How to Grow Spinach -Top Tips For Success

Leafy chard, spinach and spinach beet are easy to grow, tasty and full of goodness. They can all can be grown in cool conditions, and are packed with vitamins, minerals and iron. Leafy vegetables always taste better freshly picked from the garden, and spinach varieties are ones that will not disappoint.

Which Varieties To Grow

There are a number of types of spinach, savoy, baby, semi- savoy, and smooth leaf. More commonly though, they are classified by the time of year they are grown ie spring, summer and winter. One of the easiest varieties to grow is Perpetual Spinach. This can be harvested for many months on, sown from April to July, its a good one to start with. Summer spinach should be sown in spring, and winter spinach sown in autumn for later crops during the winter. Here’s five varieties to try

  • ‘Perpetual Spinach’ – spinach beet with narrow stems and dark green leave
  • ‘Bright Lights’ – mixture of chard with red, white, orange, yellow and pink stems
  • ‘Ruby Chard’ – glossy green leaves, red stems and veins
  • ‘Space’ – dark green spinach for spring or autumn sowing
  • ‘Lucullus’ – Swiss chard with large white stems

How To Plant.

Sow seeds around 1/2 an inch deep, and about 2 inches apart in rows if the seeds are fresh. If you can, work some organic compost or manure into the soil, which will help to provide the crop with necessary nutrient for healthy growth. Spinach likes well drained soil, ideally with a neutral pH, so if you need to, add some lime to help with soil pH if its too acidic. These crops can also be grown in containers if space is limited in your garden area.

Sunlight

Spinach likes either full sun or partial shade. Avoid a spot in the garden that experiences high temperatures, cooler conditions are better for growing this crop.

Harvesting

Summer spinach should be picked whilst its leaves are young and tender, the winter spinach should have its larger leaves picked only. The summer growth should be ready within 10 to 12 weeks. Spinach can be picked and will grow again, sometimes called ‘cut and come again’. I usually start at one end of the crops, and by the time I am at the end of the row the crops have sprouted again. Pick the outside leaves carefully to avoid damage to the roots. Picking often will encourage new growth.

B. Johnston is the founder of http://vegetablegrowingtoday.com Visit the site for grow guides, advice and discussion on growing your own vegetables. From window boxes to allotments-size doesn’t matter! Don’t forget to sign up for the vegblog! [http://vegetablegrowingtoday.com/vegblog]

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