Spinach - This dark green leafy vegetable is not only tasty and nutritious. It is also easy to cultivate in your own garden. But even the most straightforward of crops can be difficult to grow if not handled with care…

Lay the foundation for life

Spinach can be sown twice a year. Even if there are around 50 different types of spinach today, they are similar in their basic requirements and requirements. In mild regions, spinach can be sown outdoors from the end of February. Otherwise, culture begins between March and May. To protect the spinach from excessive late frost, it can be covered with foil as a precaution. Anyone who takes pleasure in their home-grown spinach plants can sow them a second time between August and September. It is also possible to prefer spinach under glass in your own four walls.

The spinach seeds usually remain viable for three to four years. They are dark germs and should therefore be placed between 1 and 3 cm deep in the ground. It is important to keep a distance of at least 15 cm from row to row. A distance of 5 cm is sufficient between the individual spinach plants. The earth is then tapped or trampled down so that the germs can take root.

After a vigorous watering, the soil should be kept moist in the coming period. Within 7 to 14 days the seeds will begin to germinate and a taproot will slowly form.

A promising basis: plenty of sun and let the water flow

So that the spinach can quickly develop into a healthy young plant, consideration should be given to its location requirements. These include the following:

  • a sunny to partially shaded position
  • a humic and nutrient-rich soil with a pH between 6.5 and 7.5
  • a permanently fresh to moist soil environment (dryness leads to flowering and the spinach becoming inedible)

Nothing stands in the way of the next stage

Spinach is extremely easy to care for. When the plants are established, their first leaves appear and they are watered regularly, there is hardly anything standing in the way of a successful harvest after 6 to 8 weeks.

tips and tricks

Enrich the soil with compost before sowing and loosen it well. It is not advisable to apply fertilizer after planting and during the growth of the spinach, as this will significantly increase both the nitrate and oxalic acid levels in the spinach. Both substances are harmful to the human organism in higher concentrations.

Category:

Vegetable garden