Spinach

TomK · Post by **TomK** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 7:38 am

I dont realy know why anyone bothers trying to grow spinach...i think its a greenhouse princess...a packet of seed gives you more plants than any family will eat and when it's ready, you need to harvest it all, eat what you want and freeze the rest...I find it too annoying to stay on top of, and I like to be in the garden...chard is preferred by a long shot....and kale is a favourite of the chickens so I grow lots of that..I think redninja has the right idea for the spinach

Post by **WLLady** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 7:55 am

i usually just have one little row with about 10 plants...pick it religiously.....then plant another row beside (again, about 10 plants) 4 weeks after the first, and then the first row bolts, i pull it out strip the plants and freeze in ziplocks (or eat) and then sow another 10 seeds in the same spot (with a bit of compost)...have spinach all summer long...usually have 3 successive plantings in a summer. but we don't usually have enough to freeze, i just use it raw in mixed lettuce/green salads.

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 8:00 am

I hate chard, not an option. Chard and Kale are some kind of propaganda crap. Nasty stuff. Non-edible by my standards.

Kale I'm growing for the ducklings I don't have yet. I'm terribly annoyed with this spinach situation. Took up space in the beds for nothing. Grrrr!!! My chickens won't have anything to do with it. Nothing. If it wasn't once alive or pasta they aren't interested in leafy garden scraps.

I love spinach. I eat it almost every day as my salad. If you're going to eat a salad it should be a powerhouse green.

Can I use the seedy things in the bolts to replant?

Post by **WLLady** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 8:11 am

the seed needs to dry a bit before replanting off the bolted plants....i've never tried using it straight off the plant....but will replant the next year with last years if i remember to collect it before it hits the ground!

i'm with sandy on chard and kale....tough...chard MUST be cooked before i even think about it....even better if its in a soup that gets blendered after cooking. even my chickens won't touch kale (but they also hate lettuce....go figure...). LOVE spinach ;-P

Cuttlefish · Post by **Cuttlefish** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 8:19 am

I've been using spinach as a cover crop so my beds aren't empty over the winter. Planted in Sept. and Oct. you can gently harvest until the ground freezes (almost x-mas last year) it survives the winter and starts growing in March like crazy. Those cooler temps make it amazingly sweet!
Yes, it's bolting now, I chop 'n drop the plants in my way (make room for tomatoes!) so you get some free mulch out of it. But I let several female plants and a couple males flower to get infinity seeds for this fall. : ) Males have all the dusty, pollen filled flowers at the top of the stalk (they seem to always be ahead of the females...) Female flowers are right along the stem, at the base of the leaf. They open from the bottom to the top over a week or two, then you can compost the males and let the females mature their seeds until they turn brown. I think even just one female plant allowed to mature will give you more seeds than a packet from the store.