How to plant spinach seeds in open ground? Growing spinach from seeds is not difficult, but there are some subtleties, especially in the conditions of a hot Kuban summer. There are many varieties of this plant with different shape and texture of the leaf. As a rule, spinach varieties are divided into 2 categories: with smooth and with corrugated leaves. Today, nutritionists and doctors are especially interested in spinach. Its use is undoubted, therefore I surely allocate a small bed for it.
What does spinach look like, photo
Outwardly, spinach is very similar to sorrel. But in no case can not be considered that this is one and the same. These are completely different plants. They even belong to different families. Sorrel is a perennial plant from the Buckwheat family. Spinach is a biennial plant of the Marev family. Sorrel leaves are smooth, large with sharp tips. In spinach, the leaves are smaller, rounded, sometimes wrinkled. Although there are varieties of spinach with sharp tips.
It is most reliable to find out whether it is spinach or sorrel, to taste. Their taste is different. Sorrel has a sour taste. Spinach tastes fresher, with a light pleasant bitterness.
The sameness of these plants in low calorie content.
Spinach, growing from seeds in the open field
Spinach belongs to cold-resistant plants. It can withstand even light frosts. Experienced gardeners believe that the days when the buds will hatch on lilacs can be considered the best time for sowing. The minimum soil temperature for germination is 1-2 ° C. The conditions for growing spinach are similar to the requirements for the cultivation of lettuce, but its use in nutrition is more universal.
If you live where the winters are mild, then spinach can be planted in the winter.
Can spinach seedlings be grown? I do not recommend it to grow seedlings, as it is very difficult to tolerate transplant.
To get a high yield, I do so. I fill the soil with organic fertilizers at the rate of two buckets per square meter. In addition, I pour in a half-liter can of wood ash.
Where is better to plant vitamin spinach? Experience has shown that spinach often dies on strongly acidic soils. Therefore, if your soil is acidic, you must first deoxidize with slaked lime, dolomite flour, chalk, ash. It is better to do this in the fall, and in the spring to sow spinach.
One of the best, in my opinion, is Spinach Giant, early ripening, high-yielding variety. It surpasses the varieties Victoria, Fatty in all respects.
For continuous cultivation from May to August, sowing can be repeated every three weeks. But this advice is more likely for the middle band. In the hot and dry summers of the Kuban, he will have to tight, crops can not stand it.
I even sow spinach in a shaded place in the spring to get a good harvest. The bed should be wet all the time. Only in this case, the leaves can be ripped off all summer. It is advisable that the garden is nevertheless lit by the sun at least in the morning, immediately after sunrise.
How many days does spinach rise? Usually spinach emerges 8-10 days after sowing. And after 2-3 weeks after germination, you can harvest the first crop.
Growing spinach from seeds has its own characteristics. It is known that spinach seeds are difficult to germinate, so before planting, I stand them in a growth stimulator. After this treatment, the seeds germinate twice as fast.
Seeding depth - 1.5 cm, row spacings do 20 cm.
Why does spinach go to the arrow and bloom? One of the reasons is that seeds are densely sown. I was convinced by experience that thickened plantings not only reduce the yield. When thickened, spinach quickly begins to bloom, so thin out the bed in a timely manner. The second reason is untimely watering. With a lack of moisture, the seedlings not only hatch late, the leaves coarse, and a flower-bearing stalk appears prematurely. And the third reason is the failure to meet the sowing dates. With late planting, when the soil temperature exceeds 10-15 ° C, plants can immediately go into the trunk.
How to care for spinach if it has bloomed? If you want to collect seeds, then leave panicles and wait for their ripening. And if you do not need seeds, then cut off the flower-bearing shoots so that the number of leaves continues to increase.
Spinach has bloomed, is it possible to eat it? Of course you can. But it is worth keeping in mind that the leaves of long-flowering spinach will be coarser. That is, choose younger leaves, they will be the same as spinach before flowering.
Improves the quality of vitamin spinach timely watering. Landing care is simple. I use infusion of wood ash (1:20). I carefully watch that the plants do not get sick with downy mildew or root rot.
Be sure to alternate crops, well-known soil at the rate of 400 g per square meter, I spray the plants from aphids with tobacco dust.
Spinach can be harvested when the leaves are large enough. Rosettes should at least have five or six leaves. Trim plants at or just below the surface of the soil. Two or three separate crops during the spring-summer season can provide you with crops until late autumn.
Some gardeners prefer to pick individual leaves of spinach when they reach a length of 3 cm to allow small leaves to grow faster. I do not advise collecting leaves when it blooms. They become coarse, the taste is lost.
Once, I decided to get my seeds. But, to her surprise, she saw that the plant had different flowers. Which ones should be left on the seeds? I began to understand.
It turns out spinach is a dioecious plant. Therefore, male and female flowers are located on different plants. Seeds are formed on plants with female flowers, which are located in the axils of the leaves on peduncles of various lengths (or have sessile flowers). And the flowers themselves with pestles (unlike male ones - stamens) form panicle inflorescences.
The readiness of the seeds is determined by the browning of the lower fruit, yellow leaves. Seed bushes are cut in the early morning (or evening along the dew). The testes are dosed for two weeks, hanging bunches in a room with good ventilation (under a canopy, on the veranda). After drying, the plants are threshed and the seeds are dried again.
Spinach - benefits and harms
Spinach contains valuable biologically active substances, vitamins B1, B2, C, D, E, K, nicotinic, folic acid, salts of iron, iodine, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, calcium.
It is very important that its chlorophyll is close in chemical composition to hemoglobin. Dark green leaves with a slightly bitter taste are foods with a low saturated fat content and a very low cholesterol content.
Spinach is low-calorie; only 23 kcal is contained in 100 g of the product. Those who want to lose weight can take this information into service. It contains twice as much fiber as other greens. And there is more protein in it than in legumes.
Spinach contains iodine, so it is useful for the thyroid gland. And it also contains lutein, which helps improve vision, relieves eye strain.
Spinach is a good source of iron. If your body needs iron, add oranges or orange juice to the salad - iron is better absorbed.
Almost all vegetables contain a wide range of phytonutrients (vitamins, minerals), including flavonoids, carotenoids. But spinach can claim a special place among vegetables in the content of phytonutrients. Researchers have identified more than a dozen different flavonoid compounds in it that act as anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agents.
Of the contraindications, a high content of oxalic acid in spinach leaves can be noted. Therefore, it can be used very carefully or even completely excluded from the diet for people with kidney problems. It is not recommended to use it for people suffering from urolithiasis. It can be harmful to those who suffer from diseases of the biliary tract, liver, and duodenum.
What can I cook with spinach?
Cooking cottage cheese pudding with spinach. Stew spinach with butter. Tasty fried eggs with spinach. I like chicken breasts with spinach very much, this dish is loved by everyone - both relatives and guests. To preserve the color of the leaves, I cook it in salted water or scald it with salted water.
Do not wash leaves before storage. Wrap the leaves in a paper towel, put in a plastic bag, store in the refrigerator. In a plastic bag, they can be stored there for 5 days. But immediately before cooking, spinach leaves should be thoroughly washed under running water, as they can be stained with soil or sand.
Leaves can be frozen for later use. It is best not to store frozen spinach for more than 3-6 months.
I hope I convinced you of the benefits of spinach. Sow spinach necessarily. How to sow spinach seeds in open ground, you already know.