Spinach

spinach ready for picking
spinach ready for picking

Introduction

Spinach is full of nutrients and is a popular choice with people experimenting with growing their own food. In practice, spinach can be troublesome, as it tends to run to seed quickly in hot dry summers, although there are bolt resistance varieties that can help.

Summer growing New Zealand spinach is another option as it is more tolerant of dry soils. It grows so vigorously that you may end up chasing it around your plot for a few years, wanted or not!

Planting

  • Plant seeds about 1 cm deep or half an inch and cover with fine soil
  • Can be grown in blocks or rows about 30 cm apart (New Zealand spinach 40 cm apart)
  • If growing for baby leaves only, plants can be set much closer

Harvesting

  • Pick individual leaves from several plants (rather than lifting the whole plant) and more leaves will grow
  • If not eating fresh, spinach can be blanched and frozen
Sow
(inside)
Sow
(outside)
Harvest
(fresh)
Harvest
(stored)
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
= jar, = freeze, = store

Varieties

Spinach tends to run to seed quickly in hot dry summers. There are bolt resistance varieties that can help, and if watering frequently is not possible, it may be better to grow winter varieties like perpetual spinach, or the easier to grow chard. Summer growing New Zealand spinach is another option as it is more tolerant of dry soils.

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Growing

Spinach will grow best in rich soils with well rotted organic matter mixed in, and this will also help keep moisture in the soil. Most varieties are fast growing, and in a few weeks you should have your first crop of baby spinach leaves as you thin your plants to the optimum spacing of about 15 centimetres or six inches per plant.

My personal preference is to grow New Zealand spinach. Germinating seeds can take some practice. Starting when the weather starts to warm in the spring, I soak my seed for a few hours, and then sow a couple of seeds per small pot and place in a protected environment like a polytunnel or greenhouse. Two to four weeks later the seedlings emerge.

Whatever variety of spinach. young leaves are more tender and can be eaten fresh in salad, whilst the more mature leaves are better cooked. There is no need to pick a whole plant. Taking individual leaves from several plants will encourage more leaves to grow and maximise the length of the harvest period.

Summer varieties are sown in the spring when the weather, and soil, start to warm. For an even earlier summer harvest, sow the seeds in early spring protected by a plastic cloche or grow tunnel. Sowing a few seeds every two weeks will help to prevent a glut and extend the harvest period.

Winter varieties are sown later in the summer and will provide leaves through autumn and winter, although you may like to protect them with fleece. Birds will enjoy eating unprotected spinach, both when young and the mature plants, so using a net is advisable. Growing spinach through biodegradable fabric will substantially reduce the amount of weeding and help keep the soil moist.

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