Planting Tips for Growing Spinach
Growing Spinach is one of the vegetables that taste so much better when freshly harvested and prepared. Spinach salads and eggs Florentine are but two of the most popular dishes that you can make when growing spinach in your own garden. While most novice gardeners feel hesitant about growing spinach, this crop can be easier to cultivate if you truly understand the plant’s needs. Growing spinach requires two conditions: cool weather or partial shade and a soil that is mostly neutral in acidity. In this article, we tell you all you need to know about successfully growing spinach in your vegetable garden.
Growing Spinach Tips
1. When growing spinach, you need to make sure that the site where it will be planted has just the right temperature. Spinach grows best in cool weather, but there are some varieties that can thrive in hotter parts of the country. Some strains that are early-maturing and bolt-resistant include the “Melody”, Bloomsdale Long-Standing”, and “Sohshu”. Ask your local nursery or consult a comprehensive garden and seed catalog for more options.
2. Spinach leaves come in two major categories: smooth and savoy. Spinach that are smooth-leaved are perfect for salads because they taste sweet and are tender. Savoy-leaved varieties of spinach are more suited for cooking, with leaves that are thicker, crinkly, and remain firm when cooked.
3. Prepare the garden beds where you intend to be growing spinach; if you are located in a cool area, the beds should have full sunlight. For warmer regions, spinach beds should have partial shade.
4. Soil pH is particularly important when growing spinach, it should be between 6.0 to 7.0. Garden soil that is too acidic will cause spinach seeds to germinate poorly, or have leaves with yellow or brown edges. You can add lime or wood ashes to improve the soil balance, but make sure that you use a soil testing kit to achieve the right pH level: spinach plants will not do better when the soil pH goes over 7.5.
5. Once the spinach seedlings have grown to 4 inches, make sure that you thin them so that they are at least six inches apart. When spinach plants are too crowded, they will tend to ‘bolt’ prematurely, or go to seed sooner.
6. Harvest spinach by cutting outside leaves as you need them. You can also harvest the entire plant when it reaches maturity, and before it begins to flower. When buds start to form at the center, you will need to cut the whole plant right away and harvest it.
