Grow Spinach: Get Rich Quick
Early spring in most temperate regions is the time for sowing cool weather crops, whether you begin by first sowing indoors until soil temperatures are consistently 50 degrees or above, or you sow directly outdoors using cloches, cold frames or fleece covers. Among the candidates for cool weather crops, are power greens. Among the list of power greens is the mighty spinach. This common power green is a member of the beet family (Amaranthaceae), and originated in ancient Persia.
Spinach is rich in antioxidants, fiber, folic acid, iron, calcium and numerous vitamins (A, C, K). Unless you have to limit your Vitamin K intake due to use of anticoagulants (blood thinners) or have increased risk of kidney stones, adding spinach to your diet can promote health in multiple systems of the body; integumentary, circulatory, skeletal, and digestive system. It also plays a role in eye health.
While there is obviously great value given its nutritional content, what makes it a no-brainer for including spinach in your container vegetable garden, is how quick and easy it is to grow and prepare. It can easily be grown in planters as small as 10-inch pots, can be eaten raw, or sauteed or blanched (for better calcium and iron absorption) in a matter of minutes. You can pick leaves from the plants as it grows or if you are patient, wait, since your spinach plant will be ready to harvest within 45 days! There aren’t many crops that can be harvested after such a short period of time.
When to Start
First, sow indoors if temperatures have not yet consistently reached ~50 degrees in the spring, and if temperatures have not dropped to ~70 when preparing for fall crops. Spinach grows best at temperatures between 60 and 65 degrees. The closer temperatures get to 80 degrees or sudden extreme jumps in temperatures can cause bolting AKA going to seed. Once spinach bolts, producing flowers and seed, leaf growth slows and eventually stops. After bolting, pick the remaining deep green leaves and either extract the plant, or leave it for later seed collection. There are some varieties that are cultivated for greater heat tolerance (e.g. New Zealand spinach), and you may want to consider these if planning to grow spinach late into summer.
Pest Control
Spinach can be vulnerable to aphids, leafminers, and caterpillars such as armyworms, cutworms, and cabbage loopers. Companion planting to attract predators and/or deter pests, and use of plant covers can aid in prevention. Keeping neem oil, mild soap and Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) on hand for natural pesticide sprays are helpful in treating affected plants. Neem oil is often effective in killing and/or sterilizing soft-bodied insects such as aphids, mites, and whiteflies, and many beetles, while BT is an effective caterpillar solution.
Well, this should be what you need to take advantage of the only get rich quick planting that you are likely to see in the garden…that is, if spinach is your thing. If you do so, I am sure that you’ll be strong to the finish, cuz….Well, you know the rest of the song.
Enjoy the journey!
Shop Spinach
Visit your local nursery or peruse some of the spinach options via the links below, and elsewhere online.