Growing Vegetables

Spinach can’t take long days or hot tem­peratures. Plant seeds right after frost for spring harvest or in late summer for fall harvest. Spinach will mature its leafy plants in seven weeks; then it quickly goes to seed. Plant short rows every two to three weeks to maintain a supply. Spinach definitely prefers cool weather and needs to be grown rapidly to form large, meaty leaves.

How to plant

Plant spinach seeds very early in the spring and periodically through early fall except during the hottest days. Plant New Zealand spinach in late spring. Sow seeds ¹/2 inch deep. Thin to 8 inches apart; use the thinnings for salads.

Care

Nitrate forms of nitrogen fertilizer release more readily in cool weather and will help to produce good early spring, late fall, or winter crops of spinach.

Harvesting

Nip off the outer leaves; discard the stems if they are stringy. Leave the center sprouts to form new leaves. When you first see flower buds forming in the center of the plant, quickly harvest the entire crop and use it rather than letting the spinach set seeds and be wasted.

In containers

A good crop for boxes or pots. New Zealand spinach is particularly suited to containers because it grows back quickly after cutting. Grow one plant of the New Zealand variety per 2-gallon container. Soil depth should be about 8 to 12 inches.