Spinach growing and care in open ground. Spring protection of garden plants from pests and diseases All about spinach from planting to harvesting

Spinach gained its popularity in our territory not so long ago. But since it has many vitamins and microelements, even summer residents have become interested in its cultivation. The problem is that this plant is specific and requires certain conditions to obtain a good harvest. How grow spinach in the garden? We will learn the answer to this question from this article.

How to grow spinach: basic rules

First of all, let's be clear that spinach is not just useful herb, and a storehouse of vitamin C, calcium, iodine, iron, sodium and B vitamins. It has a positive effect on the digestive system, improves its functioning and promotes recovery. But there are some restrictions, since spinach should not be consumed if you have kidney or liver diseases.

Spinach belongs to annual plants. The optimal temperature for planting seeds is 18-20 degrees (approximately May). It is important that the earth is completely warmed up. Spinach has a lot different varieties. Which one to choose depends entirely on personal preference, but the most suitable for growing on are: “Gigantic”, “Victoria”, “Fatty-leaved”, “Matador” and “Virofle”.

For good growth and a rich spinach harvest, it needs to create certain conditions:

• The soil. The plant does not tolerate acidic soils well, so it is best to use loamy soils. But if there is none, the situation can be corrected by mixing the soil with ash and lime. A prerequisite is looseness. It is very important that the soil is sufficiently loose. This will help the young seed roots to take root quickly.
• Lighting. Spinach loves sun and warmth, so it is recommended to plant the plant in open areas. It is very important that there are no tall trees or bushes nearby that will create shade.
• Fertilizer. Before sowing, the soil must be thoroughly fertilized. For this you can use both mineral and organic fertilizers. It is best to saturate the soil with magnesium and phosphorus, which will contribute to the rapid growth of the plant and its fruitful flowering.

Spinach in the garden: how to plant?

Before planting, spinach seeds must be soaked in water for some time (approximately 1-2 days). This is done so that the seed hatches faster. Then they are slightly dried and sown in the ground. The seed is lowered into a pre-prepared hole to a shallow depth. The distance of plants from each other should not exceed 20 cm. After the hole, you need to fill it with earth and compact it tightly. Water the seedlings generously with water and cover with burlap or polyethylene for a while (4-5 days). The first shoots will appear in 10 days.

To get fleshy and large spinach leaves, you need to thin it. This important stage that cannot be missed. Densely sprouted seedlings are freed from excess sprouts and their horse system, otherwise the harvest will be small and sluggish.

Densely sprouted seedlings are freed from excess sprouts

Important! Spinach can overwinter in the soil, so for those who wish to in early spring to enjoy the juicy and nutritious leaves of the plant, you should sow the seeds in the soil late autumn(October November). Thus, the first shoots of spinach will appear with the arrival of warmth and sun.

When to harvest? There is no need to wait until the leaves become rough and form stems. It is better to eat a young and juicy plant, since it contains many vitamins and microelements. As the arrows appear, spinach becomes unfit for consumption. Do not forget about pests and diseases that often attack spinach. Therefore, for prevention, loosen the soil, do not allow it to be close to other plants, and try not to over-moisten the soil.

It is better to eat a young and juicy plant

Spinach - vegetable crop, which contains in the leaves a lot of useful vitamins that are essential for work human body. Therefore, gardeners who decide to switch to healthy eating, sooner or later they wonder how to plant a plant. In order for spinach planting to be successful and the bed to soon be covered with succulent rosettes, you need to know everything about the specifics of growing vegetables in the garden.

Features of growing spinach

It is better to plant the plant in early spring or autumn, since at this time the temperature stays between +20-+25 C. Spinach is also sown closer to summer, however, in order for the bushes to grow quickly, the plantings have to be carefully looked after: watered frequently and shaded from the burning sun. If you don’t provide greenery comfortable conditions, the plant will begin to stem. In cases where the desire to constantly have fresh herbs on the table overcomes the difficulties, spinach is planted every 15-20 days.

Note! Unlike most garden crops, spinach cannot be fertilized with fresh organic fertilizers during its growth. Such fertilizing worsens the taste of greens and, with a large dosage, can burn the roots of the bush.

When to plant spinach in open ground: planting dates

Since spinach is a cold-hardy plant, spring planting in open ground produced immediately after the ground thaws. As for temperature, sowing of spinach begins when it gets warmer outside to +4-5 C. Depending on climatic conditions region, as a rule, the crop is sown in the calendar period from March to June.

To harvest useful leaves in the fall, seeds are sown in early to mid-August.

In the fall before winter, spinach is planted on the site at the end of September, October and November. The plant will produce small leaves, overwinter safely, and in the spring, 2 weeks after the snow melts, the leaves will be ready for consumption.

According to the lunar calendar in 2019

For greater discipline, many gardeners often turn to the lunar calendar for specific dates.

According to the lunar calendar in 2019 favorable days for planting spinach in open ground are:

• in March - 8-12, 15-17, 27-29;
• in April - 6-13, 15-18, 24-26, 29, 30;
• in May - 1-4, 8-10, 12-14, 17, 18, 21-23, 26-31;
• in June - 5, 6, 9-15, 22-25;
• in July - 10-12, 20-22, 29-31;
• in August - 2-8, 11-13, 17, 18, 26-28;
• in September - 1-5, 7-10;
• in October - recommended favorable dates No;
• in November - 1-3, 6-8, 15-18, 24, 25.

Unfavorable days according to the lunar calendar for 2019 The dates for sowing spinach are:

• in March - 6, 7, 21;
• in April - 5, 19;
• in May - 5, 19;
• in June - 3, 4, 17;
• in July - 2, 3, 17;
• in August - 15, 16, 30, 31;
• in September - 14, 15, 28, 29;
• in October - 14, 28;
• in November - 12, 13, 26,27.

According to lunar calendar from the magazine “1000 tips for a summer resident.”

How to plant spinach in open ground: preparation and planting

The desire to have spinach in the garden may simply disappear after a few unsuccessful landings. To prevent this from happening, you need to know all the requirements for growing this vegetable crop.

How to choose a landing site

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, which are protected from cold winds.

If there is nowhere to plant bushes except in lowlands, the crop is sown on ridges, which are fenced with hardwood boards. Due to root system the plants are short, the mound may be small.

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

What soil is needed and how to prepare it

Spinach loves to grow in nutritious, loose soil. Thus, the best soils For planting the plant, seeds are sandy and loamy soil, the acidity of which is 6.5-7 units. If the environment on the site is acidic, add dolomite flour or organic. It is impossible to lime the soil, since the plant does not grow well after this. To improve the structure of heavy clay soils, first add rotted manure.

If the soil meets the requirements, begin preparing the site for planting. In the fall, add to the soil mineral fertilizers with a high content of potassium and phosphorus. If desired, add half the dose of nitrogen, and the rest is incorporated into the soil in the spring. Instead of store-bought mixtures, the soil can be filled with compost or rotted manure. Organic consumption per 1 sq.m. beds - 6-7 kg.

If the soil on the site is poor, then immediately before sowing per 1 sq.m. area contribute 5 g of phosphorus, 7-9 g of nitrogen, 10-12 g of potassium.

Important! Spinach leaves have the ability to accumulate nitrates, so you should not apply excessive amounts of nitrogen to the crop.

How to prepare seeds

To speed up the emergence of seedlings, planting material soaked in warm water. While the seeds of many crops require several hours of soaking, 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 it is difficult for moisture to absorb. Place the germination container in a warm place and change the water periodically. At the end of the period, spinach seeds taken out of the water are slightly dried and sown in open ground.

Direct landing

The first thing you need to do before planting spinach seeds in open ground is to loosen the soil with a rake and then level it. If planting is to be done on ridges, an embankment is created at the selected location and fenced with available materials. On a prepared bed wooden plank make rows 2 cm long. Optimal distance between rows - 15-20 cm, and between plants - 7-10 cm. Seed consumption for sowing 1 sq.m. area - 4-5 g.

If you plant the bushes too densely, the plants will develop more slowly. To be sure that enough plants will grow in the garden bed and the space will not be empty, you can reduce the spacing between the bushes in the rows. However, if seed germination is 100%, the plantings will have to be thinned out. The soil in the hole is watered warm water, lay out the seeds. Then the crops are carefully covered with a rake, while lightly pressing the soil.

To reduce moisture evaporation 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

So that the plants give good harvest, they need to be provided with comfortable conditions for growth. What does it take to care for spinach after planting?

Watering

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

It is especially important to water spinach during the 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 l.

Top dressing

Leaves of plants that are in short supply chemical elements, gradually turn a different color or die off.

The fertilizers chosen to feed spinach must be applied strictly in the dose recommended by the manufacturer, otherwise there will be excess 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 necessary. As you know, these plants suck a lot of nutrients from the soil and compact the soil, which has a bad effect on the condition of the crop and, accordingly, the yield. If the distance between seedlings is much less than 7-10 cm, excess bushes are removed. To reduce stress on surrounding bushes, water the bed sparingly after thinning.

The soil is loosened for the first time when the seedlings are 2-3 days old. To do this, use a rake to carefully destroy the formed crust, thereby improving soil aeration. Subsequently, loosening is carried out after each watering or rain.

Shelter in the heat

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

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

Pests and diseases of spinach

The tender leaves are favored by aphids, leafminers and naked slugs. Don't mind eating greens and snails. Spinach growing in a thickened state suffers from false powdery mildew. The bushes become infected with spotting and root rot.

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

When to harvest and how to store

In order for spinach leaves to be tender and tasty, they need to be collected on time. If you exceed the recommended time, the leaves will become hard and lose their original taste. Harvesting spinach from bushes planted in spring begins 8-10 weeks after the seedlings emerge. Spinach planted in summer is cut 2 weeks later. Regarding the time of day, cut off the sockets better in the morning after they dry out from watering.

You can determine whether spinach is ready for harvesting by the type of bush - you can harvest the greens immediately after the formation of 5-6 leaves on the plant, which appear 30-40 days after the seedlings appear.

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

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

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

If you carefully understand the agrotechnical requirements, planting spinach will not cause difficulties even for an amateur gardener. All that is needed unpretentious culture for normal growth - sufficient moisture and fertile soil.

Video: everything about growing spinach in open ground at the dacha

In contact with

A large amount of vitamins, essential acids, vegetable proteins and microelements in a balanced form, preserved even during cooking and freezing, are obtained by consuming this early ripening green crop. Spinach- is a vegetable cultivation and care behind which in open ground will allow you to get early greens during the season when almost nothing grows in the beds. Its seeds germinate already at +4º C.

I'll tell you this: Popeye lied about being overly beneficial properties spinach But, of course, spinach is good for health, you need to grow something in the garden, and it is important to do it with talent. For example, one architect Marijke Bruinsma, together with another and a third, came up with one building for three, called it a house and thought to surprise visitors with plants on the roof - . So, you can grow spinach in various containers and designs, fit it into the design of your site and enjoy the landscape design.

From what could easily be eaten, there is a guide to planting and caring for: razmorin, daikon and physalis.

Spinach - method of planting seeds

Sowing spinach seeds and simple care behind him in open ground- the only way growing this plant. For successful cultivation careful preparation of the seeds is required - they are soaked for 2 days in warm water, bubbling, and then slightly dried.

Sowing seeds

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Spinach care

Spinach care measures include regular watering, weeding, and loosening the rows. It is especially important to remove weeds and thin out overly densely planted plants, since dense planting will be unproductive and root rot, slugs. Removing male spinach plants will help increase yield. They can be recognized by the type of leaf appearance: on female plants they appear in the form of a round rosette, and on male ones they grow from the sinuses.

Harvesting and storage

Plants are ready to eat after 6 to 12 leaves appear on the spinach. Delay in harvesting will lead to aging and coarsening of the leaves, loss of valuable qualities of spinach. The leaves are cut off as they grow or the entire plant is pulled out when harvesting spinach for long-term storage.

The shelf life of collected leaves is 1-2 days; well-washed greens are frozen whole or in the form of puree crushed in a blender. One storage method is to preserve spinach leaves by sterilization.

Preparing for winter

Spinach is grown as an annual crop; it does not overwinter in open ground. Of practical importance is winter sowing this green crop. Sowing in September-October will allow you to get the first greens early in the spring. Small rosettes of leaves that appear in the fall are sprinkled with weathered peat or rotted compost. This cover from spinach rosettes in spring should be removed immediately after the snow melts.

I am a big fan of green crops and I have a lot of greenery planted in my dacha.

Over time I will try to tell about everyone.

And now a little about spinach, about this dietary green.

Botanical certificate

Spinach– annual herbaceous plant from the amaranth family (in the older classification - chenopodiaceae). Forms small rosettes of 6-10 basal leaves and an erect stem.

Depending on the variety, appearance leaves are different - they can be matte and glossy, have varying degrees of wrinkling and coloring - from light green to dark and even gray-green.

Where is he from?

Spinach from ancient Persia(Iran). Then from there it came to China, and was later brought by the Moors to Spain.

Spinach appeared in Europe in the 15th century, and for a long time was known as the "Spanish vegetable".

In Russia they began to cultivate spinach in the middle of the 18th century, but both then and now it has not become widespread.

A storehouse of vitamins

But in vain! After all, spinach is one of the most useful green crops and is a storehouse of vitamins and microelements, which are largely retained in it even after heat treatment.

It is rich in vitamins K, A and B9, manganese, iron and magnesium, and also contains a lot of vitamins C, B2, B6I E, potassium and calcium. Protein is present in significant doses.

And all this speaks not only about the multivitamin value of this vegetable, but also about the presence of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Italian scientists have concluded that spinach is very effective in improving mood and helping to quickly remember what you need.

And besides being very useful, this leaf vegetable It’s also delicious and perfect for preparing salads, side dishes for meat dishes, soups, omelettes and even pies.

Growing it right

Spinach is one of the earliest vegetable plants. And, since it is cold-resistant, it is better to sow it as early as possible, around April 15-20; winter sowings are also possible.

Seed germination begins already at a temperature of 3-4ºС, and adult plants tolerate frosts even down to minus 4-5ºС. But still optimal temperature for spinach growth – 15-18ºС.

The plant does not tolerate heat well, and at temperatures above 20ºC, some of its varieties can throw out flower shoots.

Spinach prefers fertile loose soils with a neutral reaction, areas that are well fertilized with organic fertilizers in the previous season are most suitable for it.

Fresh organic fertilizers (manure, slurry, etc.) should not be applied directly to spinach - they impair the taste of the leaves and lead to the accumulation of nitrates in them.

Spinach needs high humidity soil and is considered one of the most moisture-loving crops, so it needs to be watered almost every day. However, excess moisture is also harmful, as it can lead to rotting of the sockets.

Sowing and care

In early spring, we sow spinach in greenhouses and greenhouses, and later in open ground. To speed up the process, you can sow seeds that have been soaked for two to three days.

We sow the seeds in furrows to a depth of 2-2.5 cm, and distribute them in a row at a distance of 5-8 cm from each other. The distance between grooves is 20 cm.

After sowing, lightly compact the soil and then water it. And after 7-14 days shoots appear. When closing the plants, thin them out so that the remaining plants are 15 cm apart.

Caring for spinach is something like this: regular watering, weeding and loosening. To reduce the dose of watering and loosen less often, and thereby make your work easier, you can mulch the soil.

Periodically combine watering with fertilizing. Spinach loves it. We feed it with complex fertilizers (Kemira, nitrophoska) in combination with nitrogen fertilizers, for example, urea.

But we will be careful with nitrogen fertilizing so that nitrates do not accumulate in the leaves. I do not recommend feeding spinach with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, as they help accelerate the bolting of plants.

We remove selectively

We harvest spinach selectively, in the phase of 3-4 leaves and in the full phase - 6-7 leaves.

Under no circumstances should you be late with harvesting, as overgrown leaves quickly become coarse.

When flower stalks appear, the leaves cannot be eaten.

I hope that I have convinced you, dear friends, of the benefits of this vegetable and that you will not forget to plant spinach.

See you soon, dear friends!

– garden culture, containing many easily digestible vitamins, organic and fatty acid, micro - and macroelements necessary for a healthy diet. This greenery is healthy and desirable on every table. Regular consumption of spinach is an excellent prevention of diseases of the digestive, nervous, cardiac systems, metabolic disorders, and improves immunity.

Did you know?Spinach leaves contain vitamins K, E, PP, C, P, A, B2, B6, manganese, silicon, iron, cobalt, thallium, boron, chromium, iodine, calcium, rubidium, zinc, vanadium. As well as serotonin, phytosterols, polysaccharides, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, ascorbic and oxalic acids.

When to sow spinach

Growing spinach in open ground can begin in early or mid-April, depending on the established weather. Spinach is cold tolerant, air temperature +4-5 °C is quite suitable for sowing, and its seedlings can withstand frosts down to –5-6 °C.

How to get an early spinach harvest

Planting spinach in spring gives a later harvest - around mid-June, not earlier. Is it possible and when exactly to plant spinach in open ground for earlier harvest? Can. They do this in regions with mild winters or winter varieties are sown in late August - early September.

When planting spinach before winter, you get the first greens in April. With this method, in 14-16 days from sowing to the first shoots, spinach takes root and overwinters well. And with the warming in March, it quickly grows.

Important!After collection early harvest after 45-50 days, you can collect the greens from the bushes again for the second time, and the plants are completely removed.

Soil requirements for spinach

Neutral, loamy and sandy loam soils rich in organic matter are most suitable for growing spinach. In addition, the soil for spinach should not be overly acidic - pH no higher than 7.

Good predecessors for this plant would be potatoes, cucumbers, legumes, White cabbage, tomatoes.

Did you know?Food processing of spinach - boiling, frying, stewing, canning, freezing - slightly changes its composition, it retains its useful biologically active elements.

Preparing the soil for planting

The soil for spinach is prepared in the fall - fertilizing is applied and it is dug up. The digging depth is 25 cm. It is recommended to fertilize spinach with potassium-phosphorus preparations, humus, and compost. Approximate quantity components per 1 sq. m - 5 g phosphorus, 8 g nitrogen, 10 g potassium, 5.5-6 kg humus.

Important!Nitrogen is used as fertilizer only in autumn, not in spring. Spinach quickly accumulates its excess, which is harmful to human health.

Sowing spinach seeds in open ground

Growing spinach from seeds directly into the ground without germinating seedlings is used quite often. To do this, soak the seeds for 20-24 hours before sowing. When soaking, the pericarp (shell) of the seed serves as a guide: if it has softened from water, then the seeds are ready for planting.

Before sowing, lightly dry the seeds - place them on a dry towel to absorb excess moisture and the seeds did not clump.

Important!Sow the seeds in moist soil; manganese (potassium permanganate) can be added to the water for irrigation to form a weak disinfectant solution. The planting depth is 2-2.5 cm, the distance between the beds, if there are several parallel ones, is 20-25 cm. Spinach is contraindicated for diseases of the duodenum, kidneys, liver, and gall bladder. It is administered with caution baby food . It's connected with increased content

in the vegetable oxalic acid.

Caring for spinach crops Spinach is photophilous, but also grows well in partial shade, that is, it can be planted either in a separate area from other crops, or using it as a separator between different garden plants

Water it moderately until the sprouts sprout - from a watering can with a sprayer, when it takes root - watering is sufficient, but moderate. The seedlings are thinned out when the second leaf appears, leaving a distance of 15-20 cm between them. Loosening is done each time as the soil dries. How to water spinach in dry summers?

Water more often and more abundantly, but make sure that the water does not stagnate and there is good aeration. Excess moisture will lead to the formation of powdery mildew and other diseases of spinach. During prolonged rainy weather, it is better to stretch the film over the stakes over the beds to avoid excessive dampness. As a rule, the soil for spinach is fertilized before planting - in the fall and, if necessary, in the spring before sowing, so spinach is not fertilized during the growing season.

Harvest

You can start harvesting spinach when the plant develops six leaves; this is usually done when 8-10 leaves develop. Cut the stem under the first leaf. Spinach roots spring planting dig up. You can immediately pull out the whole plant instead of cutting it. You cannot delay the collection of greens - the leaves overgrow, become rough, and lose their taste. Do not harvest after watering or rain. Best time for cleaning - early morning, then the leaves will be fresh and not crushed.