Planting and growing spinach in the open field: when and how to sow seeds, care for seedlings

Spinach is a vegetable crop that contains a lot of useful vitamins in its leaves, indispensable for the functioning of the human body. Therefore, gardeners who decide to switch to a healthy diet, sooner or later wonder how to plant a plant. In order for the planting of spinach to be successful, and the garden bed will soon become covered with juicy rosettes, you need to know everything about the specifics of growing a vegetable in the garden.

Well, below you will find out when and how to plant spinach outdoors in spring and autumn.

When to plant spinach outdoors: planting timing

Since spinach is a cold-resistant plant, spring planting in open ground is carried out right after the ground thaws.

Concerning temperature, then sowing spinach begins when it has warmed up to +5 degrees and in the future, a gradual increase is predicted.

In the middle lane (Moscow region) this time falls on second half of April.

And in the fall, spinach is planted before winter, similarly winter garlic or onions, i.e. from end of September to November (depending on the region).

According to the lunar calendar in 2020

Many gardeners often turn to the lunar calendar for specific dates for more discipline.

According to the lunar calendar in 2020 auspicious days for planting spinach in open ground are:

• March - 2-8, 26-29;
• April - 1, 2, 11-15, 17-20, 25-30;
• May - 2-4, 6, 9, 10-12, 15-17, 20, 21, 25-29;
• June - 2-4, 7-9, 11-14, 16-19, 30;
• July - 8-11, 13-16, 27-29;
• August - there are no favorable dates;
• September - there are no favorable dates;
• October - 18, 19;
• November - 5-7, 22-27.

Unfavorable days according to the lunar calendar for 2019, the following dates are for sowing spinach (days of the Full Moon and New Moon, as well as the period when the Moon is in Aquarius, since this is a barren and dry sign -italicized):

• in March - 9,19-21, 24;
• in April - 8,15-17, 23;
• in May - 7,13-14, 22;
• in June - 5,9-11, 21;
• in July - 5,7-8, 20;
• in August -3, 4-5, 19, 31;
• in September -1, 2, 17, 27-28;
• in October - 2, 16,24-26, 31;
• in November - 15,20-22, 30.

According to the lunar calendar from the magazine "1000 Tips for the Summer Resident".

How to plant spinach outdoors: preparation and planting

The desire to acquire spinach in the garden can simply disappear after several unsuccessful plantings. To prevent this from happening, you need to know all the requirements for growing this vegetable crop.

How to choose a seat for landing

It is better to plant spinach in lighted areas where water does not stagnate. To harvest as early as possible, the plant is placed on southern slopes that are protected from cold winds.

If, except for the lowland, there is nowhere to plant bushes, the culture is sown on ridges, which are fenced with boards of hard rock. Due to the fact that the root system of the plant is short, the embankment can be small.

Since spinach is compatible with most garden crops, there is practically no need to consider when choosing predecessors and neighbors. The only thing worth paying attention to is how the previous crop was fertilized - the more top dressing was added last year, the better for spinach. These rules apply to all cultivated plants, except for beets, since plants are susceptible to the same diseases and pests.

What soil is needed and how to prepare it

Spinach likes to grow on nutritious and loose soils (sandy loam or loamy), neutral acidity (pH 6-7).

If the soil on the site is excessively acidic, they are introduced into the soil in advance (even in the fall) dolomite flour.

In autumn, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied to the soil (superphosphate and potassium sulfate or wood ash and bone meal), as well as organic matter (compost, humus). And in the spring add nitrogen (urea or ammonium nitrate).

To improve the structure of heavy clay soils, additional peat and sand can be added.

How to prepare seeds

To speed up the emergence of seedlings, the planting material is soaked in warm water. If the seeds of many crops are soaked for several hours, then spinach seeds are kept in water for 24-48 hours. This feature is due to the fact that the planting material is covered with a hard shell through which moisture is difficult to absorb. The germination container is placed in a warm place and the water is periodically changed. At the end of the period, the spinach seeds taken out of the water are slightly dried and sown in open ground.

Direct landing

The first thing to do before planting spinach seeds in open ground is to loosen the soil with a rake and then level it. If the landing will be carried out on the ridges, an embankment is created at the chosen place and fenced off with scrap materials. On the prepared bed, rows of 2 cm deep are made with a wooden plank.The optimum distance between rows is 15-20 cm, and between plants - 7-10 cm. Seed consumption for sowing is 1 sq.m. area - 4-5 g.

If you plant the bushes too densely, the plants will develop more slowly. To be sure that there are enough plants on the garden bed, and the place will not be empty, you can reduce the step between the bushes in the rows. However, if the seed germination rate is 100%, the plantings will have to be thinned out. The soil in the recess is watered with warm water, the seeds are laid out. Then the crops are carefully covered with a rake, at the same time slightly crushing the soil.

To reduce the evaporation of moisture and slow down the growth of weeds, the bed is mulched with hay, dry leaves, and chopped straw. If the planting is done correctly, and the weather is favorable, the first shoots will appear after 2 weeks.

Video: how to sow spinach correctly - timing

How to care for spinach after planting

For plants to produce a good harvest, they need to provide comfortable conditions for growth. So what does spinach care after planting consist of?

Watering

The soil on which the greenery grows should be constantly moist, but in no case swampy. Due to the constant overflow, the plants grow poorly and after a while are affected by root rot.

It is especially important to water the spinach during a hot season, as stemming begins due to insufficient moisture. Water the bushes 2-3 times a week. Water consumption per 1 sq. m beds - 3 liters.

Top dressing

During the growing season, it is not recommended to feed greens with fertilizers, which contain a large amount of phosphorus and potassium.

Leaves of plants that lack chemical elements gradually turn to a different color or die off.

The fertilizers chosen for feeding spinach must be applied strictly in the dose recommended by the manufacturer, otherwise the excess of nutrients will provoke premature shooting.

Important! It is impossible to feed greens with fresh organic matter during growth, as it distorts the taste of the leaves.

Weeding and loosening

To grow even the most unpretentious crop, you need to pull out weeds as needed. As you know, these plants suck out a lot of nutrients from the soil and compact the soil, which has a bad effect on the state of the culture, and, accordingly, the yield. In the case when the distance between shoots is much less than 7-10 cm, the extra bushes are removed. To reduce stress on the surrounding bushes, water the garden bed sparingly after thinning.

The first time the soil is loosened when the seedlings are 2-3 days old. To do this, using a rake, they gently destroy the formed crust, thereby improving the aeration of the soil. In the future, loosening is carried out after each watering or rain.

Shelter in the heat

Since spinach does not tolerate the summer heat well, in July, when the air temperature often exceeds +26 C, the plantings need to be shaded. To cool the soil and bushes from overheating, a small awning is installed over the spinach plantation or the garden bed is covered with a special shading net.

Important! It is impossible to grow juicy leaves without abundant watering and building a shelter. Under the influence of high temperature and lack of water, the leaves become hard and tasteless.

Spinach pests and diseases

Delicate leaves are to the taste of aphids, miner flies and naked slugs. Do not mind eating greens and snails. Spinach growing in a thickened state suffers from downy mildew. Bushes become infected with spotting and root rot.

Since it is impossible to process greens with chemicals, it is better to try to prevent the appearance of pathogenic microorganisms. To protect the planting from damage, you need to properly care for them: water, loosen, weed. In order to prevent powdery mildew, the bushes are planted at a sufficient distance. Also for planting it is recommended to choose spinach varieties with high immunity to all kinds of diseases.

When to harvest and how to store

To make spinach leaves tender and tasty, they need to be picked in time. If the recommended dates are exceeded, the leaves will become tough and lose their taste. Harvesting spinach begins 8-10 weeks after germination.

You can determine whether spinach is ready for harvesting by the type of bush - you can harvest greens immediately after the formation of 5-6 leaves on the plant.

Spinach is harvested by cutting off individual leaves or a whole rosette. Also, the plant is uprooted. Before putting the plucked plants into containers, wash the rhizome, being careful not to splash the leaves. Then the washed part is blotted with a paper towel and placed in the box with the root down.

Important! You cannot harvest spinach immediately after watering or rain: wet leaves rot shortly after cutting.

For storage, spinach is placed in the upper compartment of the refrigerator. Since fresh leaves are stored on average for 1-2 weeks, they are dried, frozen or canned for the winter.

Thus, if you carefully understand the agrotechnical requirements, planting spinach will not cause difficulties even for an amateur gardener. All that an unpretentious culture needs for normal growth is a sufficient amount of moisture and fertile soil.