by Jennifer Poindexter
I be intimate spinach plant . It ’s easy to develop , healthy for you , and tastes delicious . Not to mention , you may apply it in its sensitive pattern or cook it for a side stunner . This vegetable can be enjoy in the dawning alongside eggs or include in a levelheaded breakfast smoothie . Yet , it can also be used for the other repast of the day , too . So it should n’t come as a surprise that many gardeners choose to raise prickly-seeded spinach .
However , there are also a few common mistakes gardeners make when mature this crop . I ’m going to walk you through these mistakes , and share their solutions , to help you have a positive experience when raising this veggie .
These are the common mistakes the great unwashed make when raising spinach and how you may invalidate them .
1. Plant When It’s Hot
Spinach is a moth-eaten weather crop . It can handle light frost and thrives when the temperatures are 70 - level Fahrenheit and below .
If the weather is too warm , spinach plants will decamp . This is a cognitive process where the plants form seed because they believe their growing cycle is almost done .
How to debar this misapprehension :
you’re able to forefend this error by growing spinach during cooler parts of the yr . I typically raise Spinacia oleracea in the spill , over the winter , and other spring .
If you be in an extremely stale climate , you could kick upstairs spinach inside a insensate - frame or an unheated nursery during the wintertime months . During warmer parts of the yr , the crop should probably be grown indoors .
2. Not Thinning Sprouts
prickly-seeded spinach seeds are midget ! It ’s difficult to space the plants properly when verbatim sowing them . Yet , if every seed germinates , you ca n’t keep them all .
Therefore , you must thin the seedling . This will deter disease and avoid the plant life vie with each other for nutrients .
When you constitute spinach , you may sow up to twenty seed per foot of each course . Once the plants shoot , you should go forth approximately three inches of outer space between them .
As you thin the plants , do n’t perpetrate them out of the bottom . Instead , use scissor hold to shorten them away at soil level . This will avoid damaging the root systems of the remaining plants .
3. Watering Incorrectly
If you ’ve interpret many of my articles , I ’m sure you ’ve find out me recommend for deep tearing with many plants . Spinach is n’t one of these plant life .
They have shallow roots and call for shallow watering . prickly-seeded spinach needs water supply and cooler soil . gardener who miscarry to provide these thing struggle to have a good craw .
You should water spinach almost every twenty-four hour period . This should keep the soil evenly moist . It ’s also overbold to mulch around your spinach plant plants .
Mulch can help retain moisture and keep the grime ice chest . All of which help create ideal uprise conditions for spinach .
4. Planting Too Shallow
Since spinach has shallow roots , can you plant the come too shallow ? In forgetful , you could ! By doing this you fall the germination charge per unit .
When planting prickly-seeded spinach , it ’s of import to plant the seed at the right depth . Keep this selective information in your hip pocket when deciding to raise spinach .
In all fairness , I infer some people not planting prickly-seeded spinach deep enough . There are some seeds which require light to bourgeon .
However , spinach plant is n’t one of them . Instead , these seeded player should be planted roughly a one-half inch deeply in the soil . This should provide enough depth for the semen to germinate properly .
5. Ignoring Damping Off
This is a giant no - no in gardening . If you see damping off occurring in any of your seedling , it ’s too late to do anything about it .
Therefore , it ’s vital to understand how to prevent dampen off and to know when it ’s occurring . regrettably , it ’s a common problem in spinach .
Damping off is a fungal disease which attacks seedlings . Once it has form , it ’s too late . Therefore , you should be mindful of preventing its occurrence .
Begin by ensure your seedlings have passable lighting . This will keep the territory temperature warmer . You should also spritz your seedlings with a water bottleful to keep the land consistently moist .
Yet , you do n’t want your seedlings to become too saturated . you may also lend a layer of cinnamon to the soil as it has born antifungal place . These are a few steps you could take to prevent dampen off .
6. Ignoring Pests and Diseases
If you have a garden , there are pests and disease which are wait to infiltrate it . Turning a blind middle to these payoff will only harm your harvest .
Therefore , it ’s vital that you pay tending to any likely threat . Spinach has a few rough-cut plague and disease you must stay alert to .
The most plebeian cuss to bear upon prickly-seeded spinach are aphid and leaf miner . Both can be handle using an insecticidal soap .
Downy mildew and verticillium wilt are the most common diseases to impact spinach . Downy mold can be treated with a fungicide . Verticillium wilt is best treated by heating the soil .
7. Not Fertilizing
When planting lettuce , you do n’t normally require to fecundate the craw because the soil should be amended prior to planting .
Since lettuce and spinach look similar , many might assume the same rules apply . It does n’t and this is where many gardeners get off course with prickly-seeded spinach .
Spinach requires fertilizer . You should utilize a balanced plant food , and apply it to your crop once or twice a month .
This will provide the nutrients necessary to produce a thriving craw . Without it , your harvest might put up .
8. Missing Out on Opportunities to Grow Spinach
Some gardeners might be experience in grow spinach , but they may not understand there are multiple ways spinach can be produced .
Therefore , they miss out on a variety of opportunities to acquire their own crop . Stay merry to different growing possibleness with this veggie .
This misunderstanding can be stave off by thinking outside of the box . If you commonly garden in a traditional garden seam , realise there are multiple ways this craw can be develop .
prickly-seeded spinach grows well in traditional gardens , raised layer , windowpane corner , and containers . you may grow the crop alfresco , when it ’s cool . Yet , it can be mature indoors when it ’s warm outdoors . This is a veggie you should n’t have to purchase again , if you study the various methods to growing it .
9. Not Growing Enough
If you plant one row of Spinacia oleracea or only develop one container of Spinacia oleracea , you ’ll be disappointed . The world of spinach plant is it does n’t go far .
It requires quite a few dustup , a few contains , or succession planting to keep your supplying of spinach up . Keep this in judgement the next time you grow spinach .
You should forfend this mistake by growing multiple rows , or containers , of spinach at a time . It ’s also wise to chronological succession plant .
This will see to it you have enough spinach for its many uses . Keep in mind , when you cook spinach , it droop . Therefore , it requires a larger harvest than you might have originally think .
10. Storing Spinach the Wrong Way
What if you grow plenty of prickly-seeded spinach ? Can you hive away it for long - term use ? you’re able to ! However , you must be aware there are only a few ways to save prickly-seeded spinach for later use .
Be sure to stack away it properly , so you may use your abundant harvesting as postulate . If you do n’t wish spinach being stored for long - terminal figure employment , you ’ll necessitate to set your grow schedule .
Spinach is commonly best frozen when saving for long - terminal figure use . you could cook it once it has been freeze . It ’s dandy for a side dish or for use in a smoothie .
If you prefer fresh Spinacia oleracea , you ’ll need to correct your chronological succession planting schedule and also your grow methods to ensure you may keep the industrial plant going throughout the year .
These are the ten common mistake gardener make when growing Spinacia oleracea . Be cognizant of these problem and also take eminence of their solutions .
This should allow you to ready the issues in grammatical case you come across them in your horticulture journeying . undecomposed luck as you begin producing fresh Spinacia oleracea around your family !
More About Growing Spinach
https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-spinach-and-swiss-chard
cluck to admittance FSA-6077.pdf
