Let’s be honest, most people consider spinach as a vegetable that is unattractive and tasteless, something that only Popeye would dare to eat. Homegrown spinach tastes incredibly tasty and is healthy to eat. So let’s get rid of the Popeye image that everyone suggests and concentrate on how amazing this vegetable is.
Soil Preparation
The soil and location are one of the most important things to get right when growing spinach, it’s going to be vital to your success growing this crop.
Spinach plants tend to run to seed easily, therefore, it is always best to sow them in between tall growing plants to provide shade against the summer sun. The soil where you intend to grow the spinach plants should be well dug, you can also add a general-purpose fertilizer to the soil just before planting to give them that extra boost.
Sowing and Planting
Spinach seeds are grown like most others, sow the seeds outdoors in rows that are twelve inches apart. The seeds should be sown very thinly and covered with soil. These seeds can be thinned out again once they begin growing. With summer and winter varieties it is possible to harvest spinach all year long.
Looking After the Plants
The plants won’t grow extremely large so you should initially thin the seedlings to be 3 inches apart, once the plants are large enough to handle and cook each alternate plant should be removed and eaten.
Keep the plants weed-free at all time, this is best done by hoeing around the plants weekly. It’s best to keep on top of this before the weeds get established and become a pain to get rid of.
Harvesting
Picking first begins when you are thinning and continues right until the plants are mature. Once the plants are mature they will be at their prime stage for eating. However, in my opinion, the key is to keep harvesting as required to avoid a glut at the end of the season.
You should be cautious when picking individually not to disturb the plants next to the one you are harvesting.