But how do you harvest spinach for the best taste, and how long can you store it for? She has over 30 years of experience in gardening and sustainable farming. Once the weather gets consistently over 85, your spinach is not going to be happy. This is a broad class that constitutes over 20 different types of peppers. If fertilizer applications are warranted, work the fertilizer into the top 6 inches of soil. When and How to Harvest. Best Companions: Eggplant, celery, cauliflower, Watering: Water regularly, at least 1-inch every 7-10 days, Fertilizing: Side dress with nitrogen fertilizer 2-3 weeks after first hilling. Whenever possible, avoid overcrowding and grow them at least 3 inches apart! Spinach seed can be sown after soils reach 40 degrees F. Seeds germinate best at 55-65 degrees F and require 7-10 days to emerge. The great thing about such vegetables is that they can be successfully propagated through the greenhouse or otherwise. If the ground freezes before the plants mature, mulch them with hay and leave them be until the temperatures warm again in the spring. Onions and leeks and chives, oh my! Farming is a good sector to venture into especially here in Zimbabwe. Microgreens. Do you know how to harvest your garden bounty properly? However, you can grow spinach in pots either outdoors, or grow spinach indoors all year. Whether its hot composting, vermicomposting, bokashi, or another method, you need to be doing this essential gardening technique to boost your soil. Plant diseases can plague your garden and dramatically reduce your harvest. Be sure to remove any excess air in the bag before freezing! African greens are vast in variety and come from different orders of the plant kingdom. If you cut about an inch above the crown, or base of the plant, it is likely the plant will send out a new flush of leaves. For maximum results, it is best to use modern farming approaches. Its best to avoid downy mildew by ensuring good airflow around your plants and by watering the soil rather than the leaves. Step 2:Apply fertiliser, manure or compost. Alliums tend to blend seamlessly between the herbs, spices, and vegetables categories, but we love them all. Because it is such a fast grower, spinach is also a heavy feeder. At the most advanced level, you can even grow vegetables for export. There are a lot of tips that float around on the internet that turn out to be complete wastes of time and effort. That means you should plant seeds in the garden as soon as the soil is workable in the spring. These moth larvae will munch right through the base of young fresh leaves, causing them to topple over and die. Marie Iannotti is a life-long gardener and a veteran Master Gardener with nearly three decades of experience. For fall spinach, select early maturing cultivars and plant 50-75 days before the anticipated maturity date. Leafminers are another larval form that will cause major damage to your spinach. Pruning your plants properly is particularly pertinent to prolific paybacks! From mangoes to bananas, youll find a selection of topics about tropical fruit here for you to peruse! Spinach needs around six weeks of cool temperatures to grow from seed to maturity. Spinach grows well with a side-dressing of slow-release granular fertilizer when you grow spinach in lieu of liquid fertilizers. Profits per hectare can be at least US$2000. I am talking of things like irrigation, greenhouse farming, and hydroponic farming, as examples. Spinach is a low-acid food, so must be canned with a pressure canner to avoid the risk of botulism. Its rich in iron and manganese, and has a reasonable amount of fiber for a leaf vegetable. Other popular leaves includepumpkin leaves, cowpea leaves, and those of the African eggplant. Harvesting and eating: Pick leaves as needed. Sowing Advice: Sprinkle your seeds over the soil and cover with a layer of compost or soil. As raised beds can increase the soil warmth quickly, be sure to check your soil temperature before planting spinach. Meeting these conditions is especially important when you grow spinach in pots. Older leaves are often stripped off the plants first allowing the young leaves to continue to grow. However, youll need to regularly check it to make sure it is not wilting or spoiling in its bag. Spinach is a heavy feeder! TIPS ON HOW TO GROW SPINACH Spinach is a nutrient-rich green that is easy to grow in the garden. We explore these beneficial and incredible plants and how theyre used to make your soil better for future growth! Cucumbers are perfect here because they are widely consumed in Zimbabwe. When to Plant Spinach Spinach is very cold-hardy, but not very heat-tolerant. Plant spinach in partial shade if you know the weather is going to be warm. The best times to plant spinach is as a spring or fall crop. 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Can as per your pressure canners instructions. However, once youve planted seeds and theyve sprouted, watch for them to form at least four leaves. If you fertilize with compost, apply no more than 1 inch of well-composted organic matter per 100 square feet of garden area. Lastly, add minced garlic. They are also a good source of vitamins, antioxidants, and fibre. For how to grow spinach in pots, choose a wide pot or trough so that you can space out the spinach plants, and one that is about 6-8 inches deep. All rights reserved. In fact,cocoyam or taro leaves are widely used in West Africa. You might have to till your soil before planting, as spinach likes a loose, fine soil. This tends to make the spinach quite brittle, so if you opt to do this, you should expect that you wont be able to rehydrate the spinach into full leaves. Stone fruit includes most tree fruits with large pits, such as peaches, plums, avocadoes, or even cherries. Once theyre clean, remove any damaged, wilted, diseased or discolored leaves, and then dry the spinach leaves completely. It can tolerate drier conditions, but tastes much better when the ground is kept moist. Spinach is one of the best cool-weather crops that you can grow. When they eat the poisoned bait, they die off and leave my plants safe from harm. They are commonly found as a medicinal herb or in the "whole food" sections of African supermarkets. White rust can often be confused with downy mildew. In hot weather, spinach seeds wont germinate, and in cold weather, they may germinate much more slowly. This can cause leaves to twist and curl inward, which is hard to notice on some varieties of spinach, but it also can cause yellowing of leaves and plant death. Step 8:Dont plant spinach on the same plot over and over, because this causes spinach pests and diseases to build up in the soil. Q: Are there good companion plants for spinach? We are taking a deep dive into these good neighbor plants, what works well together, and what should be avoided but more importantly, were explaining why these things may have positive or negative impacts on your plants! Sow summer cultivars every few weeks: under fleece or cloches from February unprotected from mid-March to the end of May Learning how to grow spinach will also require you to be ready for these potential issues. These arebetter known as delele in Zambia and Botswana, murere in Kenya,derere in Zimbabwe, andmolokhiain Egypt and other North African countries. Spinach blight is another name for the cucumber mosaic virus, which is spread by cucumber beetles and aphids. You can use a salad spinner to dry your spinach or simply drain it thoroughly in a colander and then spread it out to dry in a cool, well-ventilated space. We explore this world of long, vining plants and how they can be grown to produce edible harvests in your garden! You also can reseed every couple weeks in the spring or fall to extend your harvest. It needs around 6 weeks of cool weather to produce a decent harvest. Continue to fertilize throughout the season, following your product's instructions. To prevent this, be sure to plant during the cooler months of the year. Flowers you can eat? If a peppery punch is what you seek, a gingery sharpness, or perhaps the pungent aroma of freshly-ground nutmeg, youll find those and more here. Small black beetle that feed on seedlings. Seeds should be planted inch deep. March is when things can really get started in your garden for most of the United States. Repeat until no dirt or debris is visible in the water or in the bottom of the bowl. Our in-depth guides explain your options and help you determine the best ones for your needs. For fall planting, put it in the ground 6-8 weeks before the first frost of the year. Side dress the crop at mid-season with compost, blood meal or kelp , which will encourage rapidly growing new, tender leaves. There are also some great DIY pest control methods that work against slugs and snails! You can harvest at least 12000 cucumbers from it. Thinned plants can also be eaten. Loosely fill your sterilized jars with the wilted greens and add boiling water, leaving about an inch of headspace. Growing spinach seeds from resistant varieties and preventing aphids on your spinach are both essential protections. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. they contain Vitamins A, B, and C plus fibre and other essential minerals. This shows you how lucrative it can be to grow tobacco in Zimbabwe. A 10-foot row at 3 inches apart with 12 inches between rows will produce 4-6 pounds of spinach. As you harvest from mature spinach plants, find a stem that has roots. There are many different varieties of spinach that range in appearance. Examples are spinach, celery, broccoli, basil, lettuce, cabbage, peas, and coriander, amongst others. Learn more, AboutCareersPressDisclaimerPrivacy PolicyContact. I have covered microgreens before and it is an area that is relatively new in Zimbabwe. Typically, you can harvest spinach four to six weeks after planting seeds. If you are using fertiliser, use one handful for every square metre of soil. The fruits have thick walls and can weigh between 140 and 160 grams. With good market research, you can start a profitable business in this regard. Be sure to leave at least a portion of the leaf stem on the leaf as removal of the stem will cause the leaf to wilt more quickly. The days are getting longer and the sun is getting warmer, bringing hints of Spring. Firm the soil over the seeds, and water to evenly moisten it. Seeds should be planted inch deep. We do too. In Ghana, they are used to make palaver sauce. These are also referred to as fine beans sugar beans are quite popular in Zimbabwe. Bugs in the garden can make short work of a crop that took a long time to grow, so knowing exactly how to deal with every type of garden pest is essential! Step 7:Harvest spinach regularly. Larger leaves can be torn up if desired. So lets talk about how to grow spinach, and the best ways to produce a big supply of this nutritional powerhouse! I highly recommend farming tomatoes using greenhouses. As the weather warms, spinach plants will bolt, or send up a flower spike and go to seed. Spinach needs around six weeks of cool temperatures to grow from seed to maturity. Yams? Q: How many times can you harvest from one spinach plant? So indoor mushroom farming is a worthwhile and profitable venture. Common pests include aphids and slugs, and downy mildew is a common disease for spinach. 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