Features of growing spinach from seeds: soil preparation, planting and care of herbs. Spinach seed cultivation How to plant spinach in the country

Spinach is a vegetable crop that contains a lot of useful vitamins in the leaves, which are indispensable for the work of the human body. Therefore, gardeners who decide to switch to a healthy diet, sooner or later ask themselves the question of how to plant a plant. In order for the spinach planting to be successful, and the bed will soon be covered with juicy sockets, you need to know everything about the specifics of growing vegetables in the garden.

Features of growing spinach

It is better to plant a plant in early spring or in the fall, since at this time the temperature is kept within + 20- + 25 C. Spinach is sown and closer to summer, however, in order to grow bushes quickly, you have to carefully take care of the plantings: often water and shade from burning the sun. If you do not provide greenery with comfortable conditions, the plant will begin to stem. In the case when the desire to constantly have fresh greens on the table overcomes difficulties, spinach is planted every 15-20 days.

Note! Unlike most garden crops, spinach cannot be fertilized with fresh organics during its growth. Such top dressing worsens the taste of greenery and at a high dosage can burn the roots of the bush.

When to plant spinach in open ground: planting dates

Since spinach is a cold-resistant plant, spring planting in open ground is done immediately after the ground thaws. As for temperature, spinach sowing begins when it gets warmer on the street up to + 4-5 C. Depending on the climatic conditions of the region, as a rule, the crop is sown in the calendar period from March to June.

To harvest useful leaves in the fall, the seeds are sown in mid-August.

In the fall, under winter, spinach is planted on a site in September and October. The plant will produce small leaves, overwinter safely, and in the spring, 2 weeks after the snow melts, the leaves are ready for use.

According to the lunar calendar in 2018, favorable days for landing spinach in open ground are:

in March - from 8 to 11, 20 and 24 numbers;
in April - from 7 to 11, 22, 23, 25, 26;
in May - from 8 to 11, from 20 to 25;
in June - from 5 to 9, from 19 to 25.

Adverse:

in March - from 1st to 3rd, 16th and 30th;
in April - from the 15th to the 17th, the 29th and the 30th;
in May - from 14 to 16, from 28 to 30;
in June - from 12 to 14, from 28 to 30.

How to plant spinach in open ground: preparation and planting

The desire to acquire spinach in the garden may simply disappear after several unsuccessful plantings. To avoid this, you need to know all the requirements for growing this vegetable crop.

How to choose a landing place

Planting spinach is best in lighted areas where water does not stagnate. To harvest as early as possible, the plant is placed on the southern slopes, which are protected from cold winds.

If, in addition to the lowland, there is nowhere to plant bushes, the culture is sown on ridges that enclose with hardwood boards. Due to the fact that the root system of the plant is short, the embankment may be small.

Since spinach is compatible with most garden crops, it is practically not necessary to consider when choosing predecessors and neighbors. The only thing worth paying attention to is how the previous culture was fertilized - the more top dressings were introduced last year, the better for spinach. These rules apply to all cultivated plants except beets, as plants are susceptible to the same diseases and pests.

What soil is needed and how to prepare it

Spinach loves to grow on nutritious loose soils. Thus, the best soils for planting seeds are sandy loamy and loamy soil, the acidity of which is 6.5-7 units. If the environment on the site is acidic, dolomite flour or organic matter is introduced into the soil. It is impossible to lime the soil, because the plant after this grows poorly. To improve the structure of heavy clay soils, rotted manure is introduced first.

In the case when the soil meets the requirements, begin to prepare the site for planting. In autumn, fertilizers with a high content of potassium and phosphorus are introduced into the soil. At will, half the dose of nitrogen is also added, and the rest is planted in the soil in spring. Instead of purchased mixtures, the soil can be filled with compost or rotted manure. Organic consumption per 1 sq.m. beds - 6-7 kg.

If the soil on the site is poor, then immediately before sowing 1 sq.m. areas contribute 5 g of phosphorus, 7-9 g of nitrogen, 10-12 g of potassium.

Important! Spinach leaves have the ability to accumulate nitrates, so you can not add an excessive amount of nitrogen under the culture.

How to prepare seeds

To accelerate the emergence of seedlings, planting material is soaked in warm water. If the seeds of many crops have several hours of soaking, then the seeds of spinach are kept in water for 24-48 hours. This feature is due to the fact that the planting material is covered with a hard shell, through which moisture is difficult to absorb. Germination container is placed in a warm place and water is changed periodically. At the end of the term, the spinach seeds removed from the water are slightly dried and sown in open ground.

Direct landing

The first thing to do before planting spinach seeds in open ground is to loosen the soil with a rake, and then level it. If the landing will be carried out on the ridges, an embankment is created at the selected place and enclosed with improvised materials. On a prepared garden bed, rows of 2 cm long are made with a wooden plank. The optimal distance between rows is 15-20 cm, and between plants - 7-10 cm. Seed consumption for sowing 1 sq.m. area - 4-5 g.

If you plant the bushes too densely, the plants will grow more slowly. In order to be sure that there are enough plants in the garden and that the place will not be empty, you can reduce the step between the bushes in the rows. However, if seed germination is 100%, the plantings will have to be thinned out. The soil in the recess is watered with warm water, the seeds are laid out. Then the crops are gently covered with a rake, while at the same time lightly crushing the soil.

To reduce moisture evaporation and slow down weed growth, the bed is mulched with hay, dry leaves, chopped straw. If the landing is done correctly, and the weather is favorable, the first shoots will appear after 2 weeks.

Video: how to sow spinach - timeline

How to care for spinach after planting

In order for the plants to yield a good harvest, they need to provide comfortable conditions for growth. What does spinach care after planting consist of?

Watering

The soil on which greenery grows must be constantly moist, but in no case swampy. Due to the constant overflow, plants grow poorly and after a while are affected by root rot.

It is especially important to water the spinach in the hot season, as stalking begins due to insufficient moisture. Bushes are watered 2-3 times a week. Water consumption per 1 sq. Km. m beds - 3 l.

Top dressing

Leaves of plants that lack chemical elements gradually turn into a different color or die off.

Fertilizers selected for replenishment of spinach must be applied strictly at the dose recommended by the manufacturer, otherwise excess nutrients will provoke premature shooting.

Important! It is impossible to feed greens during growth with fresh organics, as it distorts the taste of the leaves.

Weeding and cultivation

To grow even the most unpretentious culture, you need to pull out weeds as necessary. As you know, these plants suck out a lot of nutrients from the soil and condense the soil, which adversely affects the state of culture, and, accordingly, productivity. In the case when the distance between seedlings is much less than 7-10 cm, excess bushes are removed. To reduce stress for the surrounding bushes, after thinning, the garden is moderately watered.

The first time the soil is loosened when the seedlings are 2-3 days old. To do this, a rake accurately destroys the formed crust, thereby improving soil aeration. Further cultivation is carried out after each watering or rain.

Shelter in the heat

Since spinach does not tolerate summer heat, in July, when the air temperature often exceeds +26 C, plantings need to be shaded. To cool the soil and bushes from overheating, a small tent is placed over the spinach plantation or the garden is covered with a special shading net.

Important! It is impossible to grow juicy leaves without abundant watering and sheltering. Under the influence of high temperature and lack of water, the leaves become hard and tasteless.

Pests and Spinach Diseases

Delicate leaves like aphids, mining flies and naked slugs. Do not mind eating greens and snails. Spinach growing in a thickened condition suffers from downy mildew. Bushes are infected with spotting and root rot.

Since it is impossible to treat greens with chemical preparations, it is better to try to prevent the appearance of pathogenic microorganisms. To protect plantings from damage, you need to properly care for them: water, loosen, weed. In order to prevent powdery mildew, bushes are planted at a sufficient distance. Also, for planting, it is recommended to choose varieties of spinach with a high immunity to various diseases.

When to harvest and how to store

To spinach leaves were delicate and tasty, they need to be collected on time. If the recommended dates are overdue, the leaves will become stiff and lose their original taste. Harvest spinach from bushes planted in the spring begin after 8-10 weeks after seedling emergence. Spinach planted in the summer is cut 2 weeks later. Regarding the time of day, it is better to cut off the sockets in the morning after they dry out from watering.

You can determine whether spinach is ready for harvesting by the type of bush - you can harvest greens immediately after the formation of 5-6 leaves on the plant, which appear 30-40 days after the appearance of seedlings.

Harvest spinach harvested by cutting individual leaves or a whole rosette. Also, the plant is uprooted. Before folding the plucked plants into containers, the rhizome is washed, being careful not to splatter the leaves. Then the washed part is blotted with a paper towel and laid in a box with the root down.

Important! You can’t remove spinach immediately after watering or rain: wet leaves rot soon after cutting.

For storage, spinach is placed in the upper section of the refrigerator. Since fresh leaves are stored on average 1-2 weeks, they are dried, frozen or canned for the winter.

If you carefully understand the agronomic requirements, planting spinach will not cause difficulties even for an amateur gardener. All that an unpretentious culture needs for normal growth is a sufficient amount of moisture and fertile soil.

Video: all about growing spinach outdoors in the country

Thanks to the young leaves, rich in vitamins and minerals, the popularity of spinach has long and steadily increased worldwide. It is difficult to find an equally useful and unpretentious plant like spinach, cultivation and care in the open ground for which it is possible to shoulder and beginner summer residents.

Spinach belongs to early ripening vegetable crops. From the moment of sowing to the collection of the first batch of leaves, 30–40 days pass. At the same time, the plant tolerates cold well, does not require painstaking care. It is not surprising that during the warm period in most regions of the country you can get not one but several crops. This property of the plant is used both by summer residents and large crop enterprises.

However, when mastering the cultivation of spinach in the open field, you need to know that this is a short-day plant. When the length of daylight exceeds 14 hours, spinach ceases to grow leaves, and forms a peduncle. Such plants are no longer used for food.

In order to indulge yourself and loved ones with healthy and tasty greens for as long as possible, you need to choose the varieties that are most resistant to flowering and plant spinach in the early spring, as well as from the second half of July for an autumn harvest.

Planting and caring for spinach in the open field in spring

You can grow spinach through seedlings obtained at home or by sowing seeds directly into the ground. They use the second method more often, and due to the cold resistance of the plant, the first spinach seeds fall into the soil as soon as it thaws well.

In the middle lane this occurs in mid-April. If spring weather does not indulge in heat, crops can be covered with non-woven material, under which the sprouts can withstand frosts down to –8 ° C.

To facilitate punching and protection against infections, spinach seeds are sown in a warm pink solution of potassium permanganate from 12 to 18 hours before sowing, and then dried until they become loose as before.

Spinach is sown to a depth of 1.5 to 3 cm. So that the seeds after irrigation are not much deeper, after planting, the soil is rolled on the beds. Leave at least 30 cm between the individual rows, and 5-8 cm between the seeds. This will allow the plant to form a lush rosette and simplify the care of spinach when grown in open ground.

If the first sowing is in April, then the last summer is carried out at the end of June. Conveyor plantings with an interval of 3-4 weeks will help to not lack fresh greens. From the last decade of July, crops are resumed and lead until mid-August, and in the southern regions even until mid-September. Smooth lines of greenery on the beds appear 10-14 days after sowing.

Taking advantage of the frost resistance of seeds and the maturity of spinach, it is planted before winter. Seeds are planted in the soil in October, and in spring, immediately after the snow melts in the beds, friendly shoots of this useful and unpretentious plant will appear.

The success of growing spinach largely depends on the right site and the preliminary preparation of the soil. The plant prefers open, well-lit beds with aerated, slightly acidic soil containing many nutrients.

Autumn processing of ridges will help to increase the return on planting in the open field and caring for spinach in the spring:

they are dug deep;
make, if necessary for deoxidation, dolomite flour;
the soil is mixed with fertilizers at the rate of 15 grams of potassium salts and 30 grams of superphosphate per square meter;
when digging, humus or manure is added.

In spring, on poor soils, the beds are additionally fertilized with nitrogen, adding 20 grams of urea per meter. Dense soil is mixed with sand and peat. This will simplify the subsequent maintenance of spinach when grown outdoors.

Outdoor spinach care

Caring for spinach is not too burdensome and consists in regular watering, weeding and loosening of the soil between the rows. While the plants are small, it is important to prevent the formation of a dense crust, which prevents the formation of rosettes and the penetration of moisture.

At the stage of 2-3 leaves, the plants are thinned out. If you carefully remove the seedlings, they can be transplanted, adding to the gaps in other places on the bed.

Spinach watering should be plentiful and frequent. In order not to harm the plantings, sprinklers are used. At the same time, up to 10 liters of water is consumed per meter of area, which allows you to gently and deeply nourish the soil with moisture.

Whatever the spinach variety, when grown outdoors, planting care necessarily includes protecting the plants from the scorching sun. When the air temperature rises above 26 ° C, the beds are hidden under a non-woven material or other shading methods are used. If you neglect this measure, the risk of the appearance of peduncles increases, the leaves lose their juiciness and become rough.

With proper preparation of beds and plenty of food, spinach grows rapidly and after 2-3 weeks gives the first greener leaves to the table. If growth is inhibited, leaf plates are small, the rosette is poorly formed, it is obvious that plants need to be fertilized with nitrogen fertilizer. Granules must be embedded deep into the soil by 2–5 cm, and then the beds are watered.

Unlike vegetables and berry crops, growing greens is a very troublesome and enjoyable task. And if you know how to plant spinach correctly, then its harvest can be harvested almost all year round.

Growing conditions

Spinach is a culture resistant to cold and even recovers from small frosts, so it can be grown not only in summer. Still spinach is quite early ripe greens and appears one of the first on our table already in May, and if it is planted with seedlings, then even earlier. In addition, spinach grows well next to most garden plantings, which means that there is a place for it on any site.

Spinach - a culture resistant to cold and even recovers from small frosts

A small overview of popular varieties:

Virofle - early ripening, from germination to harvest takes up to 20 days. The bushes grow up to 30 cm in diameter, tender, greenish-yellow in color. Disadvantage - quickly expels the arrow.
Godri - the crop can be harvested after 18 days and within a month. Suitable for growing in greenhouses, and for open ground. Outlets about 25 cm.
Fortified - mid-ripening, the ripening period is from 25 to 30 days. A large harvest can be expected with regular watering, flower stela are released late.
Gigantic is an early and very productive variety. Two weeks after emergence, the first greens can be collected and this despite the fact that rosettes of such spinach can grow from 15 to 50 cm. An ideal variety for heat processing and canning.
Matador is perhaps a common variety of spinach, thanks to its early ripening and abundant greasy leafy greens with excellent taste. It is planted both through seedlings and in open ground from spring to late autumn. Blooms late.

Spinach is best sown in sunny sunny areas. Any soil is suitable, only clay and with an increased level of acidity are considered an exception. As for humidity, regular watering is necessary, and the yield of spinach beds often depends on this.

Now, having decided on the basic cultivation conditions, it is worth considering several ways: planting seedlings, sowing in open ground in early spring or before winter.

Video about properties and cultivation

Through seedlings

Early greens will provide you with a seedling method of growing. To do this, in late March or early April, spinach seeds are sown in boxes, plastic or paper cups filled with prepared soil. The seeds are not deeply buried, it is enough to cover them with 1 cm of moist earth and slightly compact it, so that the roots that appear are easier to harden in the ground. After this, it is recommended to cover the containers with a transparent film or a piece of glass and place in a warm place (for example, on a heating battery) so that the greenhouse climate accelerates the germination of seedlings.

Seedlings will provide you early greens

After the first sprouts appear, the shelter is removed, and seedlings are rearranged on the south or southeast window sill, providing maximum illumination. Given the tolerance of spinach to cold, it can be grown on a loggia, balcony or veranda, which is especially convenient if all the windows are already occupied by growing peppers, tomatoes and eggplants. Remember to water the crops regularly.

Seedlings are planted in open ground when the soil warms up a bit and the sun begins to warm. After transplanting and watering, you can put arches on top and cover the bed with non-woven agrofibre, in order to protect the transplanted plants from intense sunlight at first and somehow smooth out the night and day air temperature drops.

Sowing in open ground or in a greenhouse

The best option for getting early herbs is considered to be sowing spinach seeds in greenhouses. The sowing time in this case depends on several indicators, including:

From the climatic features of your region, including the spring weather of the current year.
From the quality and arrangement of the greenhouse. Obviously, in heated greenhouses, with artificial lighting, vegetables can be grown at least year-round. On spring sunny days in glass greenhouses, the air warms up faster and keeps the temperature longer at night. Practically not inferior to them in these indicators and modern designs of polycarbonate. But the budget version of the film shelter will not retain heat well, especially if there is frequent freezing at night. In an effort to slightly improve such designs, some gardeners use the most dense film, and the roof of the greenhouse is covered in two layers, thereby creating an air gap for better heat storage.
From varietal characteristics of seeds.

On spring sunny days in glass greenhouses, the air warms up faster and keeps the temperature longer at night

Usually, work in greenhouses begins if the air in it is warmed up enough during the day. Such conditions are quite suitable for the germination of spinach. In addition, before sowing the hole, it is recommended to generously pour hot water, wait until it is completely absorbed, sow the seeds and cover with a 1.5-2 cm layer of soil. From above, the rows are covered with a piece of agrofibre, which will help maintain heat and the necessary level of humidity. After the appearance of the first shoots, the shelter is removed. Similarly, work is carried out in the open field.

In early spring, in the garden, simultaneously with planting radishes, lettuce and onions on greens, spinach seeds are sown. In this method of cultivation, the main condition for a successful harvest is to ensure moisture. Therefore, even during sowing, grooves or holes are pre-watered, especially if the soil has dried. This will help to quickly soften a sufficiently dense shell of the seed, and subsequently provide the plants with moisture. When the spinach has already risen, it needs frequent watering, and especially on warm and sunny days.

Spinach usually sprouts together and at the same time, therefore, if you want to extend its harvest period, sow it gradually, at intervals of 7-10 days. So you will have young greens for a long time. If necessary, save space on the site, spinach can be sown as a thickener, for example, between beans, tomatoes, dill, radish or carrots. Thus, while the main crops grow, you will already collect spinach.

Video about growing spinach, lettuce and basil

Autumn sowing

Experienced gardeners know how much trouble spring brings, so they try to do some work in the fall. So, many cold-resistant crops can be planted with sub-winter, for example, carrots, garlic, radishes, sorrel and, of course, spinach. The advantages of such plantings are obvious: there is enough time in the fall, there is a lot of free space on the site, and most importantly - the soil is saturated with moisture both during sowing and during the period of spring growth.

Many worry that the sprouted green shoots may die in the winter, but the fears are in vain - as soon as the snow melts and the April sun warms in the spring, the spinach plantings will quickly recover and will please you with the first green from your own garden.

This culture combines the main characteristics for a gardener: a healthy and tasty leafy vegetable, while completely unpretentious in care. Before planting the plant should prepare the soil.

In order to grow this vegetable, it is not necessary to cook and allocate a large space on the site. Plants will have enough and the smallest area, for this purpose, a flowerbed in the garden, which spinach will decorate with its dark green foliage, may well come up.

For the successful cultivation and abundant fruiting of spinach leafy greens, enriched and loose soil is required. And the main condition for favorable cultivation is a high level of air and water permeability of the soil.

Loamy soil is considered to be fertile for planting, while a dense mixture with earthen crust is absolutely unsuitable for growing spinach crops. The acidity of the earth is one of the important factors affecting the volume of the vegetable crop.

The best indicator is the neutral acidity level of the soil mixture. In the spring, before planting, there is a cultivation of the site for sowing culture.

If we talk about the history of the site where it is planned to plant leafy greens, the following are considered favorable predecessors: cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, asparagus, beans, lentils. For planting a leafy vegetable, it is necessary to allocate a site with abundant access to sunlight.

From the video you will learn how to sow spinach.

Since spinach matures quickly, the fertilizers to be used for feeding must be effective and act quickly. For these purposes, in early March, urea in granules should be scattered over the site selected for planting the crop.

The next step in fertilizing the earth will be to add humus to the area where seeds are planned to be planted.

There is also a method of autumn preparation of the site for growing spinach in the open ground, which is used by many gardeners. To do this, in autumn, potash and phosphorus fertilizers are distributed over the surface of the plot, together with humus or rotted manure, for each square meter of the future plot for sowing. This enrichment of the earth is carried out with the simultaneous digging of the soil.

If the leafy vegetable will be planted in an area that does not contain black soil. Before sowing, the following mineral fertilizers should be applied: 15 g of potassium, 7 g of phosphorus, 10 g of nitrogen. The dosage of the components is calculated per 1 m2. Considering that spinach leaves tend to accumulate nitrates, it is not worth using nitrogen-containing fertilizers in spring.

How to grow spinach in the garden? Most often it is grown from seeds. Before planting spinach, its seeds are prepared for planting. And you need to do this correctly, otherwise you can never wait for the long-awaited shoots.

The seeds are soaked for several days in warm water, after which they are blotted, dried and sown on the site. Culture is sown either in beds or in rows. The first option is optimal for landing on a site with heavy, dense soil, and the second - for a more airy and favorable.

Spinach planting material (seeds) is deepened by 2.5-3.5 cm deep into the soil, leaving row spacing at the level of 30 cm.

Since spinach is a cold-resistant crop, it is advisable to start the first sowing immediately after the snow has melted, that is, it is already possible even at a temperature of +4 ° С. Under such conditions, the seeds germinate quite successfully.

The method of growing spinach is identical with radish, so very often these plants grow with each other.

With the best possible development of events, the first crop of young leaves will actually be harvested after 30-40 days from the biting of the first sprouts.

Spinach is planted from mid-April to mid-May, but of course, it all depends on the climate and geographic location of the region.

If we take into account the plant's need for moisture, then late planting, in dry soil, will not bring proper results. Heat and arid weather are contraindicated in this culture. For this purpose they use the principle the sooner the better.

When the soil for sowing is ready, in order to obtain a constant crop, the planting is carried out at the end of August. In this case, you can enjoy the first leaves in the spring.

In a planted plant before the onset of the first frosts, as a rule, in speed, the first shoots will hatch. Then the plant winteres safely, and when spring snow comes down, in two weeks, it will be possible to collect a full-fledged crop from fresh, green, juicy leaves.

September crops will sprout this year and winter without any problems. With the advent of spring, thaw and intensive growth will begin. During the October planting, green petals will ripen in mid-autumn. To ensure a harvest within six months - from spring to autumn, it is necessary to select the optimal varieties and sow seeds from time to time.

In order for the plant to develop correctly, and the vegetation process to take place harmoniously, and nothing hinders it, care should be taken for spinach in the open ground, competently and competently. To care for planted leafy vegetables, you need to start with thinning the rows and beds on which the crop grows.

Thinning occurs by removing excess, weaker seedlings, thus leaving a distance of 8-10 cm in the phase of two true leaves. Seedlings should be tried to thin out as early as possible, since in the thickened rows they can bloom quickly, and all the plant's power will go to the formation of flowers and then seeds.

When the plants begin to come into contact with each other, a second thinning is carried out, leaving a gap of 15 cm. Remote plants can be eaten. Culture during the growing period also needs to be fed with ammonium nitrate, which is produced at the rate of (10-25 g per 1 m2).

The next stage in care is to clean the site of weeds and irrigate the soil. During periods of drought - watering is a must. Also, spinach is extremely susceptible to lack of moisture, being at the stage of sizing seeds and after the leaves have formed. Regular, timely watering prevents the formation of arrows on the shoots.

In order to obtain a large crop of spinach, a pinch is made on the upper leaves of adult plants, which will serve to stimulate the vegetation of new shoots. The soil on the aisles needs periodic loosening. In order to protect leafy vegetables from ailments such as downy mildew, leaf aphids, beet jaundice, you need to understand that wet weather contributes to these lesions.

The leaves of the culture are affected by beet nematode, a common ailment with beets. In order to prevent such an affliction, they carry out anti-aphid control procedures and isolate the disease, beets in this case from the host plants.

Harvesting can begin if the leaves are the right size, that is, when 4-6 leaves are formed on the crop. The first to be removed are young and fragile leaves. Thus, constant harvest stimulates the growth of new shoots.

Summer varieties remove up to half of the leaves, while winter varieties are harvested carefully, as they are very fragile, and they are removed by hand.

For eating, you need large shoots of spinach, on which there are no stems.

You can collect the entire crop at once or partially, picking the leaves as they form, in which case the collection of leaves will last for weeks.

With spinach leaves, you should be extremely careful not to tear, but to break off slightly so as not to tear the plant from the root.

In conditions of densely planted leafy vegetables in the garden, when its outlets are crowded, young seedlings are plucked, thus thinning is carried out. Young plants are quite edible.

The best time for harvesting spinach is considered morning or evening, while ripped leaves during the day can quickly wilt and become lethargic. Harvesting spinach in the rain is not recommended; wet leaves may begin to rot.

If spinach has grown a lot or there is a need to free a site for planting other vegetables, root crops, then it is torn off along with the root, folding it in the container with the roots down.

The root of the plant is washed (water should not get on the leaves), soaked in a napkin.

Spinach is stored in the refrigerator in polyethylene or in a plastic container for no more than a day.

It is not worth wetting and washing the leaves before placing them in the chamber, this reduces the time of their storage.

When transporting the crop over long distances, ice is placed in containers with leaves.

Spinach leaves are best eaten fresh right after harvest.

The plant contains many useful components: fiber, organic acids, a balanced multivitamin complex: vitamins A, C, B, folic acid, a high content of vitamin E, minerals - iron, potassium, magnesium.

The use of leaves has a beneficial effect on the body in order to prevent gastrointestinal diseases, anemia, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. Fiber leaves enhances intestinal motility, improves digestion, etc.

The spinach leaf vegetable, unfortunately, is not kept fresh for long. And in order to use such green shoots that are valuable for the human body in winter, they are dried, canned, frozen.

From the video you will learn how to care for spinach.

Spinach is not as popular among garden plants as, for example, sorrel or radish, but its useful qualities are great, so you should pay attention to those who care about their health.

After all, spinach is a storehouse of vitamins and minerals.

Spinach is rich in potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamins C, B, carotene.
Spinach leaves have spinach-secretin, which favorably affects the functioning of the stomach and pancreas.
Spinach leaves are rich in iron, chlorophyll and folic acid, and therefore have a beneficial effect on the circulatory system.
Spinach has a laxative effect, for which he received the nickname "broom of the stomach."

But there are contraindications. Due to the large amount of oxalic acid, spinach should not be consumed by people with impaired uric acid metabolism, as well as by the elderly.

Spinach is a precocious crop, and already in early spring you can get a good harvest of vitamin greens. But his valuable qualities did not end there.

Under favorable conditions spinach harvest can be harvested several times during the year. But for this you need to know some features of its cultivation and care for him.

Spinach loves fertilizer-rich soil, so in the fall the plot prepared for planting this vegetable is fertilized with manure. This should not be done in the spring, since the taste of spinach from such an additive will deteriorate significantly. Also, spinach responds well to fertilizing the soil with nitrogen.
Spinach is a very moisture-loving plant. With poor watering, spinach leaves will be hard and tasteless.
Spinach, like a mimosa, does not like it when it is often touched. If during growth it is less touched, then the leaves will be much softer and tastier.
In order to harvest during spring, summer and autumn, spinach seeds are sown at intervals of two to three weeks.
But in the summer it is very difficult to get a high-quality crop due to the high temperature and the minimum amount of rain, so at this time spinach is watered especially carefully: at least 20 liters of water per week per 1 m2.
To get the crop in April, use winter spinach, which is planted in August-September. In October, the formed outlets sheltered from the cold, building shelters over them, and they winter safely under the snow. And already in the early spring (in April), when the earth is filled with moisture, they quickly grow back. But this method is suitable only for areas with a mild climate and relatively warm winters.

Spinach is harvested 3-4 weeks after sowing. About half of the leaves can be collected from each outlet.

Large leaves of spinach, which have not yet formed stems, are suitable for food. The spinach harvest begins then when the plant already has 5-6 leaves. You can harvest the whole spinach crop at once or just pick the leaves as they ripen, and then the spinach harvest lasts for several more weeks.

Spinach leaves should not be torn off, but broken off so as not to damage the plant. But if spinach is planted densely, and its rosettes interfere with each other's growth, then young plants are thinned out and used for food.

Harvesting spinach is carried out in the morning or evening hours, as the torn leaves quickly wither during the day. You can’t harvest spinach in the rain, because wet leaves can rot.

If there is a lot of spinach, then it is pulled out together with the roots and stacked in a container with the roots down.

If you need to transport the crop over a long distance, or it does not immediately go to food (processing), then put ice in the boxes with spinach.

Spinach is a herbaceous vegetable plant, popular and loved around the world. The French, for example, consider this culture of ancient origin to be the king of vegetables. How to grow spinach in a good-quality summer house - this question is of interest to many summer residents.

The peculiarity of green culture

Spinach is a basal rosette of glossy leaves. This is a heterogeneous plant. There are male and female representatives of the vegetable. In male specimens, small and small leaflets appear from the sinuses. They are removed during thinning. Large, juicy leaves for cutting give females, they are left on the beds. Female specimens form nut seeds.
The roots of spinach are weak, grow in depth by 20 cm, which complicates the process of cultivation and care.
Another culture is called a long day plant. When the day increases, peduncles appear, the leaves lose their juiciness, which is associated with an increase in the level of oxalic acid.

Qualitative characteristic of vegetable culture

Spinach has excellent advantages for growing in a garden, among which are:

The plant is not afraid of cold weather. Seeds begin to germinate at a temperature of 4 degrees, emerged seedlings are able to withstand short-term spring frosts.
Early maturity and high productivity. The vegetation period of the plant lasts 1 month. You can plant it in a summer cottage during the season several times every 2 weeks. But the best time to harvest is spring. Leaves in spring are more succulent and fleshy.

Varietal variety of culture

Before proceeding with the cultivation of spinach from seeds, you must select the appropriate variety of plants.
When choosing a variety, pay attention to the ripening dates of the culture, which are indicated on the label of the bag with seeds. Having picked up seeds of different types, you will be able to organize conveyor gathering on your site.

All varieties and hybrids are divided into early, medium ripening and late.

Early grades. 15 days after emergence, you can already cut the leaves. If you sow late, then the culture will begin to shoot early. Early maturing include Matador, Gigantic, Round dance.
Please note that each of them has additional qualities:
- Matador is resistant to low temperature and flowering. By the way, this is one of the highest yielding and popular varieties. You can find out more about him on the Internet, as well as order seeds. You will need to enter in the search for “spinach matador seed cultivation”
- Gigantic can be grown both in open ground and in sheltered. Long does not throw out arrows, it is steady against accumulation of nitrates.
- Round dance has a high content of vitamins.
Middle varieties - such as Rembrandt, Emerald F1 - ripen 20 days after emergence.
Late ripening. Ready for cleaning in 25 days. Victoria, Varyag, Rook. They are resistant to shooting, they can be sown in the summer.
For growing at home on the windowsill, take late-ripening varieties, such as Victoria, Virtuoso or hybrids Melody, Prima.

It is worth adding that the constant breeding work on the cultivation of new varieties of spinach low-shoot early, resistant to powdery mildew, giving a large mass of greens, does not stop. New items appear every year.
Undoubtedly, an early ripe variety of strawberry spinach and its cultivation from seeds will cause interest among summer residents. It gives, in addition to succulent leaves, fruits that have a strawberry flavor. The fruits are suitable for both food and processing.
Spinach Strawberry - an annual plant up to 50 cm high. The ovaries of the fruit appear in the sinuses of the plant. On the fourth day after the formation of the ovaries, the fruits ripen and are ready for use. Moreover, the cultivation of strawberry spinach is not particularly difficult.

Choosing a place to land

High-quality cultivation of spinach in the open ground largely depends on the correct choice of place for planting crops. Take into account the recommendations of specialists:

Loamy and loamy soils are best suited. If you have clay, heavy soils, you should think carefully before planting a crop: you will have to spend a lot of time and effort on planting and care, and the result will be unsatisfactory. Soil acidity should be neutral.
Greens grow well in well-lit, open and elevated areas. In regions with too hot summers, you can choose partial shade for planting.
It is advisable to plant the plant in places protected from the cold north or east wind, since the culture does not like drafts.
Consider crop rotation rules when choosing a site: the best predecessors of spinach are potatoes, radishes, legumes, cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes.
You should not plant a culture for more than 3 years in one place.
Flowers will be bad neighbors to the plant, green crops will be good neighbors.

Features of soil preparation for sowing greens

Spinach loves loose and nutritious soils, saturated with organic and mineral fertilizers, moisture- and breathable, well-drained. To start preparing a bed under greens should be in the fall. Follow this sequence:

Dig the intended area.
Add organic matter (up to 8 kilograms per square meter), complex mineral fertilizer or superphosphate according to the instructions.
Add urea until the snow melts.
In early spring, cultivate the land.
Add a bucket of humus per square meter of soil (if it didn’t work out in the fall) and a glass of ash.

Note that nitrates in the leaves of the plant accumulate quickly, therefore, in the spring, nitrogen fertilizers are not recommended and, in general, nitrogen fertilizers should be applied carefully.

Cultivation Methods

You can sow spinach seeds both in open ground and in seedlings in sheltered ground.
The method of growing through seedlings is not very popular. The roots of seedlings of green culture are weak, when transplanted to the garden, they are injured, poorly take root. It is optimally applied to heat-loving varieties of spinach (Matador, New Zealand).

Seed preparation

Spinach seeds have a dense shell. If you plant them dry, then the seedlings will have to wait a long time.
To accelerate the emergence of seedlings, as well as to disinfect the seed, it is necessary to carry out a set of measures:

Go through the material, discard small, dry nuts.
During the day, they should be soaked in water at room temperature, changing it from time to time.
Then, if necessary (if your material, but not purchased in a specialized store), the seeds are disinfected in a 1% potassium permanganate solution.
Dry slightly seed material, prepare for planting.

Some varieties of plants (Victoria, Corenta) have a very poor germination, soaking time for them is extended to two days, and biostimulants are added to the water.

How to plant a crop?

You can sow spinach in the open ground in August, early spring, in April, in winter. At temperatures from 5 degrees, you can start landing. When sowing, follow the instructions:

Make grooves of tape type in 2-5 lines. The distance between the lines is 20 cm, the row spacing is 40-50 cm. The depth of seed placement on loamy soils is 2-2.5 cm, sandy loam is up to 4 cm. Between the seeds in a row of 5-8 cm. Count 3 g per 1 square meter of the site seed.
Squeeze the crops slightly, pour water.
It is advisable to cover the garden bed with a film to protect against possible night frosts and accelerate the emergence of seedlings.
A week and a half after sowing, seedlings will appear.

The specifics of growing greens in a greenhouse and at home

Spinach can also be grown in protected conditions - on the balcony, in the loggia, on the windowsill, in the greenhouse.
Growing spinach in a greenhouse can begin in the fall and continue until the summer, sowing the seeds several times. Pay attention to the details:

In practice, greens are grown as a seal in the rows of vegetable crops (cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers).
In sheltered soil (in the greenhouse), the lines on the beds are made after 10 cm, while the seeds, respectively, are consumed twice as much per square meter - 6 g.

For home planting, you can take a regular flower pot (at least 1 liter of volume) or a plastic container. Be sure to make holes in the bottom to drain excess moisture and breathe roots, put drainage.
Tanks are filled with prepared soil for 10-15 cm.
The composition of the soil mixture:

Humus-2 parts;
Sod land - 2 parts;
River clean and sifted sand - 1 part.

Another soil option is possible:

Biohumus - 1 part;
Coconut fiber - 2 parts.

Sowing is carried out starting from the third decade of January (due to lighting).
After sowing, after a month you will be able to harvest the first crop.
Growing and caring for spinach in the greenhouse and at home are the same as in the open field.
It is important to create an appropriate temperature of 15-18 degrees and adequate lighting. The quality of planted spinach deteriorates at a temperature above 20 degrees: shooting, flowering begins, the leaves become coarse.

Green Culture Technology

Seedling care consists of watering, mulching, weeding, loosening, thinning, and pest protection.

Watering plants like. Only with good watering will you get fleshy, large leaves. In the absence of rain, it is necessary to water, spending a bucket of water per square meter.
In dry, hot weather, it is recommended to water up to 3 times a week.
Growing and caring for spinach in the open ground or in the greenhouse does not allow overmoistening: the crop may be affected by root rot.
Mulching is done with grass, straw to preserve moisture in the soil.
Weeding is carried out for the first time after the growth of the first true leaf. The beds should be freed from weeds regularly, not only to improve the life of the plant, but also to protect them from caterpillars and aphids.
Loosening is performed shallow, to eliminate the crust and oxygen access to the roots.
Thinning is carried out simultaneously with the first weeding - in the phase of the appearance of the first sheet. A distance of 10 cm is left between the individual shoots. With a denser planting, there is a danger of the development of root rot or powdery mildew.
Fight against disease. The most common green disease is root rot. If detected, the diseased plant should be pulled out with the root, and the planting treated with 1% Bordeaux mixture. Crops are treated from pests by infusion of tobacco dust or ready-made biological products.

Harvesting a vegetable plant

It is recommended to collect spinach in the morning, before cooking. Large leaves are collected from young plants that lack peduncles. Pay attention to the specifics of the collection:

Leaves break off one at a time.
Rosettes are cut under the first leaf so that less dirt gets on the greens, and so that the planted plant can continue to grow further.
Cutting is done when the leaves are 18 cm long.
The number of leaves on a ripened and ready to cut plant should be at least 6.
Harvesting in the garden should be done regularly, as spinach quickly ripens.
When the peduncles begin to appear, the plant is removed from the garden.
Plant seeds ripen after 3 months. In the ripening phase, it is necessary to cut off the brown inflorescences, put in a shaded place for ripening.
Germination of seeds that are properly stored in a dry and cool place lasts 4 years.

For information, seeds are harvested only if one variety grows on the site, since spinach is a wind-pollinated crop. It is enough to leave 2 female plants on the beds with a distance of 20 cm between them to get a good seed crop.
A low-calorie, vitamin-rich product like spinach is ideal for dieting. The use of spinach improves immunity, relieves fatigue, it is recommended for diabetes, childhood rickets (high levels of vitamin D).

Today, in the era of “chemical” food products that we consume daily, the question of cleansing our body of all elements harmful to health is very acute. Especially the gastrointestinal tract needs it. Among the variety of modern cleansing agents, natural remedies are leading. One of them is considered spinach, which is also called the "stomach broom."

Previously, sorrel was an alternative to this herb. Spinach canned and stored frozen. Only young foliage is fresh, boiled and stewed. The content of trace elements in this herbaceous plant is so great that it almost satisfies the daily requirement of the body for iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese and phosphorus.

The high content of dietary fiber and folic acid helps spinach to act as a “brush” in the gastrointestinal tract. A successful combination of vitamins and minerals allows spinach to significantly accelerate the carbohydrate metabolism in the human body and stimulate the synthesis of necessary hormones. Today, most phytotherapists recommend spinach as a medicine for anemia, gum disease, and nervous disorders.

There are many arguments for growing spinach: early ripening, unpretentiousness, frost resistance and beauty of the plant.

Spinach on the windowsill

For those who do not have their own dachas, we will tell you how to grow spinach on the windowsill. This is a great way to have fresh herbs all year round. For this purpose, breeders bred special spinach varieties: Victoria, Godri, Gigantic, Melody, and Tarantella. Of course, in winter the plant will need additional illumination.

Sowing Spinach Seeds

Spinach is an unpretentious crop, but home conditions are not ideal for it, so in the first place you should carefully prepare the ground for the plant. The mixture should consist of garden soil, sand, peat and humus in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1. To prevent diseases, it is necessary to neutralize the ready-made earth mixture - put it in the oven for 5 minutes, heated to 100 C. Suitable for spinach and a special earth mixture intended for plants of the genus Amaranthaceae, in this case there is no need for neutralization - this is done in factory conditions.

Growing spinach on the windowsill suggests that you will plant the seeds in January. Spinach seeds are covered with a woody pericarp, so before sowing they must be soaked in melt water for a day. After that, they are sown, planted to a depth of 2 - 3 cm. Spinach seeds are quite large, which allows you to evenly distribute them in containers. Then the mixture is watered abundantly and covered with glass or film to create a greenhouse effect. In this case, the earth does not dry out and allows the sprouts to germinate freely.

Caring for spinach on the windowsill

The first shoots will appear no earlier than after 1.5 weeks, at this moment you can remove the covering material. Spinach is a moisture-loving plant, and even more so young shoots are critical of water. In conditions of indoor cultivation, it is necessary to create a spinach environment that is as close as possible to natural, which means it is necessary to artificially increase humidity. This can be done by daily spraying the plants with water. It is noticed that plants raised above the windowsill (suspended in a pot) grow better, as they are located at a distance from heating radiators that dry the air.

Of course, the plant needs to be fed, but it should be remembered that spinach has the unique ability to accumulate nitrates in leaves as much as possible, therefore, only organic matter can be used as fertilizer - slurry, bird droppings or modern liquid organic fertilizers.

Loosening the earthen coma is also an important factor in the care of spinach. Thanks to the oxygen entering the root system, spinach produces the maximum amount of vitamins in the leaves.

Harvesting Room Spinach

Already 8 weeks after the emergence of seedlings of spinach, you can enjoy the delicate taste of its leaves. In order for the young plant to calmly tolerate leaf cutting and continue its growth, it is necessary to remove no more than 50% of the green mass. The next time the crop can be harvested after 2 months, when the plant is already strong and ready to give already 70% of the foliage.

Indoor spinach can please its owners with healthy and tasty greens for two years, but for this it is necessary to cut off all the arrows.

How to grow spinach in the garden? As it turned out, the “overseas” plant withstands very low temperatures very well, and in agricultural technology it is no more difficult than a weed. A rich spinach crop is guaranteed if the plant grows on well-drained, fertile soil with pH values \u200b\u200bof 6.6 - 7.0. Legume precursors include legumes, potatoes, and cabbage. It is better if the place for spinach is prepared in advance - it is dug up with the introduction of organic fertilizers: humus or compost.

Seeding time

Spinach has a short growing season, so amateur gardeners prefer to cultivate it as an annual crop.

In order to get an early spinach crop, you need to sow the seeds at the end of August. After 2 weeks, the first shoots will appear, which will have time to grow and get stronger before the onset of frost. The plant leaves in winter with an already formed rosette, and in early spring, at a temperature of 14 - 18 C, it very quickly builds up green mass. The first crop can be obtained already in mid-April. Spring air is humid enough for the plant to form a second crop - the leaves will grow by the end of May. After this, the plant should be removed.

The second time they sow seeds in late March - early April. In this case, the harvest of healthy greens will be ready in 48 - 55 days, by early June. After collecting such a crop, the plant should be removed.

The next sowing should be done only if you are sure that you can provide spinach with sufficient watering, since the plant will begin to form foliage already in the dry period and will urgently need moisture. This time, the seeds are sown in mid-May - early June. In this case, the crop must be harvested a little earlier - after 38 - 40 days. Delayed harvesting can lead to stiffening of foliage in dry summer air.

You can sow spinach again in early July. If the summer is rainy, then you will easily get a full crop by the end of August, if dry, sunny weather sets in, then the plants will shoot - there will be no greenery.

Spinach can be grown in open ground, bypassing the seedling stage. To get early seedlings, it is necessary to soak the seeds for a day to soften the woody pericarp. Rather large seeds are sown in a row-wise way - the distance between rows is not less than 25 cm, the distance between plants - 15 cm. This distance between plants is necessary, because spinach is a very delicate crop, soft and juicy greens grow only if the plants do not touch each other with wind gusts friend. Otherwise, the foliage will be stiff. Close up spinach seeds to a depth of 2 - 3 cm.

Spinach Care

If the soil for sowing spinach is prepared in advance, then the plants need weeding, loosening the soil and systematic watering. If the soil is not fertilized, then the plants in the phase of 3, and then 6 leaves need to be fed with organic fertilizers: slurry, bird droppings.

Technical ripeness of spinach greens occurs on 32 - 37 days from seedlings. On farm fields, spinach is harvested once - cut the entire leaf outlet under the root. Therefore, in most cases, supermarkets do not offer us fresh spinach, which has lost most of its vitamins and minerals. In your own personal plot, this problem can be solved by collecting daily 4 extreme leaves from the plant. Such a harvest can last a week.

– garden culture, containing many easily digestible vitamins, organic and fatty acids, micro and macro elements necessary for a healthy diet. This greens is useful and desirable on every table. Regular consumption of spinach is an excellent prevention of diseases of the digestive, nervous, cardiac systems, metabolic disorders, and it boosts the immune system.

Did you know? Spinach leaves contain vitamins K, E, PP, C, P, A, B2, B6, manganese, silicon, iron, cobalt, waist, boron, chromium, iodine, calcium, rubidium, zinc, vanadium. As well as serotonin, phytosterols, polysaccharides, omega-3-polyunsaturated fatty, ascorbic and oxalic acids.

When to sow spinach

Spinach cultivation in the open field can begin in early or mid-April, focusing on the steady weather. Spinach - cold resistant, air temperature + 4-5 ° С is quite suitable for sowing, and its seedlings can withstand frosts up to –5-6 ° С.

How to get an early spinach crop

Spring planting of spinach gives a later harvest - approximately in the middle of June, not earlier. Is it possible and when to plant spinach in open ground for earlier harvesting? Can. Do it in regions with mild winters or sow winter varieties in late August - early September.

When planting spinach in the winter, they get their first greens in April. With this method, during the time from sowing to the first seedlings - for 14-16 days, spinach takes root and winters well. And with warming in March, it is growing rapidly.

Important! After harvesting an early crop, after 45-50 days, you can pick up greens from the bushes a second time, and the plants are completely removed.

Spinach Soil Requirements

Neutral, loamy, and sandy, organic rich soils are best suited for spinach cultivation. In addition, the soil for spinach should not be excessively acidic - pH no higher than 7.

Good precursors for this plant would be potatoes, cucumbers, legumes, white cabbage, tomatoes.

Did you know? Food processing of spinach - cooking, frying, stewing, canning, freezing - slightly change its composition, it retains its useful biologically active elements.

Land preparation for planting

Prepare the soil for spinach in the fall - make feeding and dig up. Digging depth - 25 cm. Spinach is recommended to be fertilized with potassium-phosphorus preparations, humus, and compost. The approximate number of components per 1 square. m - 5 g of phosphorus, 8 g of nitrogen, 10 g of potassium, 5.5-6 kg of humus.

Important! Nitrogen is used as fertilizer only in autumn, in spring - no. An excess of it quickly accumulates in spinach, which is harmful to human health.

Sowing spinach seeds in open ground

Growing spinach seeds directly into the ground without sprouting seedlings is used quite often. To do this, before sowing, the seeds are soaked for 20-24 hours. When soaking, the reference is the pericarp (shell) of the seed: if it softens from water, then the seeds are ready for planting.

Before sowing, the seeds are slightly dried - spread on a dry towel so that excess moisture is absorbed and seeds do not clump. Sow seeds in moist soil, manganese (potassium permanganate) can be added to water for irrigation, so that a weak disinfectant solution is obtained. The depth of embedding is 2-2.5 cm, the distance between the beds, if there are several parallel beds, is 20-25 cm.

Important! Spinach is contraindicated in diseases of the duodenum, kidneys, liver, gall bladder. With caution, it is introduced into baby food. This is due to the increased content of oxalic acid in the vegetable.

Spinach Crop Care

Spinach is photophilous, but also grows well in partial shade, that is, it can be planted as a separate section from other crops, or by using it as a separator between different garden plants. At the same time, spinach is unpretentious, and its maintenance consists in timely watering, loosening the soil, thinning, weeding of weeds.

Water it sparingly until sprouts germinate - from a watering can with a sprayer, when it takes root - watering is sufficient, but moderate. Thin out seedlings when a second leaf appears, leaving a distance between them of 15-20 cm. Loosening is done each time as the soil dries. How to water spinach in a dry summer?

Water more often and more abundantly, but make sure that the water does not stagnate and there is good aeration. Excess moisture will lead to powdery mildew and other spinach diseases.During prolonged rainy weather, it is better to stretch the film on pegs above the beds to avoid excessive dampness. As a rule, the soil under the spinach is fertilized before planting - in the fall and, if necessary, in the spring before sowing, therefore, in the growing phase, spinach is not fertilized.

Harvest

Harvesting spinach can begin when the plant develops six leaves, basically this is done with the development of 8-10 leaves. Cut the stem under the first leaf. Spring planting spinach roots are being dug up. Instead of cutting, you can immediately pull out the whole plant. It is impossible to delay the collection of greens - the leaves outgrow, become coarse, lose their taste. Do not harvest after watering or rain. The best time to harvest is early morning, then the leaves will be fresh and not crushed.