By using these simple and easy steps and it will be very helpful to you when growing spinach at home. The entire process of growing spinach takes around 60 days of how to grow spinach at home.
We can have any food at our doorstep by simply ordering it from any mobile app however, the vegetables which we grow at our home are different. As they are fresh, and we prepare them with love is truly amazing.
Many people can relate to the cartoon Popeye. In that cartoon whenever he wants power he would simply eat spinach, and he would get all the power. This is very true in reality that you will get a lot of power after eating spinach from its nutrients. As spinach is very rich in calcium, iron, vitamin A, b, and c. And that is why spinach is very useful in early days for the kids as a source for getting most of their nutrients. And here in this article we will let you know how to grow spinach at home.
How to grow spinach at home, basic requirements
- Spinach sowing season- you can grow spinach all year round.
- The soil type needed- soil which is well drained and also it should be rich in organic matter such as compost manure or compost with pH of 6.5 to 7
- Temperature required for germination 10 degree Celsius to 22 degree Celsius Sunlight requirements- full sun to partial shade.
- Water requirements- as spinach love cold weather we do not need much watering.
- Diseases and pests- diseases like damping-off, root rot, stemphylium leaf spot, anthracnose, cladosporium leaf and pests and bugs like aphids, leaf minerscutworms, flea beetles, snails or slugs.
- Types of spinach-New Zealand, Malabar spinach, Catalina, savoy spinach, bloomsdale, tyee, regiment, Indian summer.
- Companion plants for spinach- Brussels sprouts, cabbage, asparagus, eggplant, onions, peppers, tomatoes, strawberries.
How to grow spinach at home
The steps given below for How to grow spinach at home will also work if you are growing spinach in containers or in your balcony.
- Collect spinach seeds and tools required for gardening in not start it. Make sure about the space where you are planting the seeds as it should be mix of both sunlight and shade. Also, we need the soil to be well drained and the pH level should be 6.5 to 7. You can also add extra nutrients for making the soil more rich with some compost or manure.
- We need to prepare the soil for one week before planting the seeds with good aged manure.
- The seeds should be half inch deep within the soil with 3 – 4 inch space between them. By following 3 to 4 inch space allowed the spinach roots to grow properly.
- Make sure the soil is well moist as this will accelerate the germination process.
- And when the seedlings reach the height of 2 inches we should thin the plant.
- Check the amount of water your putting in the plant. This is because we need to keep the soil moist. You should avoid over watering also, we need to maintain the balance. The best time to water the plant is in the morning this will let the plant moist all day.
- Keep checking the growth of plants. Also check for pest and diseases which can affect the spinach plant.
- Bolting is also very big and common problem with spinach plants. When we plant the spinach seed, it will bolt. Reason for bolting is too little water or too much sun and because of heat in the final stages of the growing process. You can pull off the plants immediately or else the leaves may become inedible or very bitter. If we leave the plant as it is it will grow flower this will produce seeds and you can use those seed is for the next season for growing spinach.
- If you maintain the spinach plant properly and give them good care the spinach should be ready and you can harvest them within 60 days.
While growing spinach at home, we need to take care it just like we care of our other things. You can’t just plant your seeds and let them dry. You need to check your plan at least once a day.
Another very important process for growing any plant is fertilization. If you follow this simple step of fertilization you will have a very good amount of spinach with very good quality. Simple example of fertilizers is scraps from your household.
To avoid pest and bugs like flea beetles, cutworms, snails or slugs, leaf miners and aphids. There are many natural solution for this, for example Neem oil. Another method is to simply cut off the affected leaves so that it doesn’t get spread to the different parts and leaves of the plant.
How to harvest Spinach
Almost all varieties of spinach will be ready within 45 to 50 days but in some cases its 60 days. Don’t get demotivated, you need to have some patience and you will get good results.
- If the spinach plant have 5 to 6 leaves you should harvest them don’t wait much longer. There are many ways by using you can harvest it. You can start cutting from outside and go slowly inside using scissors, and get into the center. But do remember that this method is only useful for small amount of leaves.
- The second method is using a pair of scissor and cutting the spinach plant from the root, and only 1 inch from roots should be left. This will make sure the regrowth from that one inch root and resulting more spinach leaves.
In any case you should harvest the crop as soon as it is ready. Do not wait for too long for harvesting otherwise the leaves will turn bitter. Try to use fresh leaves whenever you are consuming it. The good thing about spinach is it stays fresh in the fridge for at least 10 to 14 days at the temperature of 5 degree Celsius to 10 degree Celsius. When you are planning to store the spinach always keep in mind to clean and wash the leaves properly. Get rid of any yellow leaves before you store them in the fridge.
We are sure that this article will be helpful for you in growing your own spinach at home. Do let us know if you have anything to share. Thanks.
