Spinach – this dark green leafy vegetable is not only tasty and rich in nutrients. It is also easy to cultivate in your own garden. But even when growing the most straightforward crops, difficulties can arise if care is not taken
How can you successfully grow spinach in your own garden?
Spinach can be sown twice a year, between February and May and August and September. Make sure you have a sunny to partially shaded location, humus-rich and nutrient-rich soil, a pH value of 6.5 to 7.5 and sufficient moisture. The harvest takes place after 6 to 8 weeks.
Laying the foundation for life
Spinach can be sown twice a year. Even though 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. If you like your home-grown spinach plants, you can sow them a second time between August and September. It is also possible to grow spinach under glass at home.
The spinach seeds usually remain viable for three to four years. They are dark germinators and should therefore be planted between 1 and 3 cm deep in the soil. It is important to maintain a distance of at least 15 cm from row to row. A distance of 5 cm between the individual spinach plants is sufficient. The soil is then tamped down or trampled down so that the germs can take root easily.
After watering vigorously, the soil should be kept moist in the coming period. Within 7 to 14 days, the seeds begin to germinate and a taproot slowly forms.
A promising basis: plenty of sun and plenty of water
So that the spinach can quickly develop into a he althy young plant, its location requirements should be taken into account. These include the following:
- a sunny to semi-shady location
- a humus and nutrient-rich soil with a pH value 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 have grown, their first leaves appear and they are regularly supplied with water, there is hardly any obstacle standing in the way of harvest success after 6 to 8 weeks.
Tips & Tricks
Enrich the soil with compost before sowing and loosen it well. It is not advisable to add fertilizer after planting and while the spinach is growing, as this will significantly increase both the nitrate and oxalic acid content in the spinach. Both substances are harmful to the human organism in higher concentrations.
