Spinach is a green leafy vegetable with great nutritional value. They provide calcium, vitamins C, A, K, E and B, fiber, iron, protein, potassium, antioxidant substances such as flavonoids and carotenoids, and many other nutrients. In addition, they do not contain fat, provide few calories, and help strengthen the immune system, prevent anemia and eye diseases, and treat hypertension.
But in addition to being so beneficial for health, they are very easy to grow in pots, both indoors and outdoors, to always have them at hand when cooking.
With them you can prepare the most varied meals: from spirals with cheese, wraps without flour or croquettes with amaranth, to gnocchi or cakes.
How to plant spinach?
1. Sow the spinach seeds in the containers of your choice, but don’t bury them too deep. Cover them with about a centimeter of soil. Keep in mind that it is preferable that the pot has a depth of approximately 20 centimeters, a volume of two liters, and that the seeds should be separated between 5 and 15 centimeters between them (leaving a radius of around 20 cm between each one) .
In addition, it is essential that the container has holes in the lower base for proper drainage; and that the soil is loose and with a little clay so that it retains moisture well.
Note: Most spinach varieties are planted in the spring or fall, when temperatures are warmer.
2. After the 5 days have passed you will see that the seeds begin to germinate. If you have chosen to start with a seedbed (in smaller containers) wait for the seedlings to have 2 or more leaves before transplanting.
Note: The germination process can take up to approximately 14 days.
3. You can harvest your spinach between 38 and 50 days (approximately 2 months) after germination, depending on the variety and climate, when they have between 5 and 6 well-formed leaves. To do this, it is not necessary to uproot the entire plant; You can remove its outer leaves, so the smaller and inner ones can grow faster.
Other Spinach Plant Care
- In fall and winter, place your pot in a sunny spot. The rest of the year, ensure shade in the afternoon. But if the weather is already hot, protect them from the sun, as it can burn their leaves. Spinach needs little heat to grow, as too much heat causes it to flower prematurely and turn bitter.
- Water avoiding wetting the leaves; do it at ground level, maintaining a constant degree of humidity. Avoid flooding the plant, but try to water regularly, since otherwise you will be favoring the production of flowers, which will make the plant spend more energy and nutrients on forming flowers and less on developing its leaves.
- To fertilize, use compost. You can learn here how to do it.