Planting Spinach, How to Grow Spinach, Spinach Plant

The best tips for planting spinach plants in home vegetable gardens. Step by step how to plant and grow spinach in your garden.

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It is sometimes intimidating for novice gardeners when they are facing abare plot of ground and not knowing exactly just where to begin. It isoften recommended by those who have many successful seasons under theirgarden tool belt that the best place to start is simply by plantingspinach or other easy to grow crops.

Step by Step Planting

Plant spinach in springtime 3 to 6 weeks before the last expected frost.

For succession planting, continue planting spinach every 2 weeks until

temperatures rise above 65 degrees F. and the days grow longer.

Start the succession again in late August or early September for a fall crop.

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The spinach plants grow 4 to 6 inches tall.

Most of the plant's root is usually limited to the upper 1 foot of soil, but the taproot measures up to 5 feet long.

Spinach needs only 5 hours of sun a day for sufficient growth.

The plant is very hardy and can tolerate heavy frosts.

The preferred soil pH is 6.5 to 7.5.

How to Grow Spinach

Spacing in beds between plants should be 4 to 6 inches.

The best soil temperature for seed germination is 40 to 75 degrees F.

After planting spinach seed at a depth of ¼ inch, it is 6-14 days until seeds germinate.

The ideal temperature for growing spinach is 60 to 70 degrees F.

Spinach seeds germinate best at low temperatures. For a fall crop, youcan pre-germinate spinach seed in the refrigerator. Keep the seeds in adamp paper towel for a week prior to planting spinach.

Caring for Spinach in the Garden

The plants do not require a lot of water; for best production, watering½ to 1 inch per week is adequate. This is less than most gardenvegetables need, which is a plus for beginners as a spinach crop is lowmaintenance. (While you are still a bit green behind the ears.)

Use slow acting fertilizer and/or compost in the spring. During thegrowing season, give the plants foliar sprays and side dressingsapplications mulch once a month. Days to maturity are 40 to 60, which isanother advantage of planting spinach because it is a fast producer.Following the above instructions will help you produce a good crop. Lookbelow for directions if you want to kick production up a notch.

Tips for Maximum Spinach Production

Spinach is a heavy feeder, although the plant does not require muchwater, it makes up for in food! In addition to the spring feeding, givethe plants a light supplement every two weeks throughout the growingseason for maximum production. The ideal time for the extra feedings iswhen the plants are nearly half grown. Apply liquid seaweed extract in afoliar spray several times within the growing period.

Growing Spinach in Container Vegetable Gardens

Pots should be 4 to 6 inches deep when planting spinach in a containergarden. Any variety can be grown successfully in containers. The plantsmust have cool, moist soil conditions. A good hot weather substitute isNew Zealand spinach. Spinach plants will grow well in partial shade.

Harvesting the Spinach Plant

Harvest outer spinach leaves a few at a time once they are big enoughfor use in fresh salads. The plants should be harvested early in themorning to receive the most minerals, when the included nutrients are atpeak performance. Harvesting generally last a couple of weeks, dependingon the variety chosen. In conclusion, even a gardener just getting theirfeet wet can have a crop up and growing in less than six weeks afterplanting!

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Planting Spinach to Vegetable Gardening

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