Garden Vegetables & Fruits Plant Preferences Profile
Specific Plant Growing Requirements and Information
Scientific Name
Spinacia oleracea
Full Grown Size
tall as 12 inches (30 cm)
Soil Type
Fertile soil with Netural pH
Hardiness Zones
Zone 2 to 9
Spinach is a super-cold-hardy leafy green vegetable. Spinach can be planted in some areas at the beginning of spring, autumn, and winter.
During long hot summer days or in wet weather, spinach does not grow well.
How To Grow Spinach Overview
Spinach has growing conditions and requirements similar to lettuce, but both its quality and its ability to be consumed raw or cooked are more varied. It is significantly higher than most harvested greens in iron, calcium, and vitamins and one of the best forms of vitamins A, B, and C.
- Plant spinach in full sunlight.
- Spinach is tolerant and thrives in colder weather. The perfect temperature for spinach to grow is between 50 ° F to 70 ° F.
- From seed to harvest, it takes 6 weeks of cold weather.
- Sow spinach seeds at a 1⁄2 inch depth. Cover the seed with soil lightly.
- Spinach seeds germinate at 70 °F within 5 to 10 days.
- Spinach leaves may be eaten when they are sufficiently large to eat.
Spinach Nutrition Information
Raw Spinach, 1 cup (30 grams)
Growing Spinach Detailed Information
Where to Plant Spinach
Plant spinach in full sunlight. In warm regions, spinach can grow in partial sunlight. Grow spinach in rich and fertile in organic matter, well-drained, loamy soil. Apply two inches of aged compost to the beds before planting, then transform the soil to a depth of 1 foot.
Spinach prefers 6.0 to 6.8 soil pH. Spinach is tolerant and thrives in colder weather. The perfect temperature for spinach to grow is between 50 ° F to 70 ° F.
Hot weather and long days can contribute to the spinach flowering and going to seed.
Growing Spinach
Spinach is an annual that is hardy enough for the cold season. From seed to harvest, it takes 6 weeks of cold weather. Spinach is best planted outdoors in early spring, and then in autumn again. Spinach is grown outdoors in winter in mild-winter regions. Indoors sow spinach for transplantation 6 to 8 weeks before the last average frost date in spring, 4 weeks before final freeze. However, transplantation shocks can occur when the roots are disrupted at transplantation time.
Direct spinach or transplant spinach 4 weeks before the last average freeze date. For mild winter, plant spinach for autumn or autumn harvest in late summer or early autumn; sow spinach for the autumn harvest from 6 to 8 weeks before the first fall frost.
Spinach can be grown anywhere in a cold frame or a plastic tunnel in the winter. Spinach started in the fall, and in the spring, it could live in the winter under the thick mulch.
Plant spinach seed every 10 to 14 days for ongoing supply. Do not develop spinach in hot summer regions through the summer. Instead, spinach or Malabar spinach from New Zealand are thermal tolerant.
How to Plant Spinach
Sow spinach seeds at a 1⁄2 inch depth. Cover the seed with soil lightly. Refrigerate the seeds 1 week before they are sown to help germinate.
Plant the seeds two to four inches apart. Space rows from 12 and 16 inches apart.
Spinach seeds germinate at 70 °F within 5 to 10 days. When the soil is colder, the germination will take longer, about 21 days, at 50 °F.
When seedlings are 3 inches thin out the spinach up to 12 inches apart. Retain the most powerful seedlings. Remove the weaker seedlings by snipping them off with scissors at the soil level.
How to Feed and Water Spinach
Keep the soil adequately moist for the fast growth of spinach during the growing season. Resist spraying water onto the leaves and mulch with straw or trim up the leaves around the bottom of the spinach plants to keep leaves from having mud on them.
Side-dress plants with a quality compost tea or a dilute fish emulsion solution every two weeks in the growing season. Side-dress spinach at the midseason with aged rich compost.
Spinach Care in the Growing Season
Keep beds free from weeds to prevent competitiveness for sun, water, and nutrients. Cut the weeds off on the ground instead of digging them out; spinach has a deep taproot with shallow small feeder roots that can be quickly harmed. Mature spinach plants can withstand cold temperatures as low as 20 °F.
Still, plants should be sheltered from freezing conditions, covered with a short plastic tunnel or row cover. Spinach bolts at temperatures above 75 ° F. When the weather is hot, consider covering the spinach in the shadow of a cloth.
How to Harvest Spinach
Spinach leaves may be eaten when they are sufficiently large to eat. Cut leaves from plants with 6 to 8 leaves 4 to 7 inches long. First, cut the older outer leaves. Allow the existing young leaves to mature. Cut the leaves about 3 – 4 inches above the soil if you remove all the leaves from a plant; fresh leaves will grow on for a second remove.
Quite broad leaves and older leaves can be bitter; the leaves are picked earlier rather than later. Days longer than 14 hours and warm weather (temperatures over 75 F) can allow spinach to bolt, bloom, and set seed. Bolting would mark the harvest’s end.
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