The best spinach varieties

Spinach is a popular vegetable in the garden, which is used by many to prepare salads, as well as first and second courses. It has many species, including gigantic, watery, fat-leaved and others, which differ among themselves not only in ripening time, but also in optimal planting conditions and taste characteristics.

Spinach history and culture features

Spinach is an annual herb that belongs to the group of the Amaranth family. Its homeland is Ancient Persia, and many Arabs considered it the most useful herb, so only the most noble wealthy families used it as a delicacy.

Spinach was introduced to European countries only in the Middle Ages, and for the first time it was grown by Spanish monks. They cultivated the plant for a long time in their gardens, which made it possible to obtain many species. In the 17th century, juice and bread from this herb became the most popular in the market.

The bread was baked from flour extracted from the seeds, and the juice, due to its rich green color, was widely used in cooking. So, for example, in Spain it was used for coloring pasta and other products - sauces, creams, cream, vegetable or animal oil.

This plant quickly gained popularity among various European countries, and in our country it has been cultivated for about 200 years. It gained great popularity and distribution due to the simplicity of growing, unpretentiousness and lack of difficulty in care.

After planting, spinach is harvested when 5-8 leaves appear and the flowering of shoots is completed

Garden spinach is used fresh, and no more than 5-6 leaves are used in different dishes.

It pairs well with sorrel and is popular with vegetarians and nutritionists. Today it is also widely distributed in canned and dried form.First and second courses, vegetable salads are made from it, and also used to decorate various culinary masterpieces.

It is thanks to its many beneficial properties that many gardeners are faced with the question of how to grow spinach. For this, seeds are used, which are soaked in water for two days before planting. It grows well at a temperature of about 16-19 degrees, while it is not afraid of frost.

But before growing, it is important to choose a quality seed. It is complicated by the fact that today there are numerous types of spinach that are widespread in our region and differ in taste, harvest time and other qualities.

Video on how to grow Uteusha spinach

Among all varieties, three groups can be distinguished:

• early maturing;
• mid-season;
• late ripening.

It is optimal to plant all three varieties in the garden, which will allow you to get greens throughout the summer season.

Early ripening varieties

After planting, spinach is harvested when 5-8 leaves appear and the flowering of the shoots is completed. To do this, it is cut or mowed at the lower level, and also collected together with the roots. Certain species of this green plant produce good leaves as early as 2-3 weeks after sowing the seeds. Moreover, the seeds themselves ripen only after 90-110 days. You need to remove the greens before the arrow appears.

The most popular early-maturing spinach varieties:

1. Godry. The growing season falls on a period of 32-37 days, but the plant produces leaves after 2-3 weeks. It is suitable for planting in early spring or late autumn. At the same time, it is recommended to grow it outdoors, since the variety is highly resistant to low temperatures and moderate climatic conditions.
2. Gigantic. A variety whose growing season is 30-35 days after sowing the seeds. It is one of the most famous, while harvesting can be carried out after 2 weeks. It can be used for planting in early spring or fall and is considered one of the best for making canned food.
3. Stoic. Spinach has been grown in our country only since 1995. It can be used for canning and adding to vegetable salads. The highest yield is obtained in the middle zone of our country with moderate climatic conditions. It reaches 2-3 kg per square meter of planting.
4. Virofle. This variety is prone to the rapid appearance of the stem, while the rosette of leaves reaches a diameter of 30 cm.It is planted mainly in early spring, since the plant is resistant to cold and low night temperatures.

Mid-season spinach gives viable and ready-to-harvest shoots only 30-60 days after planting the seeds

Spinach has many valuable substances, vitamins and minerals, so it is even more useful than celery. However, the cultivar does not affect the health benefits of the herb.

Mid-season varieties

Mid-season spinach gives viable and ready-to-harvest shoots only 30-60 days after planting the seeds. They come after the early ripening ones, so the summer resident can plant all of them at the same time, but harvest at different periods.

The most popular mid-season species:

1. Matador. Yields a harvest after 3 weeks, so it is well suited for sowing in spring and autumn. Differs in frost resistance, resistance to shooting, and also picky about moisture. Can be used in cooking, dried or frozen.
2. Strong guy. A mid-season variety capable of producing crops 25-30 days after planting in the ground. It can be used even in the northern regions of our country, since it is resistant to frost and the appearance of arrows. The leaves themselves have a wide range of applications, since they can be used boiled, fresh, dried or frozen.
3. New Zealand. Spinach is called tetragonia and belongs to the Khrustalnikov family.When grown, it reaches a meter in height, the stems spread along the ground, and the branches grow strongly. The leaves are very thick and fleshy, and the color is rich green, the shape of the leaves is jagged triangular. This type of grass is very demanding for light, warm climate and high humidity. The first shoots appear after 2-3 weeks, but good growth requires fertile soils. Such spinach yields many times, and cutting is done after 25-35 days.
4. Bloomsdelsky. A new Dutch variety, the rosette of which reaches a great height and a diameter of about 25 cm. The leaves are rich, dark green in color, smooth, juicy and fleshy, and the bubbles on them are weakly expressed.
5. The Indian spinach variety is no less popular among gardeners. It belongs to the Lebedov family, while many very often grow it on a windowsill. The Indian species also has another name - Basella. In naturally humid and warm growing conditions, it is a perennial variety, but in harsh climates it has to be planted every year.

Spinach has many valuable substances, vitamins and minerals

Late-ripening varieties

The most popular late-ripening varieties:

1. Fatty. A spinach variety that yields a harvest one month after planting. It has an attractive appearance, since it has a compact rosette, the diameter of which reaches 20-28 cm. The leaves are smooth, the taste is rich, the aroma is light.
2. Victoria. The plant acquires leaves suitable for collection 30-35 days after planting the seeds. Possesses good resistance to shooting and powdery mildew. But for proper growth, it requires good moisture and soil feeding.
3. Spokane. A breeding hybrid species that is of Dutch origin. It is notable for its late ripeness, since the crop is harvested only 2 months after planting. Recommended for fresh consumption and for processing - canning.
4. Korenta. A well-known hybrid variety with a powerful rosette.

Video plot about the trick of planting spinach

Another popular but not quite standard spinach is aquatic spinach. It belongs to the genus of flowering plants, which have a huge number of species. Under natural conditions of growth, the aquatic variety looks like a liana with rare leaves and beautiful flowers. It is most common in tropical Asian countries, the aquatic species can grow at any height - from 0 to 1500 meters above sea level. But mainly its habitat is rivers, ponds, streams, rice fields, savannahs and landfills. The water variety is quite unpretentious, but it is very difficult to grow it in our climatic conditions.

There are numerous varieties of spinach - Indian, gigantic, aquatic, differing from each other in appearance, area of ​​growth, taste, as well as harvest time. That is why every gardener from such a variety will be able to choose the right one for himself.

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Spinach among other vegetable crops compares favorably with early maturity. This culture is not capricious, it is not too demanding for growing conditions. Grow spinach in the garden, and in its absence - on the windowsill, anyone can do it. It is also just a godsend for those who adhere to a healthy lifestyle - it is extremely useful and low in calories.

Spinach cultivation history

Spinach is a genus of annual herbaceous plants belonging to the Amaranth family. In nature, it is found mainly in Central Asia and the Middle East. It was there that humanity became acquainted with this culture. Soon, along the Great Silk Road, spinach came to China, and the knights-crusaders brought it to Europe around the 13th century.

The health benefits of spinach have been known for a very long time.

For the next three centuries, spinach was grown mainly in Spanish and Italian monasteries, deservedly considered a useful addition to the lean menu. It was brought into fashion among the aristocracy of Europe by Catherine de Medici, who became the French queen thanks to her marriage to Henry II of Valois. She loved spinach so much that she demanded it be served with every meal. Spinach bread and juice became especially popular at the court.

Spinach bread, fashioned by Catherine de Medici, is still popular today.

Spinach experienced a new boom in popularity at the beginning of the 20th century. This plant has become especially popular in the United States. The reason for this is a trivial mistake. One of the researchers who studied the beneficial properties of spinach, incorrectly recorded the number, forgetting to separate the whole part from the decimal fraction. As a result, the iron content in it "increased" tenfold, reaching record levels. The incredible hype gradually subsided, but the United States is still the largest consumer of spinach in the world (China is second).

Spinach is widely grown commercially in the United States and China.

In Russia (then the Russian Empire), spinach got in the 50s of the 18th century, but did not take root. It was not known to the peasants at all, the upper classes were used exclusively as a tribute to fashion.

What spinach looks like and what is useful

Spinach is a short plant, stretching up to 20–25 cm. Its stems are smooth, "branching" depends on the variety. The lower leaves are almost triangular in shape, resembling an arrowhead, the upper leaves (those that are used for food) are broadly oval, sometimes with a pointed tip. They are smooth or slightly rough to the touch.

Spinach leaves are cut individually or in whole rosettes as they ripen

Both "male" and "female" flowers are formed on the plant. The former are located in the axils of the leaves, being collected in dense "balls", the latter form a loose inflorescence in the form of a spike or a brush of greenish color. Then small spherical fruits ripen, sometimes they are "welded" to each other by 2-3, but do not form bunches. Spinach is notable for its early maturity - it rarely takes more than two months from the emergence of seedlings to ripening of fruits.

After flowering, spinach leaves are not suitable for human consumption.

Practice shows that spinach belongs to the group of short-day plants. In this case, the leaves are larger, juicier and fleshy. The concentration of vitamin C reaches its peak by noon - during this time it is recommended to cut the rosettes. The crop is harvested when 5-8 true leaves are formed.

The health benefits of spinach are due to the presence of saturated and unsaturated organic acids, fiber, vitamins A, B, C, E, K, P, PP in an easily digestible form. Of the trace elements, sodium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, selenium, copper, iodine, iron, zinc are present in high concentration. Spinach helps to normalize the functioning of the stomach and intestines, get rid of excess weight, increase the level of hemoglobin in the blood, reduce fatigue, and increase efficiency. It is recommended for use with high blood pressure, problems with the nervous system (insomnia, chronic stress, anxiety syndrome). It has been scientifically proven to have an anti-inflammatory and tonic effect.

Spinach does not have a distinct taste. Most of its critics rightly call it tasteless. However, spinach lovers argue that there is still a taste, and each variety has its own, special.

Spinach retains its natural bright green hue in all dishes

Spinach is also widely used in cooking. In addition to fresh consumption, it can be boiled, baked, canned, dried. It is also included in many first and second courses, cold appetizers, sauces. During the heat treatment, spinach retains its bright green color, so any dish looks very elegant.As a natural coloring agent, it is used to add color to cake creams.

Video: health benefits of spinach leaves

Spinach varieties popular among gardeners

Spinach, along with radish, is considered one of the earliest growing horticultural crops. But selection does not stand still, so new varieties of it constantly appear, including those with reduced ripening periods.

Early spinach

Early spinach is harvested within 18-30 days after planting seeds in the ground. Most varieties are also suitable for sowing before winter. The following varieties are most popular with gardeners:

• Virofle. Differs in unpretentiousness even in comparison with "relatives". Plant height - up to 30 cm, rosette diameter is about the same. The main disadvantage is the tendency to shoot. The variety is intended exclusively for sowing in early spring, suitable for growing both outdoors and in a greenhouse. Does not suffer from lack of heat and sunlight. Lime-colored leaves.
• Godry. Usually grown indoors (greenhouses, hotbeds). To disembark in open beds, you will have to wait for the beginning of May. The disadvantage is the tendency to early flowering. The rosette is quite compact, with a diameter of 18–22 cm. The vegetative period is 18–24 days.
• Gigantic. The variety is one of the most popular in Russia. The leaves are ready for use within 30–35 days after planting the seeds, but the first rosettes can be cut off within 15–28 days. It is widely used for canning, as it does not lose its taste during heat treatment. Seeds can be planted both in spring and before winter - the variety is cold-resistant, does not pay attention to sudden changes in temperature. The leaves are elongated, fleshy, the diameter of the rosette reaches 45-50 cm.
• Marquis. The vegetative period does not exceed 35 days. The variety is versatile - it can be grown both indoors and outdoors, the seeds are planted from April to September. Leaves are oval, slightly corrugated. The concentration of vitamins and trace elements is very high, the benefits are preserved when frozen, canned, heat treated.
• Stoic. The variety is valued for its high yield (2-3 kg of leaves per 1 m²) and resistance to unfavorable climatic and weather factors (including short-term drops in temperature to 0 ° C). In Russia, it began to be grown one of the first and has not lost its popularity for more than two decades. Ideal for cultivation in temperate regions. The main disadvantage is the exactingness of watering and lighting. When grown at home, supplementary lighting is required.
• Strawberry. It is considered one-year, but shoots may well appear the next season if the roots of the plant remain in the garden. The leaves are thin, not too fleshy, the edge is serrate. The root system is developed, it is quite difficult to pull the bush out of the ground. The fruits are bright scarlet, from a distance they look like strawberries.
• Uteusha. Ukrainian hybrid, bred relatively recently. The leaves grow literally before our eyes, the yield is very high.

Photo gallery: early spinach varieties

Mid-season varieties

The ripening period of mid-ripening spinach varieties stretches for 35-60 days. To speed up the process, it is recommended to pre-germinate the seeds by soaking them for 1-2 days in a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate. The following varieties are most popular in Russia:

• Bloomsdel F1. One of the newest Dutch breeding hybrids. Plants do not shoot, the harvest depends little on the vagaries of the weather. The culture does not suffer from frosts, torrential rains, and other unpleasant surprises. The rosette is rather large, up to 25 cm in diameter. Leaves are fleshy, rich green with small rounded specks of salad shade (the so-called bubbles).
• Fatty. The achievement of Russian breeders is characterized by high yields. Easily adapts to almost any climatic and weather conditions.The growing season is 35–40 days, the diameter of the rosette is 25–28 cm. The leaves are rich green, smooth to the touch.
• Strong guy. The leaves are ready for consumption no later than 40 days after planting the seeds. The rosette is compact, 23–25 cm in diameter. The leaves are semi-raised, light green, glossy. The variety is very hygrophilous, so watering the plants requires regular and timely watering. A significant plus is genetically built immunity against mold and rot.
• Matador. The variety is originally from the Czech Republic. Does not shoot. The leaves look very attractive - juicy, fleshy, crunchy. They are painted bright green with a grayish undertone, smooth, glossy. The growing season lasts 35-50 days. The rosette is compact, 25–27 cm in diameter. The variety is not highly drought-resistant, but it has immunity against most diseases typical for the culture, is insensitive to waterlogging of the soil, lowering temperatures.
• Mariska. The variety is valued for its cold hardiness and high immunity. The growing season is 35–40 days. The leaves are large, juicy and very tender, with a high iodine content.
• Victoria. The growing season lasts 32–45 days. Seeds are planted from mid-spring to autumn. The variety is suitable for growing in open and closed ground, practically not affected by mold. The bushes are compact, the rosettes are small, with a diameter of 18–20 cm. The plant gratefully responds to complex nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizers with a sharp increase in yield.

Photo Gallery: Medium Ripen Spinach Varieties

Late spinach varieties

Many gardeners prefer to grow late varieties of spinach. Practice shows that its leaves are more juicy and crunchy. This is due to the fact that the weather at the end of summer is cool, the days are getting shorter. Therefore, the plant directs all its forces to the formation of greenery, and not to the ripening of fruits.

Of the late varieties, the following are common:

• Corenta F1. The variety is intended for outdoor cultivation only. The rosettes are large, the leaves are of a deep dark green color. Productivity depends little on weather conditions, but proper watering is required.
• Spokane F1 is considered by most experts to be the best of the late varieties. It is widely grown abroad on an industrial scale. Ecological "plasticity" allows getting a bountiful harvest even in extremely unfavorable seasons from the point of view of weather conditions. Also, the variety is valued for its high immunity to fungal diseases; it is rarely attacked by pests. At the same time, plants are sensitive to moisture and light deficiencies. The surface of the leaf is slightly wrinkled, the edges are corrugated.
• Varangian. The socket is compact, half-raised. The leaves are almost round, bright green, the "bubbles" are pronounced. The taste is clearly distinguished by a slight sourness. The variety is well suited for preparing salads and first courses.

Photo Gallery: Late Spinach

Also, the so-called New Zealand spinach, known to botanists as tetragonia, is also often grown. It has nothing to do with ordinary spinach, they belong to different families. Nevertheless, tetragonium surpasses ordinary spinach in taste and the content of some trace elements. Its seeds are large (about the size of a child's fingernail), you will have to wait a long time for seedlings. Plant height - 0.8–1 m, stems very intensively branching, leaves are thick, triangular, the edge is carved with denticles.

New Zealand spinach is superior to the usual one in terms of the size of the bush and the benefits for health

There is also multi-leaved spinach, aka Zhminda... In Russia, he is practically unknown. In addition to useful leaves, berries ripen on the plant, which taste like mulberries. They are used for making compotes, preserves, and other homemade preparations.

Many-leaved spinach is not only healthy greens, but also delicious berries.

An interesting variety is Indian spinach, or Basella... It is also not a "relative" of regular spinach. In nature, this is a perennial plant, in central Russia it is grown as an annual. Its stems are curly. It is often cultivated at home as an indoor flower.

Indian spinach is more often grown not in the garden, but at home as an ornamental plant.

Planting procedure and preparation for it

Planting time for spinach depends on whether you plan to grow the crop outdoors or in a greenhouse. Most often, seeds are planted directly in the garden bed. To do this, you need to wait for the soil to warm up to at least 10 ° C. The sun is bright in spring, return frosts are not uncommon, therefore, it is advisable to install arcs over the garden bed and pull any air-permeable covering material on them. In order to have fresh greens at all times, spinach seeds are planted regularly at intervals of 2-3 weeks.

Spinach seeds can be purchased or harvested on their own without any problems, the only exceptions in the second case are hybrids.

Do not pull too long with planting spinach. In late May and June, when it is already hot enough outside, spinach forms arrows very quickly.

You can sow it in the fall, while it is important to be sure that at least one and a half to two months remains before the first cold weather. In this case, seedlings will appear practically from under the snow. Many consider this method more preferable, because if daylight hours increase to 12-14 hours, and the temperature rises above 20 ° C, flowers appear on the plant, after which the leaves are no longer suitable for human consumption.

Spinach prefers open, sunny areas, but tolerates light partial shade.

Soil spinach prefers light, neutral, sour and heavy is not categorically suitable. An open place is ideal for him, but he will also tolerate light partial shade. In the fall, the bed is dug up, to increase the fertility of the soil, humus, rotted compost are introduced into the substrate, or green manure plants are sown in advance. In spring, the soil is loosened well by adding mineral fertilizers - simple superphosphate (25–30 g / m²), potassium sulfate (15–20 g / m²), urea (10–15 g / m²).

You should not get carried away with nitrogen-containing fertilizers: spinach is able to accumulate nitrates in the leaves.

Urea, like other nitrogen-containing fertilizers, stimulates spinach to intensively build up green mass, but with an excess of this macroelement in the soil, nitrates accumulate in the leaves

Seed preparation is reduced to soaking them for several days in warm water. If technically possible, it is advisable to simultaneously saturate it with oxygen, using, for example, an aquarium compressor. Late varieties, as well as Victoria spinach, are especially tough.

The procedure for planting seeds directly into the ground will be as follows:

1. Seeds are sown both in the garden bed and in the greenhouse to a depth of about 2 cm with an interval of 6–8 cm. The distance between rows is 25–30 cm.
2. The soil must be moist, the grooves are well watered.
3. Seedlings appear in one and a half to two weeks. After the appearance of two true leaves, the seedlings are thinned out, leaving at least 10-12 cm between the plants.
4. The soil is regularly loosened, the garden is weeded.

Mulching your spinach bed saves you weeding time and watering

Video: planting spinach seeds

Seedling method

The earliest harvest can be obtained when planting spinach seeds for seedlings in the last decade of March or in April. But this method is not very popular among amateur gardeners. The seedlings have very fragile tender roots, they do not tolerate transplanting well, they leave it for a long time. In general, this method is advisable only for thermophilic varieties, for example, Matador spinach.

The procedure is similar to planting seeds in the ground:

1. Prepare plastic or peat cups filled with a mixture of vermicompost or humus with any baking powder (sand, perlite, vermiculite, coconut fiber, dry sphagnum moss) in a 1: 2 ratio.A drainage layer 1.5–2.5 cm thick is required.
2. To increase germination, seeds are poured with water at room temperature for 2-3 days, changing it every 5-8 hours.

   Soaking spinach seeds before planting improves germination

3. Then, to prevent fungal infections, they are kept in a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate for several hours.
4. Before planting spinach seeds, be sure to dry them well.
5. In containers filled with a substrate, the seeds are buried by a maximum of 1–1.5 cm.
6. The soil is carefully compacted and a "greenhouse" is created by covering the glass with glass or polyethylene.
7. Until emergence, containers are kept warm and dark.
8. After the sprout appears, they are rearranged to the brightest place in the apartment. To prevent the seedlings from stretching, coolness is desirable. The substrate should be moderately moist at all times.

Spinach successfully survives in the spring even on an uninsulated loggia.

Video: planting spinach seedlings in the ground

Culture care

Spinach is notable for its early maturity, so it does not require particularly careful care. The plant is hygrophilous, the most important for it is regular and timely watering. To retain moisture in the soil, the substrate is mulched. This same procedure can save you time on weeding. Also, we must not forget about the construction of a shelter if the air temperature rises above 27 ° C. Any white covering material is quite suitable for a canopy.

Spinach is watered three times a week, and if it is hot outside and there is no rain, twice a day, early in the morning and late in the evening. To do this, it is advisable to use a special sprinkler unit or a watering can with a splitter nozzle. 8-10 liters of water are consumed per running meter of a bed.

Regular and timely watering of spinach is the most important in crop care

Feeding spinach

Spinach reacts positively to any feeding. But it is important not to overdo it with them, since the plant can accumulate nitrates in the leaves. If the bed has been prepared correctly, and the soil is fertile enough, you can do without fertilizers altogether. Otherwise, it is advisable to use natural organic matter or other natural remedies. Infusions of cow dung, bird droppings, nettle or dandelion leaves are popular with gardeners (in general, any weeds can be used). Feeding is prepared for 3-5 days, before use it is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 8 or 1:15, if dung served as raw material. An excess of phosphorus and potassium is undesirable, this provokes rapid shooting.

Nettle infusion is a popular organic fertilizer

Spinach is sensitive to boron in the substrate. With its deficit, growth points die off. To avoid this, 10-12 days after the emergence of seedlings, the garden bed is watered with a solution of boric acid (1 g per liter of water).

Harvesting

The spinach crop is rosettes with 5–8 leaves. It is impossible to hesitate in collecting it - the leaves become coarse, dry. The sockets are cut off only during the day, the leaves must be dry. Covered with dew, they break very easily and quickly rot. You can also gently root out the plants or cut off individual leaves. To maximize the productive period, the tops of the shoots of adult plants are pinched. This stimulates branching and inhibits the formation of arrow-peduncles. After flowering, spinach is unsuitable for food.

Fresh spinach spoils very quickly, even in the refrigerator, the leaves will lie for a maximum of a week. To extend the shelf life, greens are dried, frozen, and canned. Spinach retains its natural bright green hue, the benefits are not lost for 6-8 months.

Frozen spinach takes up little space, is stored for a long time and practically does not lose its benefits

Growing spinach at home

Spinach is a fairly compact plant, so it can be grown in a regular flower pot. In this case, preference is given to early varieties with fleshy leaves. His root system is superficial, so he does not need a voluminous and deep capacity. A prerequisite is the presence of drainage holes and a layer of expanded clay at the bottom of the pot.

In spring and summer, spinach can perfectly exist on an open loggia or balcony without additional lighting. But in winter, it is imperative to use ordinary fluorescent or special phytolamps, artificially extending daylight hours to 10-12 hours. The plant will suit any store substrate of a neutral acid-base reaction without peat. Another option is to mix it yourself from vermicompost and chopped coconut fiber (1: 2).

Spinach, like any other greens, can be grown not only in the garden, but also at home.

But even when cultivated in "captivity", it will not work to extend the productive life of the bush by more than one and a half to two months. After 4–5 cut rosettes, a flower arrow will definitely form. The crop is harvested every 7-10 days.

Seeds are planted in the same way as when growing spinach seedlings. At first, seedlings do not show high growth rates, but this is the norm. The growth of green mass increases sharply 15–20 days after germination.

Further care of the seedlings is reduced to regular watering (the soil should be constantly moderately moist, but not wet) and daily spraying. The plant does not need fertilizing. The first harvest can be expected 3-5 weeks after germination. The optimum temperature for growing spinach is 18–20 ° C, it must be protected from direct sunlight. Shade or partial shade does not affect the yield and quality of the leaves.

Video: spinach on the windowsill

Common diseases and pests

Most of the new varieties and hybrids of spinach possess genetic immunity against the most dangerous diseases for the culture - various types of mold and rot. But he is often affected by other fungal diseases. Sometimes the gardener himself is to blame for this, abundantly watering the plants or overfeeding them with nitrogen.

Table: Typical Spinach Diseases

Photo gallery: how spinach diseases manifest

Spinach pests

Spinach leaves are often attacked by pests that feed on plant juices. The most common ones are:

• aphid;
• caterpillar of a butterfly butterfly;
• miner fly.

The affected leaves become covered with small discolored spots, dry and fall off.

Photo gallery: pests dangerous for spinach

An effective preventive measure is spraying with any pungent-smelling infusions every 3-5 days. Having found pests, the frequency of treatments is increased up to 3-4 times a day. As raw materials for the sprayer, you can use:

• arrows of onions, garlic;
• peel of oranges;
• red hot pepper;
• mustard powder;
• tops of tomatoes;
• marigold greens and wormwood.

Reviews of gardeners

The health benefits of spinach have long been scientifically proven. Humanity has long "domesticated" this culture and successfully grows it in garden plots. Difficulties with harvesting, as a rule, do not arise, because spinach is not a particularly capricious plant, it does not impose unrealistic requirements for the conditions of maintenance and care. The culture is also popular with breeders who are constantly developing new varieties with improved characteristics.

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Spinach is a crop that is popular with many gardeners for its beneficial properties. This herb requires little maintenance and has many benefits. Nowadays, there are various types of greenery, differing in their characteristics and characteristics. The most common variety is strawberry spinach, which has become popular even with novice gardeners.

Useful properties of the plant

The popularity of this plant is due to its positive properties. The most important advantage is the presence of a mineral such as iron, which contributes to the saturation of the body's cells with oxygen and other nutrients. Leaves contain the following substances:

• flavonoids;
• sugar;
• proteins;
• amino acids;
• fats;
• vitamins - PP, C, K, B, E, P, A;
• minerals - magnesium, iron and potassium.

Based on its positive qualities, spinach is used in traditional medicine for the prevention and treatment of various diseases. So, a tincture from this plant helps to cope with the following health deviations:

• anemia;
• rickets in children;
• anemia;
• diabetes;
• deviations in the work of the gastrointestinal tract;
• depletion of the body;
• problems in the functionality of the intestines;
• heart failure;
• constipation;
• symptoms of retinal dystrophy.

Watch the video! How to avoid mistakes when growing. Benefits of spinach

The inclusion of these greens in the diet will lead to the normalization of the whole body. With regular use of foods containing this plant, you can stop the aging process of the body. Many doctors advise pregnant women to use it, as it contains folic acid. This substance helps to cope with harmful bacteria and viruses that can be a threat to the fetus.

The best spinach varieties

As already noted, the culture has different types, however, the most popular and widespread are the following:

Matador

A popular species, the shoots of which appear on the 40th or 50th day from the very beginning of their appearance. The mid-season variety has a semi-vertical and compact rosette. Spinach leaves have a gray-greenish tint, oval in shape, pleasant and smooth to the touch. The advantage of this variety is that it does not require special care; novice gardeners can also cope with the cultivation. The seeds of this variety are planted in the open field. This variety loves moisture, so you need to monitor the regularity of watering. The variety is resistant to flowering.

Fat-leaved

It belongs to the late-ripening varieties, has bright green leaves that look very juicy and appetizing. This variety differs from others in the presence of weak bubbles on the leaves.

Strawberry

Strawberry spinach roots are thick and sturdy and very difficult to pull out of the ground. The leaf plates of this spinach differ in shape - they have small teeth. This variety is an annual, however, some gardeners leave stems that give growth. It got its name due to its appearance, as it resembles red strawberries.

Sturdy

It has a high yield; there are also small bubbles on the leaves of this variety. The variety is mid-season, with green leafy plates. The advantage of "Krepysh" is that it perfectly tolerates cold and loves moisture. You can achieve high yields through regular watering.

Gigantic

The earliest variety of spinach, the shoots of which appear in 2 weeks. The gigantic variety can be grown in greenhouse conditions, as well as in open ground. The width of the rosette depends on the degree of soil fertility. If this variety is grown in fertile soil, then the width of the rosette can reach half a meter. The leaf plates are juicy and fleshy, great for canning.

New Zealand

It is especially popular with summer residents, and belongs to an independent culture. The annual plant reaches a height of 1 meter, has fleshy leaf plates. The shape of the leaves is triangular and the color is dark green.

Fertilizer for spinach

To get a good harvest, you need to know the basic rules of growing and caring for a plant. During the cultivation process, it is necessary to fertilize the soil in order to get a healthy and good harvest. Before planting, the soil is fertilized with humus, in the amount of 6 kg per 1 square meter.A gardening store sells fertilizers that contain potassium and phosphorus. These minerals will enrich the soil with essential nutrients and nutrition and will have a strong effect on yield.

Important! Fertilizers must be used at the time of digging the earth.

If the soil is infertile, then fertilizers with minerals are added to the soil at the time of sowing the plant. So, for 1 square meter, you need to take the following substances:

• • • nitrogen - 10 g;
    • potassium - 13 g;
    • phosphorus - 5 g.

Advice! You should not get carried away with the use of fertilizers, since spinach leaves quickly absorb nitrates and can harm the body if improperly processed.

Fertilizers should be applied only when necessary.

Planting spinach outdoors

This plant is planted in two ways:

• • • seeds;
    • through seedlings.

Growing spinach from seeds is very popular with gardeners due to its ability to withstand severe frosts. Planting a plant with seeds should only be done when the snow has thawed. However, the growing season for spinach may vary depending on the climate. For example, in the middle lane, planting begins on April 15, but it is better to start growing after frost. Spinach can withstand temperatures as low as -8 degrees, in which case, you need to cover the beds with non-woven material.

Watch the video! Spring planting spinach in open ground

Before planting, many gardeners process the seeds. To disinfect spinach seeds, it is necessary to place them in a solution of potassium permanganate for about a day. After that, you need to remove the seeds and place them on a paper towel so that excess moisture is absorbed.

During planting, dig a hole of about 3 cm, but the distance between the rows should be at least 30 cm. The holes should be spaced 5 cm apart. Observing this distance, you can get a lush outlet. In addition, in this case, spinach will be easy to care for.

When to plant spinach, the gardener himself decides, based on climatic conditions. After warm days, you can start planting in mid-April. The last landing is carried out in early July. Greens in the beds will appear 2 weeks after sowing.

Interesting! Spinach is also planted before winter, since the greens are frost-resistant.

Growing spinach in greenhouse conditions

Seed spinach is planted in greenhouses in harsh climates. In the event that the gardener has the opportunity, he can build a special structure in which greens are grown. Greenhouse conditions for growing spinach involve the use of boiling water for watering the plants. The holes should not be more than two centimeters deep. After sowing the seeds into the hole, cover with earth and lay out agrofibre. As soon as shoots appear, you can remove the material. The spinach is planted along with lettuce, radishes and onions.

Spinach care

During the planting process, it is necessary to take care of the plant in order to get a good harvest. Care consists in regular watering, loosening the soil. As soon as 3 leaves appear on the spinach, you can transplant. Many transplant a plant if they grow the plant at home.

Harvesting and storage

The crop can be harvested when 8 leaves appear, can be pulled out by the roots, or cut with a knife. Leaves can be eaten, or prepared for the winter. It is not recommended to store fresh leaves for more than a week.

Diseases and pests

The plant is eaten by aphids and snails. As far as diseases are concerned, powdery mildew and spots may appear on the greenery. To combat pests and diseases, it is not recommended to use chemicals, since the leaves are later eaten. To prevent the appearance of diseases and pests, it is necessary to follow the cultivation techniques.

Advice! To avoid root rot, gardeners often thin out the soil.

Is it possible to grow spinach on a windowsill

To grow spinach on a windowsill, you need to use boxes with fertile soil. Once the soil is ready, make small depressions, place the seeds and cover with earth. With regular watering and care, greens will delight you with their harvest.

Conclusion

Thus, if you follow all the recommendations and rules for caring for the plant, you can get a healthy and rich harvest.

Watch the video! How to sow spinach correctly Timing of sowing spinach

Types of spinach - choosing a variety consciously

Spinach is a popular vegetable in the garden, which is used by many to prepare salads, as well as first and second courses. It has many species, including gigantic, watery, fat-leaved and others, which differ among themselves not only in ripening time, but also in optimal planting conditions and taste characteristics.

Spinach history and culture features

Spinach is an annual herb that belongs to the group of the Amaranth family. Its homeland is Ancient Persia, and many Arabs considered it the most useful herb, so only the most noble wealthy families used it as a delicacy.

Spinach was introduced to European countries only in the Middle Ages, and for the first time it was grown by Spanish monks. They cultivated the plant for a long time in their gardens, which made it possible to obtain many species. In the 17th century, juice and bread from this herb became the most popular in the market.

The bread was baked from flour extracted from the seeds, and the juice, due to its rich green color, was widely used in cooking. So, for example, in Spain it was used for coloring pasta and other products - sauces, creams, cream, vegetable or animal oil.

This plant quickly gained popularity among various European countries, and in our country it has been cultivated for about 200 years. It gained great popularity and distribution due to the simplicity of growing, unpretentiousness and lack of difficulty in care.

Spinach after planting is harvested when 5-8 leaves appear and the flowering of shoots is completed

Garden spinach is used fresh, and no more than 5-6 leaves are used in different dishes.

It pairs well with sorrel and is popular with vegetarians and nutritionists. Today it is also widely distributed in canned and dried form. First and second courses, vegetable salads are made from it, and also used to decorate various culinary masterpieces.

It is thanks to its many beneficial properties that many gardeners are faced with the question of how to grow spinach. For this, seeds are used, which are soaked in water for two days before planting. It grows well at a temperature of about 16-19 degrees, while it is not afraid of frost.

But before growing, it is important to choose a quality seed. It is complicated by the fact that today there are numerous types of spinach that are widespread in our region and differ in taste, harvest time and other qualities.

how to grow Uteusha spinach

Among all varieties, three groups can be distinguished:

• early maturing;
• mid-season;
• late ripening.

It is optimal to plant all three varieties in the garden, which will allow you to get greens throughout the summer season.

Early ripening varieties

After planting, spinach is harvested when 5-8 leaves appear and the flowering of the shoots is completed. To do this, it is cut or mowed at the lower level, and also collected together with the roots. Certain species of this green plant produce good leaves as early as 2-3 weeks after sowing the seeds. Moreover, the seeds themselves ripen only after 90-110 days. You need to remove the greens before the arrow appears.

The most popular early maturing spinach varieties:

1. Godry. The growing season falls on a period of 32-37 days, but the plant produces leaves after 2-3 weeks. It is suitable for planting in early spring or late autumn. At the same time, it is recommended to grow it outdoors, since the variety is highly resistant to low temperatures and moderate climatic conditions.
2. Gigantic. A variety whose growing season is 30-35 days after sowing the seeds. It is one of the most famous, while harvesting can be carried out after 2 weeks. It can be used for planting in early spring or fall and is considered one of the best for making canned food.
3. Stoic. Spinach has been grown in our country only since 1995. It can be used for canning and adding to vegetable salads. The highest yield is obtained in the middle zone of our country with moderate climatic conditions. It reaches 2-3 kg per square meter of planting.
4. Virofle. This variety is prone to the rapid appearance of the stem, while the rosette of leaves reaches a diameter of 30 cm.It is planted mainly in early spring, since the plant is resistant to cold and low night temperatures.

Mid-season spinach gives viable and ready-to-harvest shoots only 30-60 days after planting the seeds

Spinach has many valuable substances, vitamins and minerals, so it is even more useful than celery. However, the cultivar does not affect the health benefits of the herb.

Mid-season varieties

Mid-season spinach gives viable and ready-to-harvest shoots only 30-60 days after planting the seeds. They come after the early ripening ones, so the summer resident can plant all of them at the same time, but harvest at different periods.

The most popular mid-season species:

1. Matador. Yields a harvest after 3 weeks, so it is well suited for sowing in spring and autumn. Differs in frost resistance, resistance to shooting, and also picky about moisture. Can be used in cooking, dried or frozen.
2. Strong guy. A mid-season variety capable of producing crops 25-30 days after planting in the ground. It can be used even in the northern regions of our country, since it is resistant to frost and the appearance of arrows. The leaves themselves have a wide range of applications, since they can be used boiled, fresh, dried or frozen.
3. New Zealand. Spinach is called tetragonia and belongs to the Khrustalnikov family. When grown, it reaches a meter in height, the stems spread along the ground, and the branches grow strongly. The leaves are very thick and fleshy, and the color is rich green, the shape of the leaves is jagged triangular. This type of grass is very demanding for light, warm climate and high humidity. The first shoots appear after 2-3 weeks, but good growth requires fertile soils. Such spinach yields many times, and cutting is done after 25-35 days.
4. Bloomsdelsky. A new Dutch variety, the rosette of which reaches a great height and a diameter of about 25 cm. The leaves are rich dark green, smooth, juicy and fleshy, and the bubbles on them are poorly expressed.
5. The Indian spinach variety is no less popular among gardeners. It belongs to the Lebedov family, while many very often grow it on a windowsill. The Indian species also has another name - Basella. In naturally humid and warm growing conditions, it is a perennial variety, but in harsh climates it has to be planted every year.

Spinach has many valuable substances, vitamins and minerals

Late-ripening varieties

The most popular late-ripening varieties:

1. Fatty. A spinach variety that yields a harvest one month after planting. It has an attractive appearance, since it has a compact rosette, the diameter of which reaches 20-28 cm. The leaves are smooth, the taste is rich, the aroma is light.
2. Victoria.The plant acquires leaves suitable for collection 30-35 days after planting the seeds. Possesses good resistance to shooting and powdery mildew. But for proper growth, it requires good moisture and soil feeding.
3. Spokane. A breeding hybrid species that is of Dutch origin. It is notable for its late ripeness, since the crop is harvested only 2 months after planting. Recommended for fresh consumption and for processing - canning.
4. Korenta. A well-known hybrid variety that features a powerful rosette.

plot about the trick of planting spinach

Another popular but not quite standard spinach is aquatic spinach. It belongs to the genus of flowering plants, which have a huge number of species. Under natural growing conditions, the aquatic variety looks like a liana with rare leaves and beautiful flowers.

It is most common in tropical Asian countries, the aquatic species can grow at any height - from 0 to 1500 meters above sea level. But mainly its habitat is rivers, ponds, streams, rice fields, savannahs and landfills.

The water variety is quite unpretentious, but it is very difficult to grow it in our climatic conditions.

There are numerous varieties of spinach - Indian, gigantic, aquatic, differing from each other in appearance, area of ​​growth, taste, as well as harvest time. That is why every gardener from such a variety will be able to choose the right one for himself.

• Natalia

Review of spinach varieties - the best varieties of the middle lane

Spinach - one- or biennial leafy plant. The seeds are sown using a multi-line method, the distance between the belts is about 10 cm.

Before sowing, the seeds should be soaked in water for 2 days, maintained at 18 degrees, systematically changing the water.

Until the first five leaves appear, the crop is not harvested.

Optimal conditions for the growth of spinach are a short day and temperatures between 15 and 18 degrees. Frost resistant.

So, the main types of garden spinach growing in the middle lane

Spinach Victoria is a German late-ripening variety, from germination to the end of the harvest 19-37 days. Planting period - March-mid-May, in winter - November, for the May harvest. Small pressed rosette (diameter about 15 cm), rounded horizontally arranged leaves, smooth edge, dark green color. The flower stem develops slowly, with minimal arrowing.

Preference - non-acidic soils with sufficient moisture. Thinning of plants is necessary to improve the quality of the crop, watering and regular weeding. On average, up to 3.3 kg of spinach can be harvested from 1 m2.

Spinach Stoic is an early maturing (up to 20 days) species, cultivated in Russia since 1995, suitable for canning and use in salads. Half-raised rosette, diameter reaches 30 cm, leaf length up to 19 cm, width up to 14 cm. High yield when sown in summer in temperate regions. Productivity of spinach Stoic is about 2.8 kg per 1m2.

Spinach Virofle - early ripening early French variety (from 20 to 25 days). The size of the rosette reaches 30 cm in diameter, fleshy tender leaves, oval, smooth, greenish-yellow color, fast stemming.

Spinach Godry - an early variety with fast leaf ripening (from 18 to 30 days from the first germination to the last harvest), it is proposed for sowing, both in greenhouses and in the open. The landing period is early spring and late summer. The rosette of Godry spinach reaches up to 23 cm in diameter.

Spinach Giant - early maturing species (from 14 to 35 days). Suitable for cultivation in greenhouses and in unprotected land. The rosette of leaves, depending on the fertility of the land, reaches from 12 cm to 50 cm wide. Leaves are elongated, elongated, fleshy. The variety is one of the best for canning.

Fat-leaved spinach - late maturing species (28-31 days).Beautiful rosette up to 28 cm wide, succulent leaves, green color, smooth with weak bubbles.

Spinach Bloomsdelsky - Dutch new variety, with a high rosette, up to 25 cm wide. Delicate fleshy leaves, dark green color, resistant to shooting.

Spinach Corenta - hybrid late-ripening variety. Powerful rosette with dark green leaves.

Spinach Strong - high-yielding mid-season variety (20-30 days). The rosette is up to 25 cm wide, the leaves are semi-raised, glossy, obovate, the color is green, the bubbles are poorly expressed. It perfectly tolerates cold weather and, with sufficient watering, gives a large yield. Flower stems appear late.

Spinach Matador - Czech mid-season spinach variety (30-50 days). Compact rosette, medium size, semi-vertical, medium branching.

The leaves are thick, smooth, oval, glossy, gray-green in color. This type of spinach requires very moist soil, is resistant to low temperatures, and minimal shooing is late.

Sowing in late autumn and early spring. Up to 2.8 kg of crop can be harvested from one 1 m2.

Spokane spinach is a late-ripening hybrid selection spinach of Dutch origin (up to 65 days). The leaves are rounded, wavy, dark green in color. Sowing in spring, the flower stem appears late. Recommended for processing and fresh consumption.

Spinach New Zealand - tetragonia, not a variety, but a separate type of spinach. An annual plant about a meter high, with branchy creeping stems. Leaves are fleshy, rather thick, serrated, triangular in shape, dark green in color. It resembles vegetable spinach in taste and useful properties.

Seeds germinate well on fertile soils, in the southern regions, they are especially demanding on moisture, good light and warmth. The first shoots appear within 20-25 days after planting. In the middle lane, the seedling method of sowing is recommended. Harvest - the tops of the shoots, cut off many times.

The first pruning is one month after planting and until late autumn.

There are other types of spinach, but these are optimal for growing in the domestic climate.

Spinach varieties: cultivation, useful properties

Spinach is a cross-pollinated annual dioecious plant. It belongs to the Marevye family. Represented by male and female plants. The former are usually slightly leafy, while the latter form large leaves.

The stems can grow up to 60 cm in height. However, this parameter depends on the type of plant. The stems form angular or round fruits. They are often called seeds. They are gray in color and have small thorns.

The main advantages of this culture are:

• beneficial features;
• easy care;
• good cold resistance.

These qualities are inherent in all varieties of this garden culture.

"Beneficial features"

From the video you will learn about the beneficial properties of spinach.

Varieties

Today, gardeners grow a wide variety of spinach species. The most popular ones are:

• Strawberry spinach. Despite the fact that it is an annual, it is capable of producing shoots next year, if unharvested stems remain in the ground. Strawberry spinach has a thick and branched root. Therefore, it is difficult to pull it out of the ground. Its leaves do not resemble spinach outwardly, since they do not differ in fleshiness. At the edges, the leaf plate is pointed and has teeth. The appearance of the fruit resembles a berry, which looks like a bright red strawberry;
• Uteusha. This is a hybrid, which was bred by the Ukrainian breeder Yu.A. I will console you. Can be eaten by humans, poultry, cattle and rabbits. Uteusha spinach grows very quickly. The plant literally grows before our eyes. Its leaves contain many nutrients and valuable substances;
• Matador. This is a mid-season variety. The ripeness of seedlings occurs in 40-50 days from the moment of their appearance. The socket is compact, semi-vertical. It is characterized by weak branching.It has smooth, gray-green, oval leaves. Spinach Matador, which is very easy to grow, is sown directly into the soil. The only thing to keep in mind here is regular watering. The plant is very demanding on moisture. Has good resistance to blooming;
• Malabar spinach. It is also called Ceylon, curly, etc. There are varieties with green and red leaves. His homeland is India. Found naturally in the tropics. Therefore, moisture and warmth are important for growing. It can be grown from cuttings or seeds;
• Fatty. This is a late-ripening variety. The plant forms a beautiful rosette. The leaves are green, juicy and smooth. There may be weak bubbles on the leaf plate;
• Strong guy. Mid-season and high-yielding variety. The bush consists of semi-raised leaves that have a glossy surface. Weak bubbles are present on their surface. The color of the leaves is green. Has excellent cold resistance. If watering during growth has been sufficient, it gives an excellent yield.

Another interesting variety is New Zealand spinach. This is not a variety, but an independent type of culture. A New Zealander can grow one meter in height. It is an annual plant that has a climbing stem. Fleshy leaves are formed on it, which are dark green in color and triangular in shape.

The crop is the top of the shoot that can be cut off multiple times. The first pruning can be done one month after sowing. The beneficial properties and taste are reminiscent of the garden variety. The sown seeds germinate well in fertile soils. The species is demanding on heat and light, and also needs frequent watering.

The first shoots of the New Zealander appear approximately 20-25 days after sowing. Experts recommend using the seedling planting method.

Spinach, the varieties of which are presented above, are the best solution for the garden. However, there are other varieties that are suitable for growing in certain regions of the country.

Growing

Each type of spinach has its own cultivation characteristics. But in general, the agricultural technology of growing this crop is simple and boils down to the systematic carrying out of several manipulations:

• watering;
• weeding;
• top dressing.

You need to know that plants in hot and dry weather quickly lose their commercial qualities. At the same time, flowering shoots begin to form actively.

When choosing a growing site, it is necessary to give preference to road soils, which are well lit and warm during the day.

Seeds sown in the ground begin to germinate when the temperature rises to + 4 degrees. The optimum temperature is + 15 degrees. Having reached the phase of the outlet, the shoots are able to withstand cold snaps up to -6 degrees.

The ease of cultivation, as well as the unpretentiousness of some varieties, have made spinach a popular crop. It is necessary to understand that before choosing a variety, you need to familiarize yourself with what conditions must be created when growing it. Indeed, in our country there are various climatic conditions, ignoring which will not bring the desired abundance of the harvest.

Beneficial features

Gardeners actively grow spinach because of its many beneficial properties. This plant is considered a valuable dietary product. Its leaves contain:

• dry matter - 10%;
• sugar - 1.4%;
• protein - 3.4%.

They contain vitamins of groups A, C and B, as well as salts of phosphorus, potassium and iron. Therefore, the plant is often present in the children's menu.

Sockets are used for food. They can be eaten raw or cooked.

Spinach is a very healthy vegetable garden. It can be grown quite easily on a plot of land. However, some rules must be followed. It is especially important to regularly and fully water the plantings.

"Growing"

From the video you will learn how to grow spinach correctly and effectively.

How to choose the right spinach?

Greenery selection Comments: 0

Spinach is a relatively recent culinary use. - the first mention of it appeared in the eleventh century. This vegetable was loved even by royalty and was highly prized for its zesty taste and medicinal properties.

Nowadays, the most famous chefs use spinach leaves to prepare delicious dishes. The Italians and French not only add it to the first and second courses, but also make desserts using the juice from fresh spinach leaves, which is an excellent natural coloring.

The medicinal properties of this plant make it possible to use it as a health improving and restorative agent during recovery periods after severe illnesses and surgical interventions. Spinach greens have a tonic effect, have a positive effect on the immune system and cleanse the blood and lymph from harmful substances that poison the body.

It is very important for patients suffering from iron deficiency anemia to regularly include spinach leaves in their diet, as they contain a large amount of iron (this spinach is superior to all other vegetables in the content of this element).

Also, spinach has a complex positive effect on various systems of internal organs, for example:

• is a means of preventing tuberculosis and anemia due to chlorophyll (a substance similar in structure to hemoglobin);
• fights edema;
• has a beneficial effect on the work of the heart and blood vessels;
• strengthens the walls of the capillaries;
• cleanses the body of toxins and other harmful compounds;
• help to cope with constipation;
• remove excess bad cholesterol.

Sailor Popeye and spinach

Important! Despite the large number of positive properties, spinach should not be consumed by people suffering from urolithiasis, nephritis and severe kidney disease. Care should be taken to include spinach in the diet of people with pathologies of the gallbladder, liver and pancreas.

Cooking use

Spinach leaves are used in many cuisines: Italian, French, Asian. This vegetable is gaining more and more popularity among Russian residents who strive to maintain their health and are careful about the choice of products for the daily menu.

Spinach has a wide range of uses.: it is added to soups, side dishes, sauces.

Spinach in combination with various ingredients is often used to prepare fillings for baked goods. When stewing meat, these greens also perfectly set off the dish, giving it a light flavor.

Spinach does not have a rich taste, therefore, it is used most often to enrich the diet.

This green vegetable goes well with the following foods:

• meat (pork, beef, lamb);
• poultry (chicken, turkey, quail);
• fish (pike, cod, salmon);
• nuts (pine, walnuts, cashews, Brazilian);
• fermented milk products (cottage cheese, yogurt without additives, cheese).

Foods cooked with spinach spoil rather quickly, so they must be kept cold. On the second day, nitrogenous compounds begin to form in the finished dish, which are dangerous to human health, as they can cause breathing difficulties.

How to Pick Good Spinach

Spinach is one of the most contaminated vegetables, as it can grow in soil containing heavy metal salts, toxic and hazardous substances. Therefore, it should be collected only in those areas where there are no harmful industrial production and garbage dumps.

If the spinach is purchased at the store, you should definitely ask the seller where it was brought from, and in which farm it was grown... In general, such information should be indicated directly on the price tag of the goods, but supermarket employees often neglect this rule.

When choosing spinach, you should know the basic criteria that say that there is a fresh product on the counter.What should you pay attention to first of all?

1. Colour... The leaves should be juicy green, and the color itself should be very bright. This suggests that the spinach came to the counter directly from the manufacturer, and did not lie in the warehouse for a long time. In addition, the juicy color of greens indicates a high content of vitamin C.
2. Smell... Fresh spinach has a rich, mouth-watering aroma. If you feel an unpleasant aroma emanating from the leaves (or it is completely absent), you should not buy such a product - most likely, it has been on the shelf for several days.
3. The structure of the leaves. The spinach leaves should be slightly crunchy. It's quite easy to check this: you just need to pinch the tip of the vegetable between two fingers and squeeze it slightly. You will feel a slight crunch and crackle - the product is fresh, and was plucked from the garden no later than 12 hours ago.
4. Lack of yellow and black spots. Such signs indicate that the greens are either damaged by insects, or have been treated with special agents and solutions from pests. You should not eat such leaves.
5. Fresh look... The spinach greens must be free of any external defects. The leaves should be smooth, supple and succulent. If the greens are wrinkled or wilted, such a product can cause significant harm to the body, so you definitely should not buy it.
6. Stem thickness. If the stem of the spinach is too wide, this indicates that the greens are already overripe and contain a lot of bitterness.

Storage

It is best to consume spinach immediately after purchase (within 12 hours) as this vegetable spoils quickly. It is allowed to store the leaves in the refrigerator at a temperature not higher than +5 degrees. To preserve the freshness of the product, place it in a bag.

Advice! Do not wash the spinach leaves - this will significantly reduce the shelf life.

Even if all the conditions are met, it is not recommended to store spinach for more than 3 days, since after this time decay processes begin - such a product can be hazardous to health.

Spinach can be frozen, but even in this case, the shelf life is rather short - only 4 months. With this method of storage, most of the useful elements are preserved, so many housewives harvest this greens for future use in just this way.

Spinach garden: cultivation, varieties

Category: Useful information

Garden spinach (Spinacia oleraceae) is a long-day plant, dioecious and cross-wind-pollinated. In spring and autumn, spinach forms only a rosette of 8-12 fleshy leaves.

At this time, they contain easily digestible proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins C and B groups, provitamin A, mineral salts - a complex that increases immunity, strengthens blood vessels, improves digestive activity, alleviates vitamin deficiency, overwork and seasonal depression caused by a lack of heat and sun.

Depending on the variety, the leaves of spinach are triangular-lance-shaped, round or oblong-ovate, like sorrel, smooth-leaved (light green) or wrinkled (dark green). There is even spinach with red stalks and veins (F1 Bordeaux). But all representatives of Spinacia oleraceae will have a glossy leaf surface.

When the day becomes long, spinach - first on male plants (flowers are collected in a paniculate inflorescence), and a little later - on female (located in the leaf axils) peduncles grow. At the same time, the leaves lose their juiciness, and oxalic acid begins to accumulate in them.

Garden spinach is most widespread in the south of the country: seeds germinate already at + 4 ° C, sprouts can withstand short-term freezing, frost-resistant varieties overwinter if the temperature does not drop below + 10 ° C. At the same time, spinach is sown in open ground in August, early in April, or before winter.

In the middle lane and northern regions, spinach succeeds mainly under film shelters and when sown before winter.

In a heated greenhouse, using artificial supplementary lighting, spinach grows in any corner of our country, and it can be sown at several times from autumn to summer, including as a compactor in the aisles of greenhouse cucumber, pepper, tomato and eggplant.

Spinach is a moisture-loving plant that is demanding on nutritional conditions. Its roots are weak, they lie at a depth of 20 cm. Therefore, it grows poorly on light soils, ages quickly in drought and does not tolerate acidity. He also does not like cold drafts. Therefore, it is better to set aside places for spinach, protected from northerly and easterly winds, with a slight slope to the south or southeast.

Place it after cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, onions, cabbage, after filling the soil with rotted manure (5-6 kg / sq. M) or compost, complex fertilizer (50 g) and dolomite flour, or ash (200 g / sq. ...

m) to normalize the reaction of the soil solution to pH 6.5. Please note that you cannot apply a lot of potassium fertilizers - this will lead to spinach shooting.

After loosening, the soil must be rolled up so that the seedlings do not stick out from the ground (otherwise they may die from drying out).

Due to the fact that spinach has compact rosettes, it is often used as a lighthouse crop in crops of carrots and root parsley, as a compactor of kohlrabi, radish, head lettuce, celery and even strawberries. It has been found that spinach roots secrete substances that have a beneficial effect on the health of neighboring vegetables and improve the quality of the soil.

In the State Register of Russia, the assortment of spinach varieties is represented by different ripeness groups: Virofle, Stoic, Krepysh, Matador, Godry, Gigantic, Round dance, Dolphin F1, Cook Mishcha, Puma F1, Rembord F1 (early ripe, cutting leaves can be started after 15 days; late sowing shoots prematurely), Fat-leaved, Popeye, Nikitos, Rembrandt, Space F1, Spokein F1, Emerald F1 (mid-ripening, ready for harvesting in 20 days), Victoria, Varyag, Ladya (late-ripening - 25 days after germination, resistant to flowering and suitable for summer crops).

However, on the plots of amateur gardeners, there is also a non-zoned assortment of spinach: Bloomsdale (Bloomsdelsky), Marquis and Tyee (early, little shooting), Giant Nobel, Winter Bloomsdale, Chesapeake hybrid (early, resistant to powdery mildew with wrinkled or semi-wrinkled) , Mariska (medium early, large-leaved), Olympia and Cosmos (smooth leaves), Long Standing Bloomsdale, Dixie Market, F1 Corenta (medium-late, with large wrinkled leaves). So, if you wish, you can choose a conveyor belt of varieties and hybrids of different harvest dates, or sow one variety at several times.

In the open field, spinach is sown with ribbons in 2-5 lines with an interval between them of 20 cm and a row spacing of 40-50 cm or across the bed, placing the rows at a distance of 20 cm from each other. For 1 sq. m takes about 3 g of seeds.

On medium loamy soil, they are sealed to a depth of 2.5 cm, on light loamy and sandy loamy soil - 4 cm. In a greenhouse, rows are placed every 10 cm, and the seed consumption is 2 times higher. Normally, seedlings appear in a week - one and a half after sowing.

To speed up the germination of seeds, they are kept in water at room temperature, periodically renewing it.

When the first real leaf grows, the rows are weeded, thinned out, leaving an interval of 10 cm between the plants (when the rows thicken, root rot and downy mildew develop), loosened, and after a week they are fed with an infusion of herbs or manure and ash. The second feeding is given 10 days later. When foci of the disease occur, the affected plants are pulled out by the roots, and the rest are treated with 1% Bordeaux liquid. Cutting is carried out no earlier than 2 weeks later.

Also, spinach is threatened by caterpillars of gamma scoops, cabbage scoops, aphids. This is why it is important to kill weeds, especially the marsh and quinoa. Crops for food can be treated with Bitoxibacillin, Fitoferm or tobacco infusion.

In the south, spinach will have to be watered. In regions with moderate weather, water is provided as needed - with excess moisture, spinach is affected by root rot.

To retain moisture in the soil, it is often necessary to finely loosen the soil or mulch it with mowed grass or chopped straw. In a greenhouse and a film tunnel, attention should also be paid to temperature.

It should not rise above + 20оС, otherwise the plants will go into bloom.

Spinach can be grown in a winter greenhouse, loggia, on the balcony, window sill of the apartment - for its growth indoors it is enough to have good lighting and maintain the temperature within + 15 + 18 ° C.

Suitable for these purposes: Victoria, Virofle, Godry, Normal, Winter pomegranate, Virtuoso (varieties) and Melody, Mazurka, Tarantella, Prima and Casta (hybrids).

Since spinach needs intense lighting, it is sown no earlier than the third decade of January in boxes or pots filled with a 10-15 cm layer of a mixture of compost, peat and river sand, taken in a ratio of 2: 2: 1, and sowing is placed as close as possible to light. You can start cutting greens in a month.

Harvest the spinach in the morning. Break off large leaves one by one, or choose overgrown rosettes and cut them off under the first leaf - this way less dirt gets on the products, and the remaining plant will continue to grow. First of all, the greens of male plants are harvested. The crop can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than three days, after rinsing it and folding it into plastic containers.

The spinach leaves are washed just before cooking. They should be quickly cut with a stainless steel or ceramic knife, but not rolled through a meat grinder (spinach oxidizes when interacting with metal and loses valuable substances). You need to cook spinach in a small amount of water and no more than 8 minutes (when cooked, it boils down a lot).

Different varieties of spinach. Photo by Julia Belopukhova

Thawed spinach should not be given to children under three years old: bacteria on the leaves quickly convert nitrates into harmful nitrites. Lemon dressing (1 teaspoon of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of olive oil) will help revive the taste of frozen spinach.

Garden spinach is a wind-pollinated plant, and it is advisable to get your seeds only if only one variety is grown on the site. The seed yield of vegetable spinach is high, so it is enough to leave a couple of female plants at a distance of 20 cm from each other in the garden.

Seeds (nuts) ripen in 80-100 days. The inflorescences are cut off at the beginning of the massive browning of the lower inflorescences and ripened in the shade under a canopy. After threshing, the seeds are cleaned of debris and spread out in a thin layer to dry. Then they are poured into paper bags or cloth bags. In a cool dry place seeds of vegetable spinach remain viable for 4 years.

Culinary recipes with spinach garden: Chicken zrazy with spinach and mushrooms, Loin roll with cheese, pistachios and spinach, Potato lasagna with spinach and carrots, Triangles with spinach and puff pastry cheese, Stewed plums in wine with goat cheese and spinach spinach with gorgonzola and raspberries, Curd casserole with sorrel and spinach, Gourmet sorrel salad, Warm salad of spinach, oyster mushrooms and ginger, Salad with spinach and cucumbers, Light spinach and green onion soup with ginger, Salad with spinach, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and avocado, Salad with spinach, radish and apple, Spinach with butter.

We thank Agrofirm "Aelita" LLC for the provided photographic materials

Spinach: cultivation techniques and varieties

To date growing spinach is not a relevant topic for our summer residents.

Although in many other countries, amateur gardeners have not only found out what useful properties spinach has, appreciated the taste of this plant, but also started grow spinach both on their personal plots and at home.

Spinach - an annual plant from the amaranth family (haze).

Fresh spinach it is very rich in vitamins and minerals, it is eaten (has a slightly sour taste) throughout the summer season, and frozen - in winter. This is an early ripening, cold-resistant culture that is easy to grow.

The plant contains calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamins A, E, C, antioxidants and folic acid. During heat treatment, vitamins A, C in spinach are not destroyed. True, spinach was mistakenly attributed to a high iron content, but this is a delusion.

In addition to food, spinach has a medicinal purpose... It is useful for anemia, tuberculosis, mental stress and cancer.

Due to its ability to destroy cancer cells in Europe spinach it is recommended to use it daily. Contained in spinach and serotonin - the so-called hormone of happiness.

(This may be why Europeans who consume spinach all the time seem to be happier and more satisfied with their lives than our fellow citizens.)

At the moment, many are zoned spinach varieties (mainly foreign selection). These are early varieties and hybrids. Giant, Fat-leaved, Rembrandt F1, Uteush F1... And varieties of later ripening dates Victoria, Godry, Matador.

Agrotechnology for growing spinach

Agrotechnology for growing spinach consists in fairly simple systematic measures. This plant is demanding on the quality of the soil, so spinach should be grown in fertile, well-drained, organic-rich soils.

Spinach especially with no one is at enmity (unless you can not plant it after the red quinoa and amaranth). Grows well next to carrots, radishes, turnips, all types of onions. Spinach roots release saponins, which are beneficial for nearby crops.

Spinach tolerates a little shading, is not very tall, therefore it is an ideal crop for compacting plantings.

Best spinach precursors - cucumber, tomato, cabbage. Most often, spinach is sown in early spring, before heat-loving late vegetables, and also in summer, after harvesting early-maturing vegetables.

Spinach loves humus-rich neutral soils, although it can grow on sandy loam and loamy.

Spring spinach should be covered with spunbond from 6 pm, otherwise it will give a small leaf and a flower arrow.

Spinach works best in summer-autumn plantings when late varieties are planted. Then he gives an abundant rosette of large leaves of a dark green color (summer leaves are lighter). In addition, autumn spinach is less damaged by pests and diseases.

Spinach can be sown under a shelter at the end of April - it easily tolerates frosts down to -5 °.

When preparing the soil for spinach per 1 sq. m, 5-6 kg of humus and 50-60 g of a mineral vegetable mixture are introduced. After that, the bed is dug to a depth of 22-25 cm.

Like other leafy green crops, spinach is picky about moisture, its deficiency (rare watering and heat) leads to rapid shooting, aging of plants and a deterioration in the taste of the leaves. The best temperature regime for spinach growth is 15-20 °.

The seeds of spinach are large, and they are immediately sown according to the scheme of 20 × 20 cm to a depth of 1.5 cm.
Spinach emerges in 8-10 days. By the 20th day of life, it forms a rosette of leaves, which can be used for food.

Spinach seedlings are first thinned out in the phase of the first true leaf, leaving a distance of 8-10 cm between the plants. When the leaves close together, the plants are thinned again, leaving a distance of 15-20 cm. The spinach is ready for harvesting in 25 days.

During the growing season, he needs abundant watering (20 liters of water per 1 sq. M.) And loosening the soil in the aisles.

For top dressing, it is better to use watering with infusion of weeds and dusting the soil with ash. Chemical fertilizers are excluded.

If you want to get your own spinach seeds, remember that this plant is dioecious and you need to leave up to 10 plants per seed to have both male and female plants.

Spinach with high humidity in the greenhouse is affected by downy mildew and root rot. Greenhouses are ventilated, dried, the aisles are sprinkled with ash. Severely damaged plants are removed. Crop rotation should be observed, and before planting plants, spill the earth with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Do not thicken the planting and constantly weed and thin out the spinach. In cold, rainy weather, you need to put arcs over the bed and cover with a film, protecting the plants from excess moisture.

Spinach is harvested selectively when 6-10 leaves are formed, cutting off the rosette under the first true leaf. It is better to cut it early in the morning.

It is best to eat spinach right away. For long-term storage, spinach leaves are washed, dried, laid out in plastic bags and frozen.

You can harvest spinach for the winter in the form of mashed potatoes by boiling it in your own juice and rolling it into jars.

: Spinach. The spinach planting trick!

Spinach is a very healthy salad, in which there is a whole storehouse of mineral salts and vitamins. Well, how not to plant such a wonderful spinach. But you need to know that growing spinach gives a bush with a diameter of up to 20-25 centimeters. In order not to thicken the planting, you can use my method of harvesting seeds for planting. Ekaterina Snytko. Source 2 Source 1

: Spinach - beneficial properties

Benefits of Spinach Source 3

Read our articles on growing green crops:

We must not lose sight of the important fact - benefits of greenery significantly higher than from other foods such as fish, meat and even vegetables. You should know that there are also much more microelements and vitamins that our body needs for normal functioning in fresh greens.