All about Growing Spinach

(Page 3 of 3)

October/November 2008
By Barbara Pleasant 
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Pull up plants that show distorted new growth accompanied by yellowing of older leaves. Aphids and leafhoppers can transmit viral diseases to spinach.

RELATED CONTENT

Hybrids offer genetic resistance against downy mildew. Especially in the Southeast, downy mildew causes gray patches on affected leaves.

Growing Tips

Fertilize overwintered plants with a thorough drench of a fish-based fertilizer after they show new growth in spring. In spring, spinach often starts growing before the soil is warm enough to release enough nitrogen to meet the plants’ needs. Spinach requires soil with a near-neutral pH, and germinates best when the soil ranges between 55 and 65 degrees.

Clip off old leaves as they turn yellow to reduce demands on the plant for nutrients and moisture.

Wait for frost to harvest your main fall crop. Exposure to cold increases the production of sugars in spinach leaves, which serve as natural antifreeze and taste great.

Use frames or tunnels to protect winter spinach from accumulated ice and snow as far north as Zone 4. Plants that receive winter protection will begin growing again early in the spring.

In the Kitchen

Fresh from the garden, spinach is loaded with vitamins A and C, calcium and iron, and it has a remarkably buttery, nutty flavor when eaten raw in salads or sandwiches. Try semi-cooked wilted spinach salads made by pouring hot dressing over a bowl of torn spinach. Sage or thyme make great flavor accents. (Any dish with “Florentine” in its name includes cooked spinach.)

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  • diane 3/1/2009 8:39:15 PM

    Don't forget mustard spinach 'Tendergreen'! It is light green, mildly flavored (almost like lettuce), and smooth--some people who dislike spinach like this. Extremely high in Vitamins A and C, and can be used exactly like spinach, although it has no Vitamin K. Good source of calcium, iron and potassium It will also overwhelm other greens in a planting, is fairly bolt resistant and open pollinated.

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