Alas, who can resist the temptation to grow spinach in the early spring? Spring-grown spinach is a delight to eat but can be a challenge to grow even for the most experienced gardeners. Spinach, native to Iran & Central Asia, prefers cool weather. As soon as days lengthen & temperatures rise above 75 F, the plants have a tendency to bolt or go to seed. There are a few tricks to growing spring spinach successfully that are easy to adopt.
Spinach
Spinach is a member of the Goosefoot family and is closely related to beets & Swiss chard. It first appeared in Europe in 1100 AD and was brought to North America with the colonists. The plants prefer growing in daytime temperatures that don't exceed 65F. Spinach plants are quite hardy and will withstand winters without protection even up to Zone 3 if there's adequate snow cover. It prefers nitrogen rich soils, high in organic matter, to help retain moisture. Soil pH should be adjusted within 6.5-7.0.
Traditionally, seed is sown ½" deep directly into soil as soon as it can be worked. Plants are then thinned to 4-6" spacing. Seeds take 8-12 days to germinate and plants mature in 42-50 days.
There are 2 major types of spinach: savoyed leaf or smooth leaf. Savoy spinach has crinkly leaves and the seed is generally smooth. Smooth-leaf varieties tend to be faster growing than their savoyed cousins and are more popular with commercial growers for this reason. Their seeds tend to be prickly.
Bolting
When temperatures rise above 75 F and daylength stretches above 12 hours, spinach plants react by sending up a seed stalk. If temperatures have been quite low in early growth, this can exacerbate the problem as soon as warm weather comes. Leaves become smaller as energy is directed to making seeds. In addition, the level of oxalic acid rises after bolting and the leaves take on an acidic taste. It is generally advised that you shouldn't harvest leaves after this point as consuming high levels of oxalic acid can block your body's ability to absorb calcium.
How do you get around the bolting problem? The secret lies in variety selection and management in your garden.
-
Plant as early as you can. In the Pacific Northwest, gardeners can successfully plant spinach in late March. If weather in your locale is still unpredictable, start spinach indoors up to 3 weeks before you plant it outside to give it a head start. Make sure to provide plenty of light for your seedlings by augmenting natural light with fluorescent tubes or grow lights.
Go To Page: 1 2
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Arzeena Hamir's Vegetable Gardens topic, please visit the Discussions page.