Spinach in the country
Content:
Spinach in the country can be safely grown. This article will tell you how to do this.
Spinach: benefits
Spinach smoothie: photo
Spinach is a leafy plant that any gardener can grow. It is rich in various vitamins, which are easily absorbed in the human body, in various fatty acids, in trace elements, in macronutrients - all these are essential components of proper nutrition. Spinach helps in the prevention of: digestive, nervous, cardiovascular diseases. It also has an excellent effect on the normalization of metabolism in the body and on strengthening the immune system.
How to grow spinach in the country?
What you need for an early harvest
Spinach in the country: photo
If you planted spinach in the spring, you should wait no earlier than mid-June. However, it is quite possible to get the harvest earlier. In regions with warm winters, it is advisable to plant winter spinach varieties already at the end of August or September. The first greens of winter spinach varieties can be harvested in mid-April. With this method of planting, spinach in the period from planting to germination, about two weeks, is able to take root well and endure the winter. When warm weather is established in March, it grows very quickly. After the first crop of winter spinach is obtained, after a month and a half, you can re-harvest the greens, and the plants themselves can be removed.
What is the optimal soil for growing spinach
Spinach in the country: photo
The most favorable for planting and further cultivation of spinach is neutral soil, which are rich in organic matter. You should also take into account the acidity of the soil. Recommended pH below seven. Spinach yields the best crop where tomatoes, potatoes and cabbage, as well as legumes or cucumbers used to grow. Food processing has a minimal effect on the composition of spinach; it will retain its useful qualities even after heat treatment or freezing.
Proper preparation of the ground before planting
Spinach in the country: photo
The land for planting spinach should be prepared in the fall, digging up and feeding it. It is advised to dig up the soil to a depth of about twenty-five centimeters. The yield is favorably influenced by compost and humus, as well as the use of potassium-phosphorus preparations. The optimal amount of fertilizer per square meter: ten grams of potassium, eight grams of nitrogen, five grams of phosphorus and about six kilograms of humus. Please note that nitrogen, as a fertilizer, can be used only when preparing the soil in the fall, since in the spring its excess spinach accumulates very quickly and can be harmful to health.
How to plant spinach seeds in the country?
Spinach in the country: photo
In most cases, spinach is grown in the country by planting seeds directly into the ground, without growing seedlings. With this method of planting, you must first soak the seeds of the plant for a day in water. Readiness for planting is easily determined by the softened seed coat. Immediately before planting in the ground, the seeds are dried with a towel in order to remove excess moisture and prevent the seeds from sticking together.
Sow spinach seeds in moist soil.It is recommended to add manganese to the water to obtain a disinfectant solution. Close up spinach seeds not deeply two, two and a half cm. If spinach is planted in several closely spaced beds, then a minimum distance of twenty centimeters between them must be observed.
Spinach in the country: care
Spinach in the country: photo
Spinach loves light, but it can grow in partial shade. Therefore, it can be planted both between other plants in the garden as a separator, and in a separate area. Spinach is easy to care for. For full growth, it is enough for him: loosened soil, timely watering, no weeds and thinning. While spinach has not yet risen, it requires only moderate watering, and after germination, watering should be increased. Thinning is recommended after the appearance of the second leaves. The optimum distance from plant to plant is at least fifteen centimeters. As the soil around the spinach seedlings dries up, loosen it up. During the summer drought, it is recommended to water the spinach more often and more abundantly, but care should be taken to ensure that the water does not stagnate near the plants. Excess water can lead to spinach diseases. In case of prolonged rains, in order to avoid increased dampness over the crops of spinach, stretch the film on the pegs. Since the soil before planting spinach was fertilized in advance in the fall and additionally in the spring, after the emergence of seedlings, fertilization is not carried out.
Harvesting
Spinach in the country: photo
Spinach is harvested in the country after the appearance of the sixth leaf, but most often eight to ten leaves are expected. The stem should be cut under the first leaf. If the spinach was planted in spring, then the roots of the plant are dug up. It is even better to pull out such plants entirely at once. You should not postpone the collection of greens, as it will lose not only its taste, but also tenderness.
Spinach in the country: photo
It is also not recommended to harvest spinach in the country after rain or watering. The most favorable time for harvesting is early morning. This will keep the leaves fresh for as long as possible. Externally, you can distinguish spinach planted in spring or summer by small light leaves, winter spinach has larger and darker leaves.
Diseases and pests of spinach, ways to deal with them
Anyone who has decided to grow spinach in their garden or garden is useful to know how to avoid damage to the plant by pests. The most effective way is to prevent diseases with the help of simple agricultural techniques: correct sowing, watering, timely weeding, as well as the use of pest-resistant spinach varieties. The most common pests include the larvae of flies that gnaw holes in the leaves of the plant, as well as slugs, cabbage scoop, aphids and caterpillars of the gama scoop.
Spinach is prone to diseases such as downy mildew and root and leaf rot. In most cases, plants fall ill due to violations of the elementary rules of agricultural technology. It is not recommended to treat the plant with chemistry. For mild lesions, a tomato or pepper or tobacco solution should be used to spray the affected plants. If, nevertheless, it is not possible to cope with the parasites, then the plant should be destroyed.
