Growing a Healthy Crop of Spinach in Your Home Garden
by John Yazo
Spinach is a crop that can be planted in the early spring when the weather is still to cold for most other crops or can even be planted in the fall and mulched over the winter months in cold climates for a real early spring crop. Early enough that you can be harvesting yours before your neighbors have even thought of planting theirs. There is nothing better than the taste of fresh spinach grown in your own organic garden.
It is a cool weather crop that is easy to grow and can grow extremely quick in the proper conditions. Succession planting is needed if you want to keep your crop producing throughout it's growing season in your area.
Spinach is a leafy green vegetable, much like lettuce, that grows best in cool weather and is grown for its dark green leaves. There are many different varieties, along with an assortment of leaf shapes and textures.
Soil that it grows best in is soil that is loose to a depth of at least one foot to accommodate it's deep taproot, holds moisture well, drains well and high in nitrogen. Prepare the soil in the fall whether you plant then and mulch it over the winter or you choose to plant early in the spring when the soil first becomes workable.
Soak the seeds for about 24 hrs before you sow them directly into the garden and always use fresh seed every year. Sow them about 1/2 inch deep and about 2 inches apart in rows or beds. The seeds should germinate in 5 to 10 days if the weather condition aren't extremely cold. August is when you need to plant if you are looking for a fall crop to harvest. When planting a crop to be harvested in the fall it is best to freeze the seeds first before sowing into the garden. In warm weather the germination rate of spinach can drop as much as 50 percent.
With the use of cold frames you can grow a crop of spinach all winter in many parts of the country. In areas with warmer climates, it can be planted among crops like corn and beans to provide shade protection from the sun.
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