How to plant and grow spinach outdoors

Spinach is a plant that has several beneficial properties. During the year in warm regions, you can harvest several crops of green leaves with a high content of trace elements and metals. Novice plant lovers should familiarize themselves with the basic rules of growing and caring for spinach outdoors. This is not a difficult job, but it requires knowledge of the basic steps.

Features and benefits of spinach

This plant looks like sorrel, but there are several differences:

• spinach foliage is not long, round, with a bumpy surface and more fleshy;
• the taste of the leaves is spicy, the aftertaste is slightly sour and bitter.

According to nutritionists, the benefits of spinach in the content in the leaves of a large amount of fiber and a complete vitamin complex. So, vitamin "E" is responsible for the rejuvenation of the body. High levels of trace elements (selenium, iodine, folic acid) also have a positive effect on human health. Flavonoids help to slow down inflammatory processes, and the merit of vitamin K is to normalize blood pressure, improve the functioning of the heart and vascular system. Fiber has a beneficial effect on the digestive system.

The undoubted benefits of spinach increase its popularity, but it is also important to know a group of diseases in which excessive addiction to spinach can be harmful.

The consumption of spinach should be limited:

• for all types of diseases of the urinary system;
• gout;
• liver disease;
• rheumatism;
• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and biliary tract.

Important! Having the ailments listed above, the plant should not be completely excluded from the diet: the main danger is oxalic acid, and the other components are extremely useful. Therefore, leave spinach on the menu, but in small quantities and take only young leaves, where the acid concentration is low.

The best varieties

For growing plants in the open field, according to gardeners, seeds of seven varieties are best suited. All of them are divided into three groups: early, mid and late ripening.

The most suitable early maturing varieties:

• "Godry" - 14-20 days after planting, the first harvest of leaves can be removed. The foliage rosette reaches a diameter of 230 mm;
• The Giant variety allows growing rosettes of elongated leaves up to 500 mm in diameter. After 14 days, the first juicy, fleshy leaves can be harvested.

Mid-season:

• variety "Matador" is resistant to low temperatures, but requires good watering. A medium sized rosette of foliage has been ready for harvest for 20 days. The leaf is smooth, gray-green in color;
• spinach resistant to frost and early release of shooters - "Krepysh" variety.

Late-ripening varieties, ideal for planting in the ground: high-yielding "Victoria", "Spokane" and "Varyag".

Preparing for landing

In the country, for growing a crop, it is not required to allocate a large area, it is much more important to prepare the soil before planting.

Soil selection

The best option is to plant seeds in the beds where they grew before:

• all ida legumes;
• zucchini;
• cucumbers;
• tomatoes.

You should not plant spinach in the shade, the best option is a place well lit for at least half of the daylight hours in summer and on a small hill. On a hillock, the soil will warm up faster and the bushes will develop faster. At the same time, bright sunlight and intense heat are contraindicated for the plant.

In terms of composition, loam or sandy loam saturated with organic fertilizers with free flow of air and water is preferred.It is also allowed to plant on heavy ground. In this case, you will need to add lime, ash and organic matter. When planted on carbonate soils, the plant does not receive sufficient iron nutrition, so its deficiency will have to be replenished.

In general, it is important to maintain a normal soil acidity level for strong growth. This figure should be in the range of 6.7-7. At a higher acidity, the plant lags behind in development and may disappear. The timely introduction of nutrients will allow solving all problems and increasing yields. To reduce acidity, lime, chalk or dolomite flour should be added.

Fertilization

It is necessary to prepare the soil for planting seeds in the fall. For this, mineral fertilizers and organic matter are distributed in an even layer over the surface and only then they are dug up. In the spring, before planting, it will be enough to level the garden bed, and you can sow seeds in open ground.

If the soil contains insufficient black soil, you will need to prepare a mixture of mineral fertilizers for 1 m² beds:

• potassium - 15 g;
• phosphorus - 8 g;
• nitrogen - 10 g.

Important! The leaves of the plant accumulate pesticides, so it is not recommended to apply a large amount of organic fertilizer after planting the seeds.

After planting, you can feed spinach when watering or fertilize the soil after the next harvest, at intervals of 14 days. The best option is industrial fertilizers with a balanced content of humate and trace elements, but when breeding, it is imperative to strictly observe the proportions indicated on the package. Otherwise, the plant will either not receive sufficient nutrition, or the leaves of the plant will dry out due to the burn.

When and how to sow seeds

Spinach is sometimes planted with seedlings, but in this case the plant is sick for a long time - the seedlings quickly catch up with the seedlings in development. Therefore, planting of plants is often carried out by seeds, and seedlings are used as a backup option, during a prolonged cold spring. The only condition is to soak the material for several days in warm water before work. After that, the seeds are washed and dried.

Spinach can be planted over the entire surface of the bed or in neat rows. If the soil is heavy in the country, it is better to sow the seeds in an even layer. If the soil is loose, good germination will also be in the rows. In this case, grooves are made to a depth of 25-30 mm with a row spacing of 250-300 mm. Then the seeds are evenly distributed in a row, covered with earth from the sides and slightly compacted the soil.

Spinach is not afraid of small frosts, so planting can be started already at a temperature of + 4 ° C, immediately after the snow melts. It is even recommended because the germination of seeds is increased: the land is saturated with water, and the plants receive the necessary conditions for growth. Periodically loosening the ground and watering the beds, the zealous owner gets the first crop of green foliage in 20-30 days.

Advice! According to experienced gardeners, it is better to focus on lilacs when planting spinach. As soon as the buds hatch on the bushes, you can safely plant seeds.

You should not sow seeds in the summer in extreme heat: such plantings will not bring a good harvest.

Recommended boarding time:

• in early spring;
• the best option is in the fall, before the first frost.

In the latter case, the first shoots will hatch before winter. Spinach is not afraid of severe frost, especially if it is covered with a layer of snow (if the winter is not very snowy, you need to cover the beds with foil). But on the table there will be the first harvest of vitamins within 7-10 days after clearing the beds from snow.

Plant care

It is important for a plant that the soil in the garden is always loose and moist, there is good ventilation of the plantings, and there is enough sunlight. Accordingly, the entire spinach care process consists of several stages:

1. Thinning and pinching.
2. Weeding.
3. Top dressing.
4. Loosening the soil.

As soon as the 2nd real leaf appears in the outlet, it is necessary to thin out the plantings. In this case, it is better to remove male shoots.It is easy to distinguish them: the men drive out the stem first, and only then the rosette with rare leaves develops. On women, a strong rosette with a lot of foliage is immediately tied. When thinning for the first time, it is important to maintain a distance between the bushes of 80–90 mm and remove weakened plants. This work prevents early spinach from blooming and channeling energy to flowers at the expense of foliage.

The second thinning is done when the leaves begin to come into contact with neighboring spinach bushes. You need to make gaps of 150 mm. At this time, you can feed the plants with industrial means or with a solution of fermented manure.

Caring for spinach will require gardeners to remove weeds, water and loosen the row spacing. Such care will prevent the early formation of arrows on the bushes and the even and rapid development of spinach. To increase the yield of bushes, they can be pinched. To do this, on adult plants, pinch the top row of foliage, ensuring the rapid development of new shoots.

Mulching the soil in the beds allows not only to save moisture, but also protects the plants from fungal diseases. At the first sign of powdery mildew or damage to the leaves of aphids, it is important to treat the plants with fungicides, wash them with soapy water. To protect spinach from beet nematodes, plant seeds further away from beets.

Memo for beginner gardeners

Spinach is an unpretentious crop that ripens quickly, but it is important to follow a few basic rules to get an excellent harvest of succulent leaves:

• the growing season of the plant is up to 60 days, therefore, if you want to get juicy leaves throughout the season, seeds are planted in spring with an interval of 7-10 days;
• constantly cutting off old foliage, you increase the growing season of the bushes;
• it is better to purchase seed material in proven seed centers; you should not chase small savings at the risk of buying expired or low-quality seeds;
• be sure to remove the arrows on the spinach and thin out bushes, removing weak and male plants if you want to harvest multiple crops.

In conclusion, a few words about the storage of spinach leaves. The vegetable will remain fresh for 8-10 days if it is washed and placed on the refrigerator shelf. Beneficial substances are also preserved in frozen or dried leaves. Bushes on the windowsill develop well in winter. Still, the healthiest and most juicy spinach grows outdoors. It is enough to follow simple rules and you will enjoy the greenery from early spring to late autumn.