Spinach

Here are some tips for growing spinach:

Site, soil type:

Spinach likes medium fertility in its soil.

It prefers cool weather.

It benefits from partial shade in summer.

Planting requirements:

Spinach can be planted early, as soon as the ground can be worked.

Sow seeds ½ inch deep, a few inches apart, eventually thinning to 12 inches.   Row cover will help warm the soil and seeds for quicker germination.

Spinach grows best at 50-65 degrees.

Nutrition/Fertilizer needs:

Spinach likes nitrogen for strong leafy growth.  Because spinach is grown when it’s cool when nitrogen is not as available, a quick release nitrogen fertilizer should be added. Water with fish fertilizer for a quick blast of nitrogen.

If plants become light green, it’s a sign of nitrogen lacking. Again, water with fish fertilizer.

Water needs:

Keep soil moist at all times for the best spinach plants.

Other tips:

Spinach is about the most frost hardy crop.  I routinely over-winter spinach in my zone-5 snow-covered garden.

Your health will benefit from lots of spinach in your garden.  To extend your spinach season plan to grow:

 a variety in early spring that will grow very quickly but will bolt when it starts getting warm.

 a slower variety later in spring that is very bolt resistant (try Johnny’s “Emu”).

 another variety (quick or slow – depending on how warm your fall is) in the fall.