How to plant and grow Spinach

The spring freshness of homegrown spinach is tangible—no other vegetable feels so fresh. No other chemically grown vegetable contains as much pesticide residues as strawberries in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's report on the effects of pesticide residues on the diet. 

I like it raw or cooked in salads, although the latter requires a lot of leaves. Fresh spinach and fresh poached eggs are an unbeatable combination. It's rich in iron, has more protein than any other leafy vegetable, and is high in vitamin A. Raw spinach contains twice as many carotenoids as raw carrots - although its oxalic acid blocks calcium absorption when cooked, eat spinach if you want, so if it's just for your health, it's best to eat it raw. Oxalic acid is a toxin, and the lethal dose of spring vegetable 307 is about 1500 mg, so theoretically a large amount of spinach with beets or beetroot and then an equally large dose of rhubarb could kill you. But you have to be very, very firm... Anyway, 'Monnopa' and 'Viroflay' have lower oxalic acid content than most and are therefore best for feeding very young children.

As a cool-season crop, spinach can be sown very quickly with warmer temperatures and more light. So it was one of the first seeds planted in the spring, so it was here in mid-March, and then it grew well again in late summer and early fall, so I planted it again in late August. It will overwinter well if protected.

Spinach puree is more cold hardy and preserves better than spinach, and while they're not as good as spinach, they're the perfect winter substitute and are packed with nutrients.

You'll see "long-day" strains bred to resist the plant's urge to run to seed as the day length increases, making them ideal for later seeding. I have grown and transplanted spinach in plugs, but germination can be very poor in a warm greenhouse. It is best to sow seeds on site and thin them to 15 cm (6 inches) apart.

The best spinach is young, so I always harvest the whole plant and cut it in the ground with a knife. It will then grow new leaves to harvest again, although as the days and nights warm, all its instinct is to grow bushy pedicels rather than new leaves. It's also important to plant the most seasonal strain so you have a chance to harvest before she germinates. Whatever the strain, it does need rich soil and plenty of water. As a member of the beet family, it grows naturally with Swiss chard and beetroot, but can be used anywhere in a crop rotation.

Family	Amaranthaceae
Growing zones	N/A
Growing season(s)	cool weather: spring, fall, winter
Spacing	4 to 6 inches
Start indoors or direct sow	either
Indoor sowing date	4 weeks before transplant (10 weeks before average last frost in spring or 4 to 8 weeks before last frost in fall)
Earliest outdoor planting	6 weeks before average last frost
Soil temperature	45° to 75°
Fall planting	6 weeks before average first frost (direct sow), 0 to 6 weeks before average first frost (transplant)
Sun needs	4+ hours
Water needs	moderate
Harvest category	weather dependent
Keep in Mind Tip	Because spinach loves the cooler weather, it is an excellent succession plant. One garden idea is to interplant young peppers with spinach one month after the last-frost date. After the spinach bolts, pull it out to give the peppers room to expand in the heat. In the fall, plant spinach seeds beneath the shade of peppers for a second planting.

Snapshot	One of the most nutritious greens you can eat, spinach can be one of the most dependable, hardy greens to grow. It’s a bit more difficult to germinate than other greens, but when established, it’s a pretty hands- off crop.
Starting	Most gardeners start growing spinach in the spring, and the earlier the better. But an even better time of year to start growing it is in the fall and winter, since it loves cold weather. Direct sow spinach seeds ¼ inch deep in a shallow furrow, cover with soil, and water well. If you start the seeds indoors, choose a deep container, because spinach develops a taproot, and take special care when transplanting.
Growing	Mulch spinach plants well to regulate soil temperature in both the summer and the winter. In the winter, the plants enjoy the full sun of the shorter days, but in the spring and summer, they benefit from shade cast by larger plants. In the winter, as the length of the day dips below 10 hours, spinach will stop growing. But you can still harvest up to one-third of the leaves. A few weeks later, if new leaves have formed, you can harvest another one-third. When days begin to lengthen in the spring, spinach will resume its growth in all but the coldest regions.
Harvesting and Storing	Harvest the outer leaves first, either as small leaves for baby spinach or larger leaves for spinach greens. Store the leaves in the refrigerator promptly after harvest.
Common Problem	As days lengthen and heat sets in, spinach will bolt and send up a flower stalk. When this happens, check the taste of the leaves; often they become bitter. If you have the space, leave bolted plants to flower and attract beneficial insects.