Spinach

ashort 3/23/2011, 4:03 pm

Next question from me. I know that Mel says to plant spinach 3x3. However, I intend to harvest them young for salad. Anyone plant 4x4 or even 5x5 on salad spinach? Any reason not to?

Blackrose 3/23/2011, 4:11 pm

I sowed my spinach directly last year by placing 3 or 4 seeds in each of the 9 holes recommended by Mel. What I didn't do was thin them when they came up. I just let all those spinach plants grow. They didn't get very big because they were crowded, but they were the perfect size for salads! I did the same thing with my leaf lettuce. Always had baby salad greens. Smile

With that said, I don't think it would be a problem to plant 16 or more in a square. If you wanted to let some of them grow to their full potential eventually, you could just thin out the baby ones to make room. You would have lots of spinach salads in the meantime. Wink

yosoypanadero 3/23/2011, 4:31 pm

I stick to 9 per square and thin them out as i see them come in. I got some monster leaves that hardly fit into my mouth last year. I forget what variety it was, but it surely was not baby leaf. By the way, pesto is super easy to make and it is really darn good....the only thing that costs are the pine nuts really.....make it fresh and get some premium bread to toast and bam, gone in no time....

**camprn** 3/23/2011, 4:37 pm

I broadcast the seed in the square and thin. Ooooooh i can hardly wait!!! clap

Squat_Johnson 3/23/2011, 5:23 pm

I plant spinach in four rows about an inch apart and eat the babies until they get too big. I have to point out that spinach likes cool weather and will bolt to seed in the Texas heat. Plant some now, but plant it where there will be shade. This year I have a bed with spinach or lettuce in diagonal square lines, with Brocolli, cabbage, cauliflower in the diagonal next door. They all are small now, but the big boys will shade the cool weather later.

For the Visual types - a 4x4 demo - North is up
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Try again in maybe October or so for a fall/winter harvest. Also saw this...
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Grow-It/Organic-Gardening/Warm-Weather-Spinach-Alternatives.aspx

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Spinach

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