart.
I sow spinach in rows.
A neighbor, last year, had suggested to spread the seeds by hand into the ground and just cover them with soil. I tried it on the farm. It ended in failure because the spinach got mixed up with the weeds that were growing at the time. When spinach plants are small, you can’t easily tell them apart from weeds. The weeds choked out the spinach, which never grew as it should.
The spinach got blended with weeds.
Harvesting spinach
There are two ways of harvesting spinach. I prefer the second one.
- You cut the spinach from the root, just below the soil. Remove the whole plant. This way of harvesting is suitable for commercial cultivation.
- Cut only the leaves you want from the spinach. The plant continues to grow and produce new leaves.
Maintenance of spinach
Fresh spinach cannot be preserved for more than 10 days in the refrigerator.
However, you can boil them, drain them and put them in the freezer. This way they will keep for months.
Diseases – Pests
See article: Growing Spinach.
