LATIN NAME: Spinacia oleracea
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Spinach loves cool soil and weather, so it’s one of the first crops to plant in spring. You can make a fall planting too, but the seed doesn’t germinate as well in the still-warm soil of the fall garden. In hot weather, spinach can bolt, which makes the leaves bitter.
GERM. DATE: June 16, 2009
GERM. TIME: 7-14 days
TRANSPLANT DATE: June 23, 2009
TYPE OF PLANT: Vegetable
BLOOM CYCLE:
pH LEVEL: 6.5 to 7.5
SEED DEPTH: ½ inch
HEIGHT OF PLANT:
WIDTH OF PLANT:
PLANT SPACING: 6 inches
ROW SPACING: 18-24 inches
DAYS TO HARVEST: 35 days
ZONE REQUIREMENTS: Grows in all climates; tolerates cold, but not heat.
FERTILIZER REQUIREMENTS: Apply blood meal or other source of nitrogen beside plants to increase size and improve flavor.
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: Full sun to light shade
WATER REQUIREMENTS: Moist
SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Average, well-drained soil
DISEASE PROBLEMS: Mildew
PEST/INSECT PROBLEMS: Leaf miners
SOLUTIONS: Pick off leaves showing tunnels made by leaf miners. Prevent mildew by growing resistant cultivars.
HOW TO GROW: Plant in early spring as soon as soil can be worked. For continuous harvest, sow every 10 days while soil is still cool. For fall and over wintering crop, plant in late summer in the North, in mid fall in the South. Sow seeds ½ inch deep, 1 inch apart, in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. Thin to 2 to 3 inches. Keep soil moist. Mulch soil to keep leaves clean.
HARVEST NOTES: Harvest when leaves are 4 to 6 inches long, cutting entire plant or individual leaves.
SPECIAL CARE/NOTES: This cultivar is rust resistant. In hot weather, spinach can bolt, which makes the leaves bitter.
STORE BY: Refrigerate immediately without washing. Keep up to 2 weeks.
PRESERVE BY:
USES FOR PLANT: Can be eaten fresh or used for cooking.
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