Vegetable Garden Planning

Growing spinach is really pretty easy.  Spinach, kale, collards, and mustard greens are all cool-season crops. Turnip greens are a root vegetable and are harvested from the primary vegetable, turnips.  Collard greens tolerate heat as well as cold and so do well in the south.

Leafy greens like rich, well-drained soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Unless otherwise noted, work two inches (5 cm) of compost into the soil before planting. Add a nitrogen-rich fertilizeer to the soil, as well as enough lime to reach the proper pH.

Most leafy greens can be directly seeded into the garden, but you may also start them indoors and transplant the seedlings after about a month.  Many leafy greens have shallow roots, so hoe carefully. Keep soil consistently moist.

When a plant ‘bolts’ it sends up a flower stalk which then goes to seed.   When that happens, the leaves of the plant lose their good taste and become bitter tasting.  Since spinach is quick to bolt, it must be planted early in the spring.  It’s easier to grow a fall crop, which should be planted eight to ten weeks before the first hard frost. Spinach is very cold hardy – young plants can survive in temperatures as low as 15 to 20 Fahrenheit. Planted in the fall, spinach will even winter over and come up in the spring.

After you have worked one to two inches of compost into the soil. Sow seeds 1/2 inch deep (1.25 cm) and one inch (2.5 cm) apart, with 12 to 18 inches (30-45 cm) between rows. Thin, to four to six inches (10-15 cm) apart. Keep the greens watered well, as they need constant moisture to prevent bolting.  Keep these tips in mind and growing spinach will be a breeze.