Growing Spinach
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Recent research suggests that like many vegetables, spinach loses its nutritional value when stored in a refrigerator for as little as a week. Eating fresh picked spinach from the garden ideally solves the nutrition problem.
Fortunately spinach is also one of the easy to grow cool weather crops that grows almost effortlessly during the spring and fall. New varieties continue to be developed with some specialized growing tips, and what follows are some general growing tips.
Soil Conditions: The most important fact to know about growing spinach is the plant's sensitivity to acidic soil, generally any level below pH 6. Testing the soil for pH level and adding lime to reduce acidity is the usual recommendation for starting a spinach patch.
Planting Tips: Spinach grows from seeds that can be germinated indoors and transplanted to the garden. Germination requires little more than setting the seeds about one-half inch into the soil.
Spacing: In small gardens the plants can be spaced a couple of inches away from each other down a row. If more than one row of spinach is planted, space the rows about a foot apart.
Plant Care: Spinach takes about ten weeks to go from seed to table. Adequate water (one inch per week) and a weed free environment promote healthy growth.
Harvesting Tips: Staggering the planting time by a couple of weeks insures that fresh plants are ready to pick throughout the growing season.
© 2009. Patricia A. Michaels