How to grow spinach on a windowsill in an apartment

Usually, spinach is grown outdoors, but in order to get useful macro- and microelements even in the middle of winter, many sow spinach seeds at home and grow on a windowsill. If you can observe the easy rules of sowing and maintenance (create the necessary light and temperature conditions), then you will have fresh and juicy greens all year round, even if you do not have a summer cottage.

How to grow spinach at home on a windowsill will be described in detail below.

Which spinach varieties are suitable for growing on a windowsill

Before you start growing spinach on a windowsill, you should purchase high-quality planting material.And for this, first of all, carefully study the instructions on the package - familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the varieties in order to choose the most suitable for indoor growing.

As a rule, the following spinach varieties are used for sowing, which perfectly tolerate greenhouse conditions and give a bountiful harvest:

• Fatty.
• Gigantic.
• Matador.
• And also many others, for example, Strong, Virofle, Stoic, Victoria, Ilya Muromets. There is even a very interesting strawberry spinach. 

To determine the most suitable variety, it is worth planting several packages of seeds in different containers. Only after that you can understand which kind of spinach will suit you the most by all criteria.

How to plant spinach on a windowsill: features, conditions and step-by-step instructions

After the required variety has been selected, sowing work should be started, namely: preparing the container, soil for growing, soaking the seeds. To do this, planting spinach at home requires a competent approach and performing all stages of growing according to certain rules.

Growing container

The root system of spinach, for example, unlike sorrel, is rather shallow, so a small depth is required.

By the way! Many people dislike spinach because it tastes like “grass by grass” (not sour like sorrel). Indeed, it is a tasteless plant. But a neutral taste is gorgeous, you can make such delicious dressings! For example, Caesar salad with spinach is very unusual.

Naturally, there must be drainage holes in the pot for excess moisture to drain out.

In addition, a small layer of expanded clay or foam should be laid out on the bottom of the planting tank as drainage.

What soil to plant

Spinach will only grow well in neutral soil.

In other words, spinach loves soil. with an acidity level of about 6.5-7 pH!

You can purchase ready-made soil for growing vegetables such as cabbage, pumpkin, beans, peas.

Or cook it yourself. To do this, take a neutral garden soil and mix it with compost or humus, as well as river sand.

Advice! Any soil, even purchased, is recommended in advance disinfect in one of the ways, for example, by steaming in the oven so that all soil pests will die under the influence of high temperatures. Then spill additional solution with Fitosporin.

Presowing seed preparation

Planting spinach with dry, unprepared seeds is not recommended (unless it is coated, i.e. already processed seeds). The seeds have a dense outer structure, so they should be pre-soaked for a day or two in water at room temperature (above 18 degrees).

And then (optional) hold for another 20-30 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate to disinfect seedlings from diseases.

Direct landing

Step-by-step instructions for sowing spinach seeds for further cultivation at home:

• Drainage and soil are poured into the planting tank.
• Barbs are made 1.5-3 cm deep.
• The seeds are sown at a distance of 2-3 centimeters from each other.
• Next, you need to fill the rows with soil.
• Carry out its (soil) moistening. For example, you can spray from a spray bottle.
• To create greenhouse conditions, the container is covered with foil or glass.
• The pot is placed in a warm (+18 .. + 20 degrees) and dark place.
• When shoots appear, the shelter (greenhouse) is removed, and the container itself is rearranged in a bright place - on the windowsill.

Note! In the next video, the author uses unsuitable land for growing spinach (not that acidity). In general, everything is shown very well and clearly.

Video: sowing spinach seeds for growing on a windowsill

Transferring spinach from open ground to a pot for growing in an apartment

By the way! It is not necessary to grow spinach from seeds, it is much easier to take and transplant it from the garden.

All that is needed is to dig in the bushes in the fall and transplant them into a pot.

Further, care and cultivation are carried out in the same way as sown with seeds (further details).

How to care for spinach on a windowsill at home

Caring for spinach is quite simple - to maintain optimal light and temperature conditions, as well as water on time.

What should be the place for growing: light and temperature

Spinach is a relatively light-loving plant. It is recommended for him to choose a well-lit southern windowsill (either western or eastern, but at least southwest or southeast is better).

The optimal daylight hours are 12-14 hours.

But in order for the sun to not get too hot on especially hot days, burning delicate leaves, it is recommended to shade it.

By the way! Spinach does not like direct sunlight at all and a lot of sunlight, moreover, from this it becomes bitter…

In late autumn, winter and early spring days, there is not enough daylight for the shrubs, especially when it is raining or just cloudy outside. Therefore, for growing spinach indoors, it is recommended to additionally install phyto-lamps or full-spectrum LED lamps.

Spinach does not require very warm conditions. At a temperature mode of +15 .. + 18 degrees, the leaves of the plant quickly gain strength and grow to optimal sizes.

A grown plant with 4-5 leaf plates can be grown at a lower temperature of +10 .. + 14 degrees, but in such a situation the growth of leaf plates will be somewhat slowed down.

Therefore, an insulated balcony or loggia, where the temperature is slightly below room temperature, is quite suitable for growing.

In too warm conditions, spinach bushes quickly begin to wilt, so it is recommended to maintain an optimal cool temperature.

Watering

Watering should be carried out quite often and abundantly, spinach does not tolerate drying out of the soil.

It is imperative to periodically spray the grown leaf plates. This will saturate them with nourishing moisture and improve their appearance.

A low level of humidity provokes shooting, spinach throws out peduncles, which should be quickly disposed of so that the plant does not waste extra energy.

Spinach does not require any special feeding.

Dates for germination and harvest of homemade spinach

After sowing spinach, its first shoots, even with preliminary treatment (soaking), you can see in about a week (sometimes earlier).

And already the direct cutting of the foliage (harvesting) will begin only when the plants have fully formed succulent leaves. There will be 5-8 of them, 8-10 centimeters long. In early ripening varieties, such a moment occurs approximately 30 days after the first shoots.

Advice! In order not to interrupt the process of constantly obtaining healthy spinach foliage, you can regularly do new crops.

During harvesting, the foliage can be cut off completely, leaving only the outermost young leaves.

Harvesting should be done by gently breaking the leg or cutting with scissors.

You cannot pull and tear out the foliage, this can damage the root system.

Thus, spinach can be grown at home, on a windowsill, at any time: in spring, autumn, and even winter. The main thing is to create optimal conditions for the plant and take proper care of it (water it periodically). Growing spinach in an apartment will allow you to feast on healthy leaves at any time, adding them to soups or salads.