Detailed guide to growing spinach on a balcony: grow good spinach at home too

Spinach, also known as Persian spinach, red-root spinach, parrot spinach, etc., belongs to the genus Spinacia in the family Amaranthaceae (chenopodiaceae) and is an annual herbaceous plant. The plant can reach up to 1 m in height, with a conical root that is red, rarely white; the leaves are hastate to ovate, bright green, with entire margins or a few tooth-like lobes. There are many types of spinach, which can be divided by seed morphology into two varieties: prickly-seeded and smooth-seeded.

Spinach is known as the "nutritional model student," as it is rich in carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin K, minerals (calcium, iron, etc.), coenzyme Q10 and many other nutrients.

1. Variety selection

Pointed-leaf spinach and round-leaf spinach

2. Cultivation environment

Place the growing pot in a spot on the balcony with good light, but protect it from long periods of direct sun exposure.

3. Cultivation season

Spinach prefers cool conditions and is a relatively cold-tolerant vegetable. It can be sown from late August to early April of the following year, with better quality from autumn and winter cultivation.

4. Sowing

(1) Preparation before sowing

Treatment of the growing medium before sowing: for spinach, choose a pollution-free growing medium. 1-2 days before planting, keep the pot medium as it is without turning it, and use clean water to rinse the medium until it is wet at the bottom, so that the medium is moist. Medium treatment can also be done at the same time as sowing, but be sure to avoid the medium being too wet, which causes seed rot, or too dry, which causes uneven germination and emergence.

(2) Sowing time: sow from September to March of the following year, mainly by direct sowing. Soak the seeds to promote germination before sowing.

(3) Sowing technique: after watering the pot soil thoroughly, scatter the seeds on the soil surface, cover with about 1 cm of soil, press lightly, and water thoroughly. Keep the soil moist before germination. You can also cover with a layer of plastic film after sowing to keep the medium moist and help emergence; remove the film promptly when 50% have emerged.

5. Management

(1) Fertilization management: the medium itself contains certain nutrients. You can use organic fertilizer fermentation liquid made by composting materials commonly used in daily life, such as rice-washing water, fruit peels, and kitchen scraps, for irrigation.

(2) Water management: in winter and spring, water once every 5-7 days, preferably keeping the soil moist, and avoid being too dry or too wet. Avoid watering at noon during hot seasons.

Article source [China Smart Agriculture Official Website]