Popeye’s favorite… spinach!
No canned spinach here… only fresh-picked, garden spinach… or at least there will be in a few weeks.
The good news about growing spinach is it’s a good neighbor to all its garden companions.
Not weeds... but 10-day old spinach with second leaves just popping through. In the background are kale and onions.In Kansas, you have to enjoy spinach before the temperature rises to 100 degrees. When the weather gets hot, the spinach growing season is done until early fall.
That’s why we plant early and often. When the temps at night rise to 45 degrees or more, we will have spinach in less than two weeks. Toward the end of April, we’ll also start thinning our onions, which means fresh spinach and green onions for salads.
So we can get a head start with spinach, we plant in a covered bed. If temps get too low at night or the wind whips too hard, we ensure our plantings are safe and sound in their garden bed.
Tip: Much like the carrots, we use seed tape for our spinach. Those Kansas winds create havoc when planting tiny seeds.
There are three varieties of spinach we like, and we always plant more than one variety. If one fails to produce, we still yield some spinach.
Ron put up a pole bean tower in our herb bed, so we’ll fill that with spinach soon. That will ensure we have a good spinach supply for many weeks.Bloomsdale LongStanding from Gurney Seeds: This is probably our favorite. It’s 46 days to maturity, growing quickly, and even when it gets 10-12 inches high, it’s still tender and pleasant to eat.
Palco Hybrid from Park Seeds: Another favorite and matures in 38 days.
Renegade Hybrid from Park Seeds: This is the first spinach we pick, as it matures in 30 days. It is tender, sweet and has zero bitterness. This is a favorite because when spring rolls around, we are spinach starved and ready for fresh garden flavor.
Spinach can be picked as baby leaves, but if you’re patient, wait for the bigger ones and get more out of your plants.
Tip: Do not pluck the center out when picking your spinach and it will keep producing until the heat wave hits.
Tip: Take time to put landscape fabric on each side of the planting and you will have fairly dirt/debris-free picking. The fabric also will keep the weeds from taking over your spinach. Spinach really does not like weeds, so make it a priority to keep them pulled.
Writing this makes me even more eager for the first picking of the season. Happy spinach planting!
“My extravagance is my garden – it’s the first thing I look at every morning when I wake up. It gives me so much pleasure.” — Ina Garten, American Author & Food Network Host of Barefoot Contessa
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