Spinach
Select Your Climate
Of all the wonderful leafy greens that thrive through the cooler months, English spinach must be the pick of the bunch. You can toss freshly picked leaves into salads, juices, soups, pies or stir-fries.
When to plant/sow in zone:
Requirements:
Cool conditions; plenty of water; full sun or part shade
Soil:
Well-drained soil enriched with compost and/or well-rotted manure or organic pellets. pH 6–7.5.
How to start: SEED: Sow direct in the ground (best) or in punnets into seed-raising mix. Sow 10mm deep, 30cm apart, in rows 40cm apart. Keep moist. Germinates in 5-10 days. SEEDLING: Plant in the ground when seedlings are 5-10cm+ tall, spacing them 30cm apart, in rows 40cm.
How to grow: Keep moist and mulch with straw. Apply seaweed solution or liquid fertiliser fortnightly. Apply organic fertiliser pellets monthly. Shade plants in hot weather.
When to harvest: Start harvesting in 6-8 weeks, picking when the leaves are big enough.
Troubleshooting:
Aphids; slugs and snails; whitefly; bacterial leaf spot; bolting
Wondering what to plant when?
Use our planner to create a planting calendar for your climate zone
View Planting Guide
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