How to Grow Spinach Outdoors: A Practical Guide. Spinach growing from seeds Onions spinach growing from seeds

The desire to diversify the garden with a variety of crops is not always successful. But as for greenery, here aspirations are rarely limited to the complexity of cultivation or the need to create special conditions. Therefore, for sure, what is worth starting in the beds is spinach, sowing and caring for which is not at all laborious.

In addition to being an extremely tasty, healthy, nutritious, but low-calorie leafy vegetable, it is also completely unpretentious. For rows of spinach, it is easy to find a place in any, even the smallest area, and its aesthetic and compact appearance allows you to grow bushes even in a flower bed, where, in addition to being useful, it will also play a decorative role of green culture.

Spinach is cold enough so it doesn't require a shelter

Therefore, if you decide to start growing spinach in the country, you should take advantage of its benefits:

• early ripening allows you to plant it in areas prepared for the subsequent planting of seedlings of heat-loving vegetables - tomatoes, peppers or eggplants;
• spinach is sufficiently resistant to cold, therefore, does not require a shelter;
• growing by seedlings allows one of the first to get juicy spring greens;
• excellent compatibility with all the most common crops on the site (except for beets), allows you to use it when arranging mixed beds or as a thickener for a while until the main crops grow.

Now that we have decided that there will always be a place for spinach, it is worth getting to know in more detail the basic preferences in the type of soil, the degree of moisture, the duration of illumination and the optimum temperature for development.

Video about the benefits of spinach

Planting spinach is more effective in the most illuminated places, especially when sowing in spring and autumn, when the daylight hours are short. Humidity is also very important as insufficient watering provoke plant shooting, thereby impairing the taste of spinach and reducing the yield of its succulent leaves. And at the expense of fertilizers - even if the land for the garden is initially an acceptable structure, it is still worth improving its fertility. To do this, it is enough to add half a bucket of organic matter per 1 square meter and in the recommended dosage of complex mineral fertilizers.

Planting spinach is more effective in the most illuminated places

Now about the soil: in most cases, ordinary garden soil is fertile, loose, moist enough, perfect for growing. The only exceptions are acidic soils or too heavy, clayey with constant stagnation of water. In such conditions, most crops cannot develop safely, including spinach, so if there is no way to select another site, the existing "problem" soil should be improved.

First, about the acidity indicators. It is possible to determine its level without special devices, just look at what weeds are growing around: bindweed and burdock - 6-7 pH and above; nettle, euphorbia and shepherd's purse - 5.5-6 pH; plantain, dandelion or wheatgrass - 5-5.5 pH, but horsetail, moss or buttercup speak of high acidity - 4.5 pH and below. For spinach, the optimal indicator will be about 6.0-7.0 pH, so if the soil is not very suitable, you should add fluff lime when digging in a dosage per 1 sq.m. - 200g, with an initial indicator of about 5 pH, and 600-750g if the level is below 4 pH.

But as for the high humidity and stagnant water, then drainage can solve this problem. Depending on the degree of "clay content" of the soil, 2-3 buckets of coarse sand should be added per 1 square meter. Having dug up and thoroughly mixed the resulting soil mixture, you can assess the degree of its improvement - whether it has become loose or you can still add sand. Heavy soils in particular need liming and mandatory enrichment with organic fertilizers, whether it be mullein, rotted manure, bird droppings, or just generous application of humus.

Heavy soils in particular need liming and mandatory enrichment with organic fertilizers

Now, knowing where spinach will grow better, you can go directly to crops and plantings.

Regardless of where and how you will grow spinach, it is recommended that you follow the accepted sowing and seeding rates. Therefore, when sowing in aisles, on a garden bed, in a greenhouse or in open ground, it is important not to deepen the seeds by more than 2-2.5 cm and leave 20-35 cm between rows.

It is imperative to sow in wet soil, if it seems to you that the earth is dry, you should first generously shed the grooves. After waiting for the water to be absorbed, you can start sowing.

Sowing must be done in moist soil.

With the emergence of seedlings, traditional planting care begins - regular weeding and timely watering. In addition, the quality of spinach often depends on the density of crops, so you need to control the thickening. The first time you can break through spinach in the phase of 2-3 leaves, while the torn out sockets should not be thrown away, and if they are immediately transplanted to another bed, they will continue to grow quite successfully. After thinning and transplanting, the plants must be well watered so that the disturbed roots can again tightly adhere to the soil.

Taking into account the early maturity of spinach, it does not require additional feeding. But if you doubt that the soil is fertile enough, during watering you can add organic fertilizers in liquid form. You can prepare such nutrient solutions on your own and almost free of charge, given that everything you need can be found in your country house, on the street or at neighbors.

During fermentation, it is recommended to stir the solution in the container periodically for early ripening. And during feeding, it is important to remember that an excess of them is sometimes much more dangerous than a deficiency, so proceed with caution, especially when using bird droppings.

Here, perhaps, all the tricks and all the care, pests and diseases practically never damage spinach, due to its early maturity.

Bearing in mind the cold resistance of spinach, its first crops in the country can be started as soon as the snow melts, because already at a temperature of +4 ° C the seeds can germinate quite successfully.

Advice! growing spinach in terms of requirements and care is similar to growing, therefore, these crops are often sown at the same time and in one place.

Under favorable conditions, the first salad of young leaves can be made after 30-40 days from the emergence of shoots

Depending on the climatic characteristics of a particular region, spinach is planted from mid-April to mid-May. But given the high need for moisture in spinach, later planting in dry soil may not bring the expected results, and this culture does not like heat either. Therefore, in this situation, the principle applies: the earlier the sowing, the better harvest... Under favorable conditions, the first salad of young leaves can be made after 30-40 days from the emergence of shoots. And if you want to get greens even earlier, then you can use the seedling method and first grow the rosettes on the windowsill, like a radish, and then transfer them to the beds along with a lump of earth.

Avoid worrying about seedlings, but please with an early harvest, another method will help. Since autumn, completing the last garden work, sow spinach seeds in the greenhouse or simply in the garden - their spring shoots will be among the earliest. If there is no stationary greenhouse, then when planting in open ground, it is recommended to cover the rows with foil or agrofibre, so that in spring the ground warms up faster, but does not lose moisture, and the growing greenery is clean.

Spinach growing video

Sowings in September will sprout already this year, they will endure wintering completely without losses and in the spring, after thawing, they will continue to grow. If sown in October, green rosettes can be seen in the first half of April after the snow melts.

And so that delicate spinach leaves are on your table from early spring to late autumn, you should choose the right varieties and sow seeds periodically.

Spinach is an unusually healthy and low-calorie vegetable crop. IN last yearswhen healthy eating began to be attached great importance, questions: how to plant spinach in the garden, or how to grow spinach on the windowsill? - have become extremely relevant. Plants are not too demanding on conditions, so their cultivation and subsequent care for them is not difficult. In the warm season, juicy vitamin greens can be planted in the garden, and in winter, spinach grows successfully on the balcony of the house.

Before planting spinach, you need to prepare the soil. Ripening of spinach greens occurs quickly enough, therefore, the fertilizers used to feed it should be fast-acting. In early spring, it is recommended to scatter granulated urea over the snow. Later, before sowing the seeds in the soil, you need to add a little humus. It should be remembered that spinach leaves accumulate nitrates well, therefore, nitrogen fertilizers should not be used in the spring.

It is more correct to prepare the soil for growing spinach in the fall, then the need for spring feeding with nitrogen disappears. The site where the planting of the crop is planned must be dug up and a full range of organic and mineral fertilizers must be dug into the soil: compost, humus, phosphorus-potassium mixture, as a rule, a certain amount of nitrogen is always contained in the complex mixtures. Then in the spring it remains only to loosen the soil in the garden, and you can sow spinach.

Cultivation of a culture is more successful in loose nutrient soil. Good air and moisture permeability is the main condition for the active growth of greenery. The best option - sandy loam soil with neutral acidity. In heavy, clayey, crusty soil, spinach should not be planted, as this will require more careful plant maintenance and the likelihood of a good harvest is very low.

Next, you need to take care of the preparation of the seed. Spinach seeds have a fairly dense shell, so it is recommended to soak them in warm water for a day, then place them in a potassium permanganate solution for several hours, and only then can they be planted in open ground... There are some varieties of spinach, such as New Zealand, Victoria, Korenta, whose seeds are not distinguished by fast germination - soaking for these varieties requires a longer period (up to 2 days), and with the use of biostimulants.

Planting a plant in open ground can be carried out both by seeds and from seedlings. However, the seedling method is less popular, since young plants have weak roots and take root very poorly in the ground. It is reasonable to sow on seedlings only thermophilic varieties (Matador, New Zealand), which are undesirable to plant directly into the soil in early spring.

In order to plant seeds in the country in the open field, you need to make shallow furrows of any length in the prepared soil at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other. Next, water the rows with water and sow seeds in them, embedding them in the soil by no more than 1.5-2 cm.Spinach is quite cold-resistant, but if planting is done in early spring, it is better to play it safe and cover the garden bed with a film - this will not only protect the seeds from cold, but also accelerate their germination. From properly prepared seeds, shoots appear in 5-7 days.

City dwellers, as well as gourmets who want to receive vitamin greens all year round, more interested in the question: how to grow spinach on the windowsill of your own home, and what should be the care of the plants? Growing greenery at home on a balcony or windowsill is no more difficult than planting it in the country. First you need to prepare a container and potting mix.

At home, you can plant spinach seeds in an ordinary flower pot with a volume of 1 liter, or in a plastic container with holes in the bottom, from which you can later dive the plants into a separate container. It is imperative to lay a drainage layer at the bottom of the pot (container), since spinach loves moisture very much, but stagnant water is harmful for it.

The soil mixture for growing a culture at home can be prepared from 1 part of sand, 2 parts of turf and the same amount of humus, or you can use a substrate consisting of 1 part of vermicompost and 2 parts of coconut fiber. Seeds are planted to a depth of 1.5-2 cm, the container is covered with film or glass until shoots appear. At home, as a rule, the air is too dry and very warm, and plants need a temperature of 15-17 ° C for normal growth, so you should take care of creating such conditions in advance.

Video "All about growing spinach"

Growing features

Spinach does not require any special care and conditions, since it is an early ripening and rather unpretentious crop, however, there are some points and features, taking into account which you can make the cultivation of healthy greens more successful and high-yielding:

• best predecessors spinach are considered potatoes, radishes, legumes, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, in addition, you should not plant a crop for more than 3 years in one place;

• the area for growing crops should be open sunny, ( experienced gardeners it is recommended to plant spinach on a small hill), however, in the hot summer, the plant feels good in partial shade;

• spinach vegetation lasts no more than 2 months - in order to have useful greens throughout the season, it is recommended to plant seeds in the country in several stages with an interval of 2 weeks;

• it is possible to plant a crop in open ground not only in spring, but also in autumn - if the seeds are sown at the end of August - September, then fresh greens will appear in early spring, and the overwintered seeds will become stronger and the harvest from them will be of better quality;

• plants do not grow well in acidic soil - you can reduce acidity by adding lime, chalk, dolomite flour;

• to extend the growing season of spinach, experienced gardeners recommend cutting off the tops of the shoots of adult plants - this promotes the formation of new leaves and prevents the appearance of arrows with peduncles.

You also need to take into account that the cultivation of each spinach variety has its own characteristics. Usually there are no problems with early-maturing varieties, such as Giant, Godry, and the now popular Matador hybrid also grows well. But, for example, New Zealand spinach is more demanding on conditions. Firstly, planting of the Novozelandskiy variety in open ground should be carried out only from seedlings, since the culture is very thermophilic. Secondly, the seeds of this variety germinate very poorly, and one cannot do without a growth stimulator.

However, the New Zealand spinach, beloved by many, has certain advantages: thanks to its lush greenery, adult plants suppress the growth of weeds, therefore they practically do not need weeding, and besides this, the New Zealand variety does not bloom and does not release arrows during drought, as is typical of other species. Growing a culture at home also has its own characteristics. If the seeds are planted in winter, it is more likely that the plants will lack sunlight and will need additional lighting. Considering the fact that in apartment conditions it is almost always warm and dry, and spinach is a moisture-loving plant, you need to constantly monitor soil moisture and regularly spray the foliage.

Care

Caring for spinach in the open field consists of timely weeding and watering. The first weeding is carried out as soon as the first two leaves appear on the plants - during this period the bed must be thinned out, leaving the strongest shoots at a distance of 10-15 cm. At the same time, you need to remove the weeds and loosen the aisles. Further care for the crop includes another 3-4 weeding.

It is necessary to water the garden often, since drought leads to stalking of the bushes and the cessation of the growth of green mass, but the plants should not be poured. Top dressing of spinach is carried out only if it grows in depleted soil - for fertile soil, there are enough fertilizers applied during soil cultivation. Spinach greens, which are grown at home in a pot, require very minimal care: regular watering, loosening, and spraying the foliage. Houseplants need plenty of daylight, but the humidity should be high enough.

Spinach rarely gets sick, but the appearance on the leaves powdery mildew and rot is not excluded. In this case, care consists in removing diseased plants from the garden, since chemical agents it is undesirable to use for culture.

Harvesting

They begin to collect spinach when 5-8 leaves grow in the outlet. For each variety, this period occurs at different times: early-ripening varieties (Godry, Giant) ripen in 18-25 days from the day of sowing, late and mid-season varieties (Victoria, New Zealand) are ready for harvesting in 6-8 weeks. Even if New Zealand spinach is planted from seedlings, the first crop can be harvested no earlier than a month later, because at the very beginning after planting, the plants develop very slowly.

When collecting greenery, you need to carefully tear off the outer leaves, leaving the middle of the outlet intact. It is better to harvest in the morning after the ross dries up, or late in the evening before it appears - the greens must certainly be dry, since wet leaves rot faster. The harvest period depends on how often the leaves are cut and how well the garden is cared for. In any case, spinach is harvested only before flowering.

Storing spinach

There are several ways to store spinach. For short-term storage, greens are folded in polyethylene or a damp cloth and placed in the refrigerator, while the leaves should be dry, as the wet ones will quickly rot. At temperatures from 0 to +1 ° C, spinach leaves are stored for up to 10 days.

For long-term storage, spinach is frozen, dried, canned. For freezing, both fresh herbs and blanched, or chopped to a puree state are suitable. To freeze fresh greens, the leaves need to be washed, dried, then cut, folded into a bag or container, and placed in the freezer. The same can be done with blanched spinach.

For drying, greens are prepared in the same way as for freezing, only they are laid out on paper or a baking sheet, placed in a dry, dark place, where the drying process takes place. Many housewives practice this method of harvesting as salting or canning. In both cases, spinach retains its intense green color and useful properties.

Spinach Planting Tips

Spinach is an annual herbaceous plant, which is becoming more and more popular among gardeners.

Its greens are very beneficial for the body, as they contain a large amount of iron.

When proper care you can achieve good results in growing spinach outdoors.

The plant grows well in the garden or on summer cottage and allows you to provide the whole family with healthy fleshy greens.

If we translate the name of spinach from Persian into Russian, it means "green hand".

In Central Asia, perennial spinach is very common, there it even grows as weed.

As a healthy greenery, spinach is grown in many countries, and ours was no exception.

Depending on the variety, spinach grows from 30 to 45 cm in height. The grass blooms in summer.

After flowering, oval-shaped fruits are formed - nuts.

The plant belongs to early maturing species and allows you to grow a crop of useful greenery in 30-45 days.

It grows throughout the country, so you can pick up spinach for the Moscow region, middle band and other regions.

Variety Victoria

Spinach Victoria has dark green leaves.

They have a slightly bluish tint.

Plant up to 10 cm high.

Victoria variety is rich in vitamins and is suitable for use in cooking.

For example, it is widely used in the preparation of soups, seasonings, sauces.

Grown by sowing before winter or early spring.

New Zealand

The variety is grown relatively recently.

It tolerates drought well, practically is not damaged by diseases and insect pests.

It develops slowly, but grows closer to autumn.

At this stage, the New Zealand variety becomes very juicy and tasty.

Stoic

The Stoic variety is excellent for human consumption.

It is used for canning or fresh.

A plant with large leaves reaching 16-20 cm in length. Stoic is a very productive and unpretentious variety.

Godry

Gaudry can be classified as an early maturing variety. It is suitable for growing in greenhouse conditions in early spring or in greenhouses.

After germination, it takes about 17-30 days, when a rosette with a diameter of up to 20 cm is formed.

Matador

Growing Matador spinach is not difficult.

The variety is unpretentious, has good resistance to diseases and pests.

The matador produces a rich harvest of fleshy greens. Also resistant to flowers.

Virofle

Virofle is suitable for early sowing. The variety is early maturing.

Greens can be obtained 25-30 days after germination.

The leaves of the plant are green, slightly corrugated.

Giant spinach can be grown both in open and protected ground.

The variety is early maturing with oval green leaves.

They form a rosette with a diameter of 18-50 cm.

Sow in early spring.

Giant is considered the best for canning.

Sturdy

Mid-season spinach Krepysh. It is resistant to cold weather.

A plant with dark green elongated leaves. As for the rosette, it is up to 25 cm wide.

Strawberry

Strawberry spinach is an unusual variety with red berries.

It doesn't look like regular spinach.

Several stems usually grow.

Their height can reach 60 cm.

The fruits are like berries. The leaves are different from common spinach varieties.

Grown by sowing seeds in open ground or seedling. Such a plant will also become a real decoration of the site.

Growing features

Spinach, the cultivation of which should not cause difficulties, belongs to unpretentious and resistant to cold weather, diseases and pests of plants.

Providing him with everyone necessary conditions, get a rich harvest of greens that are high in iron.

Spinach is advised to be eaten by children, women, adolescents.

When to plant greens in open ground, planting timing

To understand when to plant spinach, you need to choose how to grow it. It can be open or protected ground (greenhouse or greenhouse).

According to reviews, they are sown in this way:

1. If the greens will grow in a greenhouse or greenhouse, the optimal sowing time is the end of February.
2. When grown outdoors, it is recommended to sow before winter. The best time for this is September-October. The planting material perfectly tolerates the cold, with the melting of the snow in the spring, the first shoots will appear.
3. If the fall planting failed, do not despair. You can also do this right after the snow has melted.

If you want to get fleshy juicy greens in the fall, you need to sow in the middle of summer or August.

To obtain a harvest throughout the summer, you need to plant seeds every 20-30 days.

Site preparation for landing

When sowing spinach in open ground, it is important to choose the right site in the country or in the garden, as well as prepare it.

Seat selection

Spinach is a plant that favors well-lit areas.

The scorching sun can harm the plant, so it must be covered for a while.

What soil is needed and how to prepare it

A useful herbaceous plant grows well in drained, slightly acidic soil.

It should contain as many nutrients as possible. Most often, planting beds are prepared in the fall:

1. The first step is to carefully dig them up.
2. If the soil is too acidic, dolomite flour is added or liming is carried out.
3. Next, fertilizers are applied. On square meter you need 30 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium salt. This will help you get a healthy plant and increase the yield.
4. Rotted manure or humus is also introduced. Do this when digging the soil.

How to plant spinach outdoors, preparation and planting

Growing from spinach seeds is a simple process. First you need to properly prepare the seeds.

An important role is also played by correct fit.

How to prepare seeds

Spinach seeds are covered with a hard shell. This makes it difficult for sprouts to break through.

To speed up the germination process, the planting material must be soaked. They do it this way:

1. Pour warm water into a plate, jar or other convenient container.
2. The seeds are placed in water.
3. Withstand for at least a day. Best soaked for 2 days.

During this time, the water is periodically changed to clean water. At this stage, the room temperature is important.

It should be at least + 20-25 ° C.

Such conditions will be ideal for accelerating the germination of planting material.

After the specified time has elapsed, the seeds are taken out and dried.

Only then are they sown.

Direct landing

If the sowing of spinach will be carried out in rows in the beds, then first the soil is loosened. After that, grooves are made with a depth of 2 cm. Watered with warm water.

The seeds are spread along the furrows.

note, that the distance between the rows is at least 15 cm, and between the plants - 7 cm.

Approximately 4-5 grams of seeds will be required for each square meter of area.

Warm weather and humidity promote seed germination. If all the rules are followed, the first spinach shoots will appear in about 10-14 days.

How to care for a plant after planting

With proper care, you can get fresh tender leaves within 2-3 weeks after planting.

Growing and caring for spinach in the open field should contain watering, loosening, and weeding.

It is also important to shelter the plants from the scorching rays and, if necessary, feed them.

A herbaceous plant grown on the site needs constant watering.

As for the frequency, the bushes are watered 2-3 times in 7 days.

This is, of course, approximate, because weather conditions can vary.

In order not to flood the plant, it is important to reduce watering during rainy summer.

Excessive water content in the soil can lead to various diseases.

For 1 sq. m. approximately consume up to 10 liters of water. It is recommended to use not cold water.

Top dressing

It is not difficult to understand how to grow spinach in the country. An unpretentious herbaceous plant produces a crop without the use of dressings.

In some cases, for example, when the weather conditions are too unfavorable, it is necessary to help spinach. Sometimes its rosettes develop slowly and poorly.

This means that the plant lacks nitrogen. The situation can be corrected by feeding with nitrogen-containing additives.

Nitrogen fertilizer granules are embedded in the soil. Planting depth - 2-5 cm. After fertilization, the rows must be watered.

Weeding and loosening

Like all plants, spinach needs grooming. Loosening the soil helps oxygen to penetrate to the roots. From this, it begins to develop rapidly.

Weeds inhibit the growth of spinach, especially in the early stages of its development. That is why you need to get rid of them in a timely manner.

Shelter in the heat

All varieties of greenery need shelter. It is required in hot weather, when the hot, scorching sun appears.

To prevent the plant from getting burned, it must be covered with a special material. Nonwovens are available from the store.

If shading is not applied, the leaves become rough and lose their taste.

Diseases and pests of spinach

Growing spinach in the country is also not complete without preventive measures that will help prevent the appearance of pests or the occurrence of diseases.

It must be constantly examined for the appearance of diseases or pests.

Processing with pesticides cannot be carried out, since the greens will further be used in the preparation of various dishes, canning.

That is why it is best to take care of plant health in advance.

Most often, gardeners are faced with the following diseases:

1. Fusarium - spinach seedlings can die from this disease.

They become dull, turn yellow. The root system starts to hurt and dies. As a result of this disease, the plant can be lost.

More often than this, the rapid spread of the disease is facilitated by an increased soil temperature.

1. Cucumber Mosaic Virus - can also harm spinach like cucumbers. The plant becomes more susceptible to damage from other diseases.
2. Cercosporosis - yellowish spots of different diameters can be found on spinach in the garden.

If you look at the center of the spots, you can see darkened spores. Over time, the spots begin to grow, occupying large areas.

1. Anthracnose - This disease can be identified by the gray spots that form on the leaves and petioles.

Pests that can threaten the harvest of juicy greens:

• slugs;
• beet fly;
• cabbage scoop.

If the plants are constantly inspected, pests or diseases can be detected at an early stage. This will allow you to apply the measures necessary to heal the greens.

To do this, you can use tobacco, pepper, tomato spray solution.

If this still does not help get rid of the disease, the affected plants need to be dug up and burned.

When to harvest and how to store

As a rule, you can collect greens if 8-10 leaves have formed on the plant.

But sometimes gardeners cut it even with 6 sheets available.

You need to cut them off under the first sheet.

You can also dig up or pull out the whole plant. The main thing is not to delay the harvest.

Leaves harvested late are tougher, less juicy and less tasty.

note also that it is better to collect herbs in the morning. It is not recommended to cut the leaves after rain.

The collected greens can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days.

If spinach is needed for consumption after a few days or weeks, it can be dried or frozen. Frozen greens retain all the nutrients.

Combination with other plants on the site

Planting spinach can be carried out in the aisles. For this best neighbors for him will become:

• potatoes;
• beans;
• eggplant;
• corn;
• cabbage.

Garden strawberries, onions or celery also grow well with spinach.

Healthy greens can also be grown in separate beds.

Spinach is an excellent plant that requires little effort to grow.

It tolerates cold weather well, rarely gets sick.

A wholesome, iron-rich herb is increasingly seen in garden plots... By planting it in the country, you can get fleshy juicy greens.

In addition, some gardeners dig up the plants and transplant them into pots. Then they take it to the house and get the harvest right from the windowsill!

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Spinach is a herbaceous vegetable that is popular and loved all over the world. The French, for example, consider this culture of ancient origin to be the king of vegetables. How to grow good quality spinach in the country - this question interests many summer residents.

The originality of green culture

Spinach is a rosette of glossy leaves. This is a heterosexual plant. There are male and female representatives of the vegetable. In male specimens, small and few leaves emerge from the sinuses. They are removed during thinning. Large, juicy leaves for cutting are given by females, they are left in the beds. Female specimens form nut seeds.
Spinach roots are weak, growing 20 cm deep, which complicates the process of growing and care.
The culture is also called a long day plant. As the day increases, flower stalks appear, the leaves lose their juiciness, which is associated with an increase in the level of oxalic acid.

Qualitative characteristics of vegetable crops

Spinach has great benefits for gardening, including:

• The plant is not afraid of cold weather. Seeds begin to germinate at a temperature of 4 degrees, the emerged seedlings are able to withstand short-term spring frosts.
• Early maturity and high productivity. The growing season of the plant lasts 1 month. You can plant it in your summer cottage several times every 2 weeks during the season. But the best time to harvest is spring. Leaves are more juicy and fleshy in spring.

Varietal diversity of culture

Before you start growing spinach from seed, you need to choose the right plant variety.
When choosing a variety, pay attention to the ripening time of the crop, which is indicated on the label of the seed bag. Having picked up seeds of different types, you can organize a conveyor collection on your site.

All varieties and hybrids are divided into early, medium and late ripening.

• Early varieties. 15 days after germination, you can already cut the leaves. If sowed late, the crop will start shooting early. The early maturing ones include Matador, Gigantic, Round dance.
  Please note that each of them has additional qualities:
  • Matador is resistant to low temperatures and flowers. By the way, this is one of the highest-yielding and popular varieties. You can find out more about it on the Internet, as well as order seeds. You will need to enter into the search "matador spinach growing from seeds"
  • Giant can be grown both outdoors and protected. Does not throw out arrows for a long time, is resistant to the accumulation of nitrates.
  • The round dance has a high content of vitamins.
• Medium varieties such as Rembrandt, Emerald F1, ripen 20 days after germination.
• Late ripening. Ready to clean in 25 days. Victoria, Varyag, Ladya. They are resistant to shooting and can be sown in summer.
• For growing at home on a windowsill, take late-ripening varieties such as Victoria, Virtuoso or Melody, Prima hybrids.

It should be added that the constant breeding work the breeding of new varieties of spinach, low-shooting early, resistant to powdery mildew, giving a large mass of greenery, does not stop. New items appear every year.
Undoubtedly, the early ripening variety of strawberry spinach and its cultivation from seeds will arouse the interest of summer residents. It gives, in addition to juicy leaves, fruits that have a strawberry aroma. The fruits are suitable for both food and processing.
Spinach Strawberry - annual plant up to 50 cm high. Fruit ovaries appear in the axils of the plant. On the fourth day after the formation of the ovaries, the fruits ripen and are ready to eat. Moreover, the cultivation of strawberry spinach is not particularly difficult.

Choosing a landing site

High-quality growing of spinach outdoors largely depends on the right choice sites for planting crops. Consider the recommendations of experts:

• Loamy and sandy loam soils are best suited. If you have clay, heavy soils, you should think carefully before planting a crop: you will have to spend a lot of time and effort on planting and care, and the result will be unsatisfactory. The acidity of the soil should be neutral.
• Greenery grows well in well-lit, open and elevated areas. In regions with too hot summers, you can choose partial shade for planting.
• It is advisable to plant the plant in places protected from the cold north or east wind, since the culture does not like drafts.
• Consider the rules of crop rotation when choosing a site: potatoes, radishes, legumes, cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes are considered the best predecessors of spinach.
• You should not plant a crop for more than 3 years in one place.
• Flowers will be bad neighbors to the plant, green crops will be good neighbors.

Features of soil preparation for sowing greenery

Spinach loves loose and nutritious soils, saturated with organic and mineral fertilizers, moisture and air permeable, well drained. You should start preparing a garden bed in the fall. Follow this sequence:

1. Dig up the targeted area.
2. Add organic matter (up to 8 kilograms per square meter), complex mineral fertilizer or superphosphate according to the instructions.
3. Add urea before the snow melts.
4. Cultivate the land in early spring.
5. Add a bucket of humus per square meter of soil (if it didn't work out in the fall) and a glass of ash.

Please note that nitrates in plant leaves accumulate quickly, therefore it is not recommended to use nitrogen fertilizers in spring and, in general, nitrogen fertilizers should be applied carefully.

Cultivation methods

You can sow spinach seeds both in open ground and in seedlings in greenhouses.
The method of growing through seedlings is not very popular. The roots of the seedlings of green culture are weak, when transplanted to the garden they are injured, they do not take root well. It is optimally applied to thermophilic spinach varieties (Matador, New Zealand).

Preliminary preparation of seeds

Spinach seeds have a dense shell. If you plant them dry, then the seedlings will have to wait for a long time.
To accelerate the emergence of seedlings, as well as to decontaminate the seed, it is necessary to perform a set of measures:

• Sort out the material, reject small, dry nuts.
• During the day, they should be soaked in water at room temperature, changing it from time to time.
• Then, if necessary (if the material is your own, and was not purchased in a specialized store), the seeds are disinfected in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate.
• Slightly dry seed material, prepare for planting.

Some plant varieties (Victoria, Korenta) have very poor germination, the soaking time for them is extended to two days, and biostimulants are added to the water.

How to sow a crop correctly?

Sowing spinach in open ground is possible in August, early spring, in April, before winter. At temperatures from 5 degrees, planting can begin. When sowing, follow the instructions:

1. Make tape-type grooves in 2-5 lines. The distance between the lines is 20 cm, the row spacing is 40-50 cm. The depth of planting seeds on loamy soils is 2-2.5 cm, sandy loam - up to 4 cm. Between the seeds in a row 5-8 cm. Expect to sow 3 g per 1 square meter of the site seeds.
2. Squeeze the crops slightly, pour water.
3. It is advisable to cover the bed with a film to protect against possible night frosts and accelerate the emergence of shoots.
4. A week and a half after sowing, seedlings will appear.

The specifics of growing greens in a greenhouse and at home

Spinach can also be grown in protected conditions - on a balcony, in a loggia, on a windowsill, in a greenhouse.
Growing spinach in a greenhouse can be started in autumn and continued until summer by sowing seeds several times. Pay attention to the details:

• In practice, greens are grown as a compactor in the aisles. vegetable crops (cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers).
• In protected ground (in a greenhouse), the lines on the beds are made every 10 cm, while the seeds are respectively consumed twice as much per square meter - 6g.

For home planting, you can take an ordinary flower pot (at least 1 liter of volume) or plastic container... Be sure to make holes in the bottom to drain excess moisture and breathe roots, put a drain.
The containers are filled with prepared earth by 10-15 cm.
The composition of the soil mixture:

• Humus-2 parts;
• Sod land - 2 parts;
• River clean and sifted sand - 1 part.

Another soil option is possible:

• Biohumus - 1 part;
• Coconut fiber - 2 parts.

Sowing is carried out starting from the third decade of January (due to lighting).
After sowing, in a month you will be able to harvest the first crop.
Growing and caring for spinach in the greenhouse and at home is the same as outdoors.
It is important to create an appropriate temperature of 15-18 degrees and sufficient lighting. The quality of the planted spinach at temperatures above 20 degrees deteriorates: shooting begins, flowering, the leaves become rough.

Green crop care technology

Seedling care consists of watering, mulching, weeding, loosening, thinning, and pest protection.

1. Plants love watering. Only when good watering you will end up with fleshy, large leaves. In the absence of rain, it is necessary to water using a bucket of water per square meter.
   In dry, hot weather, it is recommended to water up to 3 times a week.
2. Growing and caring for spinach in the open field or in a greenhouse does not allow waterlogging: the culture can be affected by root rot.
3. Mulching is done with grass, straw to retain moisture in the soil.
4. Weeding is carried out for the first time after the first true leaf has grown. The beds should be freed from weeds regularly, not only in order to improve the vital activity of the plant, but also to protect against caterpillars and aphids.
5. Loosening is performed fine, to remove the crust and access oxygen to the roots.
6. Thinning is carried out simultaneously with the first weeding - in the phase of the appearance of the first leaf. A distance of 10 cm is left between individual shoots. With a denser planting, there is a risk of root rot or powdery mildew.
7. Disease control. The most common greenery disease is root rot. If found, the diseased plant should be pulled out by the root, and the planting should be treated with 1% Bordeaux mixture. From pests, crops are treated with tobacco dust infusion or ready-made biological products.

Harvesting vegetable plant

It is recommended to harvest spinach in the morning, before preparing meals. Large leaves collected from young plants that do not have peduncles. Pay attention to the specifics of the collection:

• The leaves are broken off one at a time.
• The rosettes are cut under the first leaf so that less dirt gets on the greens, and so that the further planted plant can continue to grow.
• Cutting is carried out when the leaves reach a length of 18 cm.
• The number of leaves on a ripe and ready-to-cut plant should be at least 6.
• Harvesting in the vegetable garden should be done regularly as the spinach overripe quickly.
• When the arrows of the peduncles begin to appear, the plant is removed from the garden.
• The seeds of the plant ripen in 3 months. In the ripening phase, it is necessary to cut off the brown inflorescences, put in a shaded place for ripening.
• Seed germination that is properly stored in a dry and cool place lasts 4 years.

For your information, seeds are harvested only if one variety grows on the site, since spinach is a wind-pollinated crop. It is enough to leave 2 female plants on the beds with a distance of 20 cm between them to get good harvest seeds.
A low-calorie, vitamin-rich food like spinach is ideal for diet food... Eating spinach improves immunity, relieves fatigue, it is recommended for diabetes, childhood rickets (high vitamin D content).

– a garden crop containing many easily assimilated vitamins, organic and fatty acids, micro - and macronutrients necessary for a healthy diet. These greens are healthy and desirable on every table. Regular consumption of spinach is an excellent prevention of diseases of the digestive, nervous, cardiac systems, metabolic disorders, and improves immunity well.

Did you know? Spinach leaves contain vitamins K, E, PP, C, P, A, B2, B6, manganese, silicon, iron, cobalt, thallium, boron, chromium, iodine, calcium, rubidium, zinc, vanadium. As well as serotonin, phytosterols, polysaccharides, omega-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids, ascorbic and oxalic acids.

When to sow spinach

Growing spinach outdoors can be started in early or mid-April, depending on the steady weather. Spinach - cold hardy, air temperature + 4-5 ° С is quite suitable for sowing, and its seedlings can withstand frosts down to –5-6 ° С.

How to get an early spinach crop

Planting spinach in spring gives more late harvest - around mid-June, not earlier. Is it possible and when exactly to plant spinach outdoors to harvest earlier? Can. They do this in regions with mild winters or sow winter varieties in late August - early September.

When planting spinach before winter, they get the first greens already in April. With this method, during the time from sowing to the first shoots - in 14-16 days, spinach takes root and hibernates well. And with warming in March, it is rapidly growing.

Important! After collecting early harvest after 45-50 days, you can again collect the greens from the bushes a second time, and the plants are completely removed.

Soil requirements for spinach

Neutral, loamy and sandy loamy, organic-rich soils are best suited for growing spinach. In addition, the soil for spinach should not be overly acidic - pH not higher than 7.

Good precursors for this plant are potatoes, cucumbers, legumes, cabbage, tomatoes.

Did you know? Food processing of spinach - cooking, frying, stewing, canning, freezing - slightly changes its composition, it retains its useful biologically active elements.

Preparing the soil for planting

The soil for spinach is prepared in the fall - top dressing is added and dug up. Digging depth - 25 cm. It is recommended to fertilize spinach with potassium-phosphorus preparations, humus, compost. The approximate number of components per 1 sq. m - 5 g of phosphorus, 8 g of nitrogen, 10 g of potassium, 5.5-6 kg of humus.

Important! Nitrogen is used as fertilizer only in autumn, but not in spring. An excess of it quickly accumulates in spinach, which is harmful to human health.

Sowing spinach seeds in open ground

Growing spinach with seeds directly into the ground without germinating seedlings is often used. To do this, before sowing, the seeds are soaked for 20-24 hours. When soaking, the pericarp (shell) of the seed serves as a reference point: if it has softened from water, then the seeds are ready for planting.

Before sowing, the seeds are slightly dried - they are spread on a dry towel so that excess moisture is absorbed and the seeds do not clump. Seeds are sown in moist soil, manganese (potassium permanganate) can be added to the water for irrigation to make a weak disinfectant solution... The seeding depth is 2-2.5 cm, the distance between the beds, if there are several parallel ones, is 20-25 cm.

Important! Spinach is contraindicated in diseases of the duodenum, kidneys, liver, gallbladder. Carefully injected into children food... This is due to the increased content of oxalic acid in the vegetable.

Spinach crop care

Spinach is photophilous, but it also grows well in partial shade, that is, it can be planted both as a separate area from other crops, and using it as a separator between different garden plants. At the same time, spinach is unpretentious, and caring for it consists in timely watering, loosening the soil, thinning, weeding.

Water it moderately until sprouts sprout - from a watering can with a spray, when it takes root - watering is sufficient, but moderate. The seedlings are thinned out when the second leaf appears, leaving a distance of 15-20 cm between them. Loosening is done each time as the soil dries up. How to water spinach in dry summer?

Water more often and more abundantly, but make sure that the water does not stagnate and there is good aeration. Excess moisture will lead to powdery mildew and other spinach diseases.During prolonged rainy weather, it is better to stretch the sheeting on pegs over the beds to avoid excessive dampness. As a rule, the soil for spinach is fertilized before planting - in the fall and, if necessary, in the spring before sowing, therefore, during the growing season, spinach is not fertilized.

Harvest

Collecting spinach can be started when the plant develops six leaves, this is mainly done with the development of 8-10 leaves. Cut the stem under the first leaf. The roots of the spring planting spinach are dug up. You can immediately pull out the whole plant instead of cutting. It is impossible to delay the collection of greens - the leaves outgrow, become coarse, lose their taste. Do not harvest after watering or rain. The best time for harvesting - early morning, then the leaves will be fresh and not wrinkled.