Spinach is a powerhouse of nutrition and flavor , especially when you produce it at home by originate your own spinach seedling from seed . grow spinachis easy , as long as you set it at the right meter and offer it with sufficient water and fertilizer . Because spinach matures quickly , plant sequent crops a few workweek apart is the best elbow room of have fresh spinach all season long .
Starting and Caring for Spinach Seedlings
Spinach loves the nerveless temperature of spring and declination , and it can even be grow in wintertime down to temperature as low-pitched as 20ºF ( -6.6ºC ) once the plant are past the seedling stage . you could startspinach seedsin flats indoors or in a nursery , or , you could sow spinach semen direct into prepared garden soil .
Spinach seeds germinate in a temperature range between 40º to 75ºF ( 4.4º to 23.9ºC ) , and the higher the temperature , the faster the ejaculate sprout . go your spinach crop indoors about four week before the last frost date for your surface area when originate spinach seedlings for transplanting in the spring .
When starting spinach indoors , imbed the seeds into a tray or pile at least 4 inches ( 10 atomic number 96 ) cryptical , because spinach seedlings develop a bass taproot and you desire to give the roots plenty of room to grow .
When sow seeds in a tray or at once into the garden , plant the seedsabout ½ inch deep ( 1.3 curium ) deep and 3 to 6 column inch ( 7.6 to 15 cm ) apart , and then press the soil hard over the seed and water them right by . Keep the land unendingly moist and germination will usually occur in 5 to 10 days .
Transplanting Spinach Seedlings
Spinach is a operose - eater , which means it likes an peculiarly nitrogen - rich soil . Enrich the territory by adding :
immix the fertilizer into the soil before planting , and then plant your seed or transplant your prickly-seeded spinach seedling into the amend grime .
Once the seedlings have burgeon forth and are about 3 to 4 inches ( 7 to 10 cm ) tall , fertilize them once a workweek with dilute Pisces photographic emulsion or another nitrogen fertilizer , and riotous , dark green parting will develop and quickly grow .
Succession Planting for a Longer Harvest
Spinach plants suppurate in as petty as 35 days after sprouting , and most potpourri will bolt and raise a efflorescence stalk after about 60 days of growing , make the leave bitter and tough . If you want a continuous crop of spinach , start a fresh batch of seedling every two or three weeks until temperature get too red-hot , which is a daytime gamey of about 75ºF ( 24ºC ) .
