Growing Spinach

🔷BENEFITS

-Packed with Vitamins A (eye health+), C (immune system), K (blood clotting/bone health), B9(cell function/pregnant women), B6, and E(skin) (eye health+)

-Contains minerals such as Iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium

-Contains antioxidants that fight oxidative stress

-Produces components that help fight cancers

-Is a vital source of nitrates which help improve blood flow and ultimately Heart health

-Contains neoxanthin and violaxanthin, two properties that regulate inflammation.

🔷SEED WHEN/HOW TO PLANT

-Soak seeds in water or compost tea for 15min UP TO Overnight before planting

-Plant seeds 1/4” to 1/2” deep

-Start seeds as early as 6weeks prior to last frost in the Spring OR as soon as ground is workable (thawed) /Plant again 6 to 8 weeks before the first frost in the Fall

❗️NOT recommended starting inside do to transplanting issues

❗️ Plant summer varieties of spinach every few weeks from early until late spring (prefer partial shade) / Sow hardy winter cultivars from mid summer to early autumn. (prefer sunny spots)

-Germination rate is 5 to 14 days (in temps between 60° and 70°)

-Plant in well drained soil

❗️ Spinach plants form a deep taproot; for optimal growth, loosen the soil 1’ deep before planting.

-Mix in several inches of aged compost or other rich organic matter into your soil.

-Plant when temperatures are at least 35°+

-Excellent crop for succession planting; direct sow seeds every 2-3weeks until temps are above 70° / plant again in the fall when temps begin to stay below 75° and continue succession planting every 2-3 weeks until first expected frost

🔷HOW TO GROW

-(6-8Hrs) full sun or partial shade

-Prefers temperatures between 35 and 75°

❗️can tolerate light frost but heavy frost has potential to kill, and vice versa hot weather can cause spinach to bolt

❗️If spinach starts to bolt, pull the plant and use the leaves. Or try to slow the bolting: Pinch off the flower heads, keep the soil moist, and provide shade.

-pH of soil 6.0 to 7.0

-When plants have 2 true leaves AND there are 4 or less weeks remaining until the last frost date, seedlings can be transplanted out into the garden

-Space (or thin) plants 2”to 5” apart/ space Rows 12” to 18” apart / Thin seedlings to 4” to 6” apart once plants have at least 2 true leaves

❗️Overcrowding stunts growth and encourages plants to go to seed (bolt)

-Fertilize: Heavy feeders; be sure to fertilize regularly with nitrogen fertilizers. When plants reach 1/3 of their growth, side dress with a nitrogen fertilizer.

-Watering: Keep soil moist (not soggy)

❗️Water stress will encourage plants to bolt

-FLOATING ROW COVERS (helps protect seedlings against cold and all stages against insects)

-Mulch to protect shallow roots, retain water, and suppress weeds

❗️pulling by hand or using digging tools can damage shallow spinach roots

-Use row covers to assist crops in surviving through the winter

🔷DIFFERENT VARIETIES

🔸Be sure to check for WINTER and SUMMER cultivars; some being Heat Resistant and more Frost Tolerant ———

-“The wrinkly type of leaf boasts dark green curly leaves, having a slightly crunchy and crispy texture. As compared to standard spinach, SAVOY SPINACH has quite a distinctive flavor and texture.”

-“Like savoy spinach, SEMI-SAVOY SPINACH has the same crisp texture and flavor, but it is less crinkly…”

-SMOOTH LEAF SPINACH “Broad and flat-shaped green leaves that are easier to clean than savoy or semi-savoy types and stores longer as well. Tender and sweet in flavor.”

-“RED CARDINAL SPINACH has a red hue in it with red veins in its leaves and red stems. Bolts quicker than other varieties; best to harvest young.

-“NEW ZEALAND SPINACH ideal Summer growing vegetable that loves warmth unlike other varieties! This plant is trail-like: it first spreads as a thick carpet above the ground and then as it grows, it climbs through other vegetations and hangs in a downward position.”

-MALABAR SPINACH- fun fact: not actually a spinach but part of the Basellaceae family. It is cultivated in warmer seasons due to its heat-resistant ability

🔷WHEN/HOW TO HARVEST

-Spinach are Cut&Come again; harvest leaves when they become at least 3” in length

-Harvesting the leaves throughout the growing season is how you prune a spinach plant to keep it vigorous

-Cut the whole head when the plant is 6 inches tall and wait several weeks for regrowth and a second harvest

❗️Use a push hoe to sever whole plant at root level just below the ground

-In colder regions, try planting in Fall and protecting the young plants through winter for a Spring harvest

-Spinach takes 6 weeks to grow from being sown to harvesting.

🔷STORAGE

-Will keep in fridge for 7 up to 14 days

❗️moisture will hasten decomposition. Store unwashed.

-Seeds last up to 3 years in storage.

-Will store well in the freezer; blanch and put in freezer bags.

🔷TROUBLE SHOOTING

-Protect against insects like leaf miners (✅combat with neem oil), aphids, flea beetles (✅combat with parasitic nematodes), loopers and armyworms with ✅ floating row covers

-Downy mildew ✅ combat by avoiding planting spinach in same spot for up to 3yrs/ avoid wetting leaves when watering / grow resistant cultivars

🔷FUN FACTS

-It belongs to the amaranth family and is related to BEETS and QUINOA

-Hardiness zone 2 through 11