How to Plant Spinach Seeds? A Full Guide to Growing Techniques and Timing

Spinach, do you like this vegetable? Would you like to try growing it yourself? Then let's take a look at how to grow spinach!

Spinach is a cool-season crop that develops best during rapid, continuous growth. Provide plenty of sunlight, cool nights and an ample water supply. Spinach likes well-drained soil with a high humus content; its culture is similar to that of lettuce.

Sow early in spring, as soon as the ground can be worked, in rows about a foot and a half apart. Seedlings can be thinned to about a foot apart. The leaves should be ready to harvest within four to five weeks. A second crop can be planted again in August.

Excellent plant varieties are Melody Hybrid, which has disease resistance; Avon Hybrid, which is heat-tolerant; and Bloomsdale Long Standing, which is heat-tolerant and slow to bolt.

The insect pests to look for are flea beetles, aphids and leafhoppers. Control these by using malathion, or a general-purpose spray or a dust containing malathion, and be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Diseases often occur in crowded plants, and in some cases are spread by insects. General clean cultivation, aphid control, and planting disease-resistant varieties are a good idea. The fungal disease downy mildew can be controlled with preparations containing maneb or zineb. Viral yellow can also be a problem, but the general steps mentioned above will help keep this problem to a minimum.