Spinach. Cultivation and care in the open field.

As a rule, spinach is grown outdoors in order to obtain vitamins from greens as early as early spring. When other crops are still in the process of ripening, spinach can already delight you with its greens. How to properly grow this crop, as well as all the features of spinach, read in our material.

Spinach: characteristics and requirements

This culture is very popular in France and America. In our country, spinach is not found so often, but in vain, because it contains a huge amount of vitamins and other useful microelements. Growing spinach outdoors has its own characteristics. It is worth noting that you need to harvest on time, since in an overgrown state, the leaves of this green culture become tasteless and tough. Spinach tolerates cold temperatures quite well. If the daylight hours are too long, then this is fraught with early flowering of plants. There are other reasons for the formation of arrows. Firstly, this is non-observance of the basic rules for care. Secondly, in too hot and arid climates, the plant will not feel the best. Thirdly, an incorrect, too dense planting pattern can also provoke early spinach flowering.

The roots of this culture are compact in size; therefore, such a plant can often be found in greenhouses, as well as on window sills or loggias. Greens grow quite quickly, and in one season there is a chance to get a crop more than once.

Particular attention should be paid to plants during the very beginning of growth. Young plants need attention. Spinach should be watered periodically, weeds should be removed from the site, and the soil should be loosened from time to time. Some features in spinach agrotechnology:

1) When the plant is more or less adult, then caring for it becomes very simple and minimal. It is necessary to ensure that the water does not stagnate in the area of ​​the root system. Drying of the soil is also unacceptable. Spinach grows quite actively. Varieties that are early ripening can be used for food a couple of weeks after the first shoots appear.

2) If the weather is dry, then you need to periodically water the plants. After that, you need to lay a mulching layer on the moistened soil. For these purposes, as a rule, sawdust is used.

3) During the period of growing green mass, it is not necessary to feed the plants. Overloading nutrients can be detrimental to plants. If the soil contains too much nitrogen, nitrates can accumulate in the leaf plates.

For successful cultivation of spinach, it is imperative that you prepare the soil before planting seeds. For this, the site is dug up, and top dressing is also introduced.

Spinach: the best varieties for outdoor use

During the Middle Ages, spinach was perceived as a delicacy. Today, these greens are often an element of dietary nutrition, since spinach contains quite a lot of various useful substances and elements for the human body. For example, carotene in this culture is contained in the same amount as in carrots.

It is better to give preference to those varieties of spinach that do not require too much attention. Choose spinach that tolerates low temperatures easily, does not go too quickly into the arrow. You should also pay attention to the taste of herbs and productivity.

Fatty spinach.

This variety was officially registered in the State Register in 1971. In terms of ripening, it is mid-season, usually the leaves can be cut off already a month after the first shoots have appeared. The leaves are collected in a rosette, it is slightly raised, its diameter reaches about twenty-seven centimeters. One bush weighs about twenty grams. As for the yield, from one square meter you can get about two and a half kilograms of greenery. This variety has good taste, it is not too whimsical, and also has good immunity. This spinach can be grown in many regions of our country.

Giant spinach.

Such spinach appeared on the lists of the State Register in 1978. In this variety, the rosette has a compact shape, about fifty centimeters in diameter. The leaf grows eighteen centimeters long, about fourteen centimeters wide. The leaves are light green in color and have a slightly wrinkled texture. If you take good care of the plants, then the weight of one bush can reach from twenty to twenty-eight grams. This is an early maturing variety. The first leaves are usually harvested two weeks after the shoots have appeared. From one square meter, you can get up to two and a half kilograms of greenery.

Red spinach.

Few people know that spinach can be not only green, but also red. Most often, some parts of the leaves are red. Let's list the main varieties of such spinach.

Bordeaux. The petioles and veins in the leaf plates have a red tint, while the leaves themselves are green. The rosette reaches about thirty centimeters in diameter, and grows in height by twenty centimeters. Such a variety feels good in an open area; it is best to choose a well-lit place. A distinct sweetness is felt in the taste. In green varieties, it is not.

Red Cardinal. This is a hybrid variety. The petioles and veins are pinkish, the leaves themselves are green. Does not show any special care requirements, is almost not affected by powdery mildew. Ripens in open ground in about thirty to forty days.

Some gardeners confuse red spinach varieties with a closely related crop, Swiss chard. It is also grown for greens.

Spinach Uteusha.

This variety is a hybrid cross between crops such as sorrel and spinach itself. It was obtained on the territory of Ukraine in the 20th century. This variety is not too whimsical. As a rule, such greens are used in salads and soups. This variety is often grown as a fodder crop. The bush can reach a height of two meters. Most often, this spinach is grown in seedlings in greenhouse conditions. After the plants have matured, they are transferred to an open area. This perennial plant can be in the same place for up to fifteen years. Oxalic acidity is felt in the taste.

Victoria.

This variety is late-ripening in terms of ripening, it appeared in the State Register in 1950. Typically, the greens of this variety ripen in the period from nineteen to thirty-seven days. The leaves are dark green in color, the shape of the plate is semicircular. The rosette is about twenty centimeters in diameter. From one square meter, you can get from two and a half to three and a half kilograms of fresh herbs. One bush weighs about twenty-five grams. These greens are good to use fresh, and the leaves of such spinach are also well suited for salad, sauce, stew, soup.

Popeye.

This variety was bred by domestic scientists, relatively recently it was officially registered in the State Register, in 2015. The rosette of leaves grows to a height of twenty-five centimeters, one plant weighs about thirty-five grams. Up to three kilograms of greenery can be removed from one square meter. The leaves are colored dark green. Taste quality at a high level. It has an average degree of arrowing. Early in terms of ripening. It shows itself well throughout Russia.

Boa.

This variety was officially registered in the State Register recently, in 2017. Thanks to Dutch scientists, it is a hybrid. The boa is early in terms of ripening. It tolerates cold temperatures well, and also has a strong immunity to major diseases. Feels good in open field conditions in all regions of the country. The leaf plate is oval, green in color. The leaves are grouped into a rosette. The rosette is no more than fifteen centimeters in diameter. The weight of one plant is about sixty grams. From one square meter, you can get up to two kilograms of greenery. The flowering of this variety comes quite late, which is an undoubted plus for gardeners.

Planting spinach in an open area

Typically, spinach seeds are sown in an open area from late April to mid-August. The interval is three to four weeks. Seeds are able to germinate at +4 degrees. Plants in open form can withstand up to -5 degrees. As for adult bushes, they are not afraid of even frosts of -15 degrees. This makes it possible to grow spinach throughout the growing season.

It is believed that spinach harvested in the spring or fall has the highest palatability. Best to grow

spinach at a temperature of +15 - +20 degrees. If the temperature is higher, there is a risk that the plants will bloom too soon.

It will not be superfluous to follow the rules of crop rotation. It is best to grow spinach in areas where radishes, cabbage, and potatoes used to grow.

If you want to remove the fresh spinach leaves earlier, you can create a shelter over the spinach area. For this, you can use a non-woven fabric. In fairly warm conditions, the seeds sprout after four to five days.

Planting spinach before winter

In order for spinach to decorate your table with its greens already in the spring, it is best to plant seeds on the site in the fall. Usually mid-August to mid-September is best for this. This applies to winter sowing. At the same time, the seeds should not have time to sprout if you sow them before winter. For this, it is best to choose November. During this period, there is still no stable frost. There is no need to care for the crops in the autumn. When the snow has thawed, the first plants will sprout. Spinach can be harvested ten days earlier with this scheme than when sown in early spring.

How to plant spinach correctly

This culture is quite unpretentious to care for. Seeding is carried out by about two to three centimeters. For this, grooves or pits are made. The distance between them should be approximately twenty centimeters. Two or three seeds should be placed in one hole. After the emergence of seedlings, it is necessary to thin out the plantings and leave only the strongest plants, the rest are removed.

If you are planting seeds in grooves, then the distance between the seeds should also be left two to three centimeters. The seeds are not small in size, so it is not difficult to sow them at the right distance. As for the row spacing, this distance should be between twenty and twenty-five centimeters. It is necessary to moisten the area with crops daily even before germination, and then the first sprouts will hatch in seven days.

After a pair of real leaves has formed, you need to organize the thinning of the seedlings.It is necessary to leave a free space of eight to ten centimeters between the bushes. As for varieties of spinach, which appear rather late and have a larger plant size, then it is necessary to thin out as they gain growth, young leaves can be eaten.

This culture also does not show any special requirements for the composition of the soil; only too acidic and heavy soils are not suitable for spinach. To get a decent harvest, you need beds for planting.

prepare in the fall. The site needs to be dug up and fertilized. For one square of the area there is a bucket of humus and a glass of wood ash. Sometimes gardeners also bring in some river sand and deoxidized peat. This is necessary in order for the soil to acquire a looser texture, in addition, this measure increases the level of soil fertility.

In the spring, before planting spinach, it is necessary to level the ground, compact it and spill it thoroughly with water. To sow seeds, you need to make grooves to a depth of a couple of centimeters, while between the grooves there should be from twenty to twenty-five centimeters.

Planting material for spinach must be prepared before planting. The seeds have a fairly dense shell, for this reason the sprouts do not hatch too quickly. But thanks to this feature, the seeds can easily endure winter while in the soil, and when spring comes, they wake up and germinate.

If you want to wait for the spring appearance of plants as soon as possible, then before sowing seeds in the ground, they must be soaked in warm water, about +30 degrees. Two or three days will be enough. Also, some gardeners use well-rotted, moistened sawdust for these purposes. They need to be mixed with the seeds and also left for two to three days in a warm place.

This culture is sown in an open area at the beginning of the spring period or before winter. Spinach reacts calmly to frost, it is undemanding to care for, and it grows faster than other vegetable crops. Place spinach seeds in the finished grooves, keeping a distance. The earth is crumbling on top. It needs to be leveled and a mulching layer should be laid on top. To prevent the crops from eroding, it is recommended to water them after planting by spraying water from a watering can between the rows.

To get the first crop in the shortest possible time, you can use polyethylene as a shelter. After the sprouts hatch, the film is removed for the day, and at night it must be returned to protect the young spinach from the cold. A greenhouse is not required to grow seedlings. This can be done on the window at home, seedlings are also not demanding.

Spinach: growing rules

Spinach is planted in open ground, usually in spring and late summer. When choosing a site for planting spinach, it is best to give preference to a sunny place. The soil should be sufficiently loose in structure and with the necessary amount of nutrients. Taking care of this greenery is not so difficult. From time to time it is necessary to thin out the plants, weed the area from the weeds, loosen the soil, and also regularly water the plants.

Some experienced gardeners plant spinach between rows of fruit or vegetable crops. The root system of spinach when grown outdoors is capable of releasing saponins useful for other plants into the ground.

This crop responds well to regular watering. If it is a dry and hot season, then watering should be carried out daily. Spinach, if fertilized incorrectly, accumulates nitrate compounds in its greenery. For this reason, it is better not to feed the plants additionally with the help of nitrogen and organic matter. The main part of fertilizer is applied to the soil during sowing of seeds.

If spinach is grown on an industrial scale, then young plants are fertilized with nitrogen and potassium supplements. This is done while watering the plants.

After the soil becomes wet, it is very convenient to loosen between the rows. So the root system will develop better, and the green part will grow more actively. If you do not want to water and loosen the soil too often, lay a layer of mulch on the beds. You can use compost or humus for this. If you have no other options, and you have to plant spinach in heavy soil, then before planting seeds, season your soil with river sand, rotted compost and deoxidized peat. This must be done, because such soil holds water too much, and also "does not breathe", which are detrimental factors when growing spinach.

This culture is not too often attacked by any harmful insects or infections. This is very important when growing a green culture, since it is impossible to treat a fast-ripening leaf culture with chemicals.

If bad weather prevails for a long time, then you can lose fresh greenery. Conditions of too high humidity (which occurs with heavy and frequent rainfall) can provoke the appearance of a disease such as downy mildew. As a preventive measure against diseases of fungal origin, treatment can be carried out immediately before sowing seeds. To do this, you can use the drugs Trichodermin or Fitosporin.

If, on the contrary, the weather is dry, then leaf aphids can attack the spinach. It is worth noting that this pest is capable of spreading the beet jaundice virus. You must always monitor the condition of the soil, especially the moisture level. If, nevertheless, it was not possible to avoid the problem, and pests have visited your spinach plantings, then it is recommended to use natural remedies. For example, tobacco, onion infusion. You can also prepare different solutions, for example, soap based.

In addition, sometimes you may find that the spinach leaves begin to turn yellow, and the growth of plants stops. Such problems arise, as a rule, due to improper agricultural techniques: too dry or too

wet soil, high pH. Also, you should not plant plants too close. Do not plant spinach next to beets. These cultures have common enemies. Leaf aphids and beet nematodes can harm both plants.

Growing spinach in greenhouse conditions

This crop can be very successfully grown in greenhouse conditions. This is usually done for the winter. Seeds are sown from early autumn to February. For plants to germinate faster, the seeds must be soaked in water for one to two days. At the same time, the temperature can be kept not too high, about +10 or +15 will be enough. This culture is frost-resistant, and it survives small drops in temperatures well. In greenhouse conditions, you also need to periodically weed the ground, water the plants. If the days are warm, then you need to ventilate the room.

You can grow spinach in containers first. This is usually done in February. At this time, it is too early to plant this crop on the street. There is a certain algorithm for growing and caring for seedlings in greenhouse conditions:

1) If you plant spinach at home, it is convenient to use plastic containers for this. There must be holes for drainage on the bottoms.

2) The soil must have a loose structure and be fertile enough. You can take a soil that is universal, it is sold in any garden store. The soil must be poured into containers and moistened using a spray bottle.

3) The seeds also need to be spread out in the grooves on top of the soil. This will make the process of growing and caring for plants easier.You can not maintain any distance and just sow seeds in the ground. After the emergence of shoots, you will have to do the picking of plants in separate cups.

4) Next, the seed is sprinkled with soil, the layer thickness should be about two centimeters.

5) Containers should be covered with a transparent material (plastic lid or bag) and placed in a well-lit warm room. Seeds germinate best at temperatures from +18 to +20 degrees.

6) After five to seven days from the time the seeds were sown in the ground, sprouts should germinate. This happens amicably enough.

7) Containers with young seedlings should now be left open. As the soil dries up, it needs to be moistened.

8) Next, you need to periodically water the plants. It is best to use standing water and a spray bottle for these purposes.

Already after a couple of weeks, early ripening spinach varieties will delight you with their juicy greens. It can be eaten or transferred to the greenhouse.

How spinach is grown commercially

Spinach is grown for these purposes in different ways, both greenhouse conditions and open areas are suitable. To do this, you need to choose the most productive varieties that do not go into the arrow too quickly. Such spinach should not be capricious in agricultural technology. It is best to give preference to early maturing varieties. Boa, for example, works well.

To get a good result, spinach for these purposes is planted in open ground in two passes: starting in February and ending in May and from the last days of July to the end of August.

It is best to plant spinach on well-fertilized, loose soil. The acidity level should be neutral. Before planting, you need to prepare the soil, for this they lime it, and also apply fertilizers in certain quantities. To do this, use compost or humus (thirty tons per hectare), potassium chloride and superphosphate (one and a half centners per hectare). Harrowing of the field is carried out in the spring. Before sowing a crop, cultivation is carried out. At the same time, ammonium nitrate is introduced (two centners per hectare).

In order to grow spinach on an industrial scale in an open area, it is most often planted in a thirty-two by seventy-five pattern. The sowing method is selected as a belt in many lines. One hectare consumes about twenty-five to forty kilograms of seeds. After the formation of a pair of real leaves, it is necessary to thin out the plantings. There should be a distance of at least eight centimeters between the bushes. Further, it is periodically necessary to weed the ground, as well as water the plants.

Harvested after the formation of rosettes with six to eight sufficiently developed leaves. Plants are usually removed along with the root system, or the rosette is cut in the area of ​​the leaves, which are located at the very bottom. A maximum of one hectare in open field conditions can get three hundred centners of greenery. For harvesting in large areas, special machines with a cart are usually used.

How to harvest spinach

You should not start harvesting spinach after it has rained. It is not recommended to do this even after the plants have been watered. Related

this is so that the outlet can begin to rot in those places where the leaves fell off. It is best to pick early morning hours for harvesting. So the presentation and taste will last longer.

Spinach is a crop that ripens quickly enough. Taking care of her is also not difficult. Some varieties will be able to please you with their greens already fifteen to twenty days after the first sprouts have appeared. You need to harvest the crop at the right time, you do not need to delay the harvest. Too mature leaves are coarse, and their taste and useful properties are reduced. Spinach leaves can be used in a variety of ways.They are suitable for fresh salads, various soups, they can be stewed, canned. Spinach tolerates freezing well. Fresh spinach will last for a maximum of five to seven days. At zero temperature and 100% humidity, leaves can be stored for two weeks. It is best to consume the greens on the day they were harvested.

Some gardeners sow seeds on the site after the first half of summer, so you can also get an autumn harvest. After spinach on the site, you can safely plant tomatoes, usually this is done in early June.

How to properly propagate spinach

This culture is annual. It is a herb that belongs to the Amaranth family. Caring for spinach is very simple; it is usually propagated by seed. The hybrid variety Uteusha, which has sorrel among its parents, is a perennial culture. This variety can be propagated by dividing the shrub.

Seed material is usually purchased from garden stores, or you can collect them yourself. For this purpose, you need to leave the tallest and most powerful bushes. Seed ripening usually occurs in August. Such bushes, which have seed pods, need to be pulled out and dried in a ventilated room; an attic is well suited. After that, the required volume of seeds is husked. They must be stored before sowing in a dark place, in dry conditions. Usually, about forty-five grams of seeds can be obtained from one square meter. They can retain the ability to germinate from three to four years.

Growing and following the rules of spinach farming is an absolutely feasible task even for novice gardeners. It is best to select areas for planting spinach away from the road. This culture is not at all capricious, the crop can be harvested at very early dates. In addition, the scope of application of such greens is universal, it can be used both fresh and for preparing various dishes and even preserves. This crop shows decent results in an open area, in greenhouses, and is also often grown at home on a window.