9/9/2023 0 Comments Opp transfer spinach seedlingsNext, harden off your young spinach plants by setting them outside for increasing amounts of time every day over the course of a week.Īfter that, they’ll be ready to transplant into the waiting containers outdoors. When the plants have two to three sets of true leaves and are about four to six inches tall, thin the weaker one out of each seed cell. Or, you may want to put them under grow lights for 10 to 12 hours a day. Keep the soil moist until germination, and then move the trays to a windowsill that receives at least six to eight hours of sunlight. Make a half-inch divot in each cell and drop two seeds inside. You can use a blend of one part topsoil purchased from a gardening store, one part well-rotted manure or compost, and one part peat moss.Īlternatively, use a potting mix such as Nature’s Care Organic Potting Mix, available at Home Depot.Īlternatively, you can start seeds indoors in flats filled with seed-starting mix about two to four weeks before your area’s average last frost date. Gardeners in Zones 2 to 5 can start seeds indoors (more on that below) two to four weeks before the average last frost date, or sow outdoors in your containers two weeks after last frost.īefore you begin, you’ll need to select a potting mix. In warmer climates, such as Zones 6 through 9, make sure you plant early enough that the temperatures aren’t at risk of creeping over 75☏ during this time. Plants can survive a light frost, but a hard freeze will kill them.Ĭheck your seed packet for the expected number of days to maturity for your chosen variety, and calculate backwards – you want to be sure that the plant has time to mature before the heat of summer sets in for spring plantings, or before first frost for fall plantings. Temperatures over 75☏ will cause the plant to bolt, and the leaves to become bitter and tough. The ideal daytime temperature for growing spinach is 50 to 70☏, so it’s well suited to growing in the spring or fall. This cream-colored ceramic container from the Home Depot is 10 inches deep and wide, making it an ideal pot for your greens, which will contrast nicely against the ivory color. Spinach has a deep taproot, so you’ll need a container that’s at least eight to 10 inches wide and deep, with drainage holes in the bottom, for each plant. Young, tender leaves can be harvested as baby spinach for salads and sandwiches, and mature greens can be sauteed, steamed, or added to soups and stews. Spinach does well in full or partial sun and prefers rich, well-drained soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.5. Most cultivars grow six to 12 inches tall, with a similar width, and take around 40 to 50 days to mature. The leaves are flat and smooth for some varieties, and on others, they are heavily crinkled, a characteristic that’s referred to as “savoyed.” If the leaf is only partially crinkled, it’s called semi-savoy spinach. Some varieties have been bred to withstand higher temperatures, though, and we’ll share one of them with you below. The plant is suited to USDA Hardiness Zones 2 through 9, and the ideal temperature range for growing this cool-weather crop is between 50 and 70☏. oleracea is an annual that grows in a rosette pattern and sends up a central flower stalk if exposed to temperatures above 75☏.
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