Spinach

[Gardening with Rabbits]

Every year I start spinach early and I get some, but my plants are really never large and by the time they do get bigger they go to seed. I might have some under the snow from last fall. I have had a little luck with that, but really what spinach I do grow is not worth the space it takes. So, I have been looking at videos and it says for the space, it is a good choice because of the multiple cuttings. I saw one where he put the seeds in a wide row, very close plants and seemed to be happy with what he got. I saw 2 other videos where they started the seed inside and planted out 6 inches apart. Since my garden is deep in snow, would I be better off starting some now and then when the box is melted take then and transplant. The box will thaw soon, but very wet, still cold. Here is another video. I am not talking about doing the sprouting, but just put seeds in 1 in each hole. If you planted spinach plants or seeds, 6 inches apart, how big of an area to get enough spinach for fresh eating and freeze some?

 

[Beekissed]

I always plant spinach like I do lettuce....sow it, thin it and eat the thinnings, and feed it good. Had the best spinach I've ever had one year by side dressing with urine.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

I always plant spinach like I do lettuce....sow it, thin it and eat the thinnings, and feed it good. Had the best spinach I've ever had one year by side dressing with urine.

I plant like lettuce too. I am going to build a new box in a better place. The lettuce box I have will be the asparagus. I still do not like where I put it a couple of years ago and I think this will be the perfect spot.

 

[digitS']

I complained on the forum about my spinach one time and someone responded with a link showing seed production in south central WA State. I no longer know where to look for that site but that is a primary location for spinach seed production.

I pointed out that seed production is my problem. Cool, cloudy spring weather allows only a little growth of the spinach plant. Then, boom! Skies clear, the sun blazes through many hours of daylight and the plants bolt to seed. Done.

Growing the spinach in the shade seems only to help just a little. (Afternoon shade works well for lettuce.) Orach came to my rescue! I like the flavor better than spinach but orach harvest doesn't really last later in the summer. It just starts sooner.

Maybe, I could grow spinach like its cousin orach - allow several plants to go to seed in an out-of-the-way location. Volunteers start during the winter and harvest can commence in the spring. I don't know! For some reason, I've never tried this ...

Now, my productive neglect of orach has been seriously disrupted by the tractor guy. Fall tilling of the garden is much more disruptive than just knocking down, pulling and clearing frost-killed plants. Where did my self-sown orach and other seeds go!??

Steve

 

[Beekissed]

I plant like lettuce too. I am going to build a new box in a better place. The lettuce box I have will be the asparagus. I still do not like where I put it a couple of years ago and I think this will be the perfect spot.

I'm moving my asparagus also and planting more. I'm making a dedicated raised bed(only raised enough to get roots out of the boggy clay soil in certain parts of my garden)for both the asparagus and also my rhubarb. I'm placing the raised bed right over the bog so that it can wick moisture from it but doesn't have to be a part of it. I'm hoping this helps make use of these spaces that are pretty worthless except for growing flowers.

On the other boggy part, I'm doing a raised bed for spuds.

As far as spinach...I've found baby bok choi has a similar flavor and grows like it's on steroids, has the crunchy stems that replace celery for me, which I can't seem to grow. It grows fast, it does better after picking than spinach and it's just as nutritious. It's one of my new fave greens to grow and I can't picture any of my gardens without it from here on.

 

[seedcorn]

On moving asparagus-don’t. Start over with fresh starts. I didn’t-had a very healthy bed, so moved them. Wrong thing to do. It’s there but never as good as it was....why? Don’t know, but it’s not.

Need to sow some spinach as June/July heat wilt it. Never any luck with fall sowing. Went to Swiss chard.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

On moving asparagus-don’t. Start over with fresh starts. I didn’t-had a very healthy bed, so moved them. Wrong thing to do. It’s there but never as good as it was....why? Don’t know, but it’s not.

Need to sow some spinach as June/July heat wilt it. Never any luck with fall sowing. Went to Swiss chard.

Yes, I am buying new and I have good luck with Swiss chard too.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

I'm moving my asparagus also and planting more. I'm making a dedicated raised bed(only raised enough to get roots out of the boggy clay soil in certain parts of my garden)for both the asparagus and also my rhubarb. I'm placing the raised bed right over the bog so that it can wick moisture from it but doesn't have to be a part of it. I'm hoping this helps make use of these spaces that are pretty worthless except for growing flowers.

On the other boggy part, I'm doing a raised bed for spuds.

As far as spinach...I've found baby bok choi has a similar flavor and grows like it's on steroids, has the crunchy stems that replace celery for me, which I can't seem to grow. It grows fast, it does better after picking than spinach and it's just as nutritious. It's one of my new fave greens to grow and I can't picture any of my gardens without it from here on.

My first asparagus were in a box and they did great, but it was just in a bad place, so I bought more and put in a new place, but I don't like where they are at. I will be able to eat some this spring, very little probably, too weed in this area and hard to get the water there, so have to make a special watering for that area and I forget. I have let a section get overgrown with weeds, blackberries, and cherry bushes hanging over into the garden. All of this needs to be cleaned up. Hate to take the bushes out. The birds like them, but just taking up too much space and they are not producing cherries like they did at first and nobody wants to pick them. Also a couple of wild plum trees not producing much and seedlings starting to be everywhere, so I need to stop this too.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

I pointed out that seed production is my problem. Cool, cloudy spring weather allows only a little growth of the spinach plant. Then, boom! Skies clear, the sun blazes through many hours of daylight and the plants bolt to seed. Done.

Steve

Exactly! I am not sure if I should waste the space trying. I think if we did not have this deep snow then the weather real soon would be perfect. Unless I build a new box right now, which might happen. LOL.lots of ifs.

 

[bobm]

I'm moving my asparagus also and planting more. I'm making a dedicated raised bed(only raised enough to get roots out of the boggy clay soil in certain parts of my garden)for both the asparagus and also my rhubarb. I'm placing the raised bed right over the bog so that it can wick moisture from it but doesn't have to be a part of it. I'm hoping this helps make use of these spaces that are pretty worthless except for growing flowers.

On the other boggy part, I'm doing a raised bed for spuds.

As far as spinach...I've found baby bok choi has a similar flavor and grows like it's on steroids, has the crunchy stems that replace celery for me, which I can't seem to grow. It grows fast, it does better after picking than spinach and it's just as nutritious. It's one of my new fave greens to grow and I can't picture any of my gardens without it from here on.

Bee ... are those worthless boggy areas spring fed yer round ? If so, and since you like projects too, you can deepen to 2+ feet deep add some boulders , gravel and sandy areas and wa la you have a great habitat to raise high value foods such as crawdads and / or catfish or even ducks for animal protein . You can turn a worthless bog into a cash cow for very little in cash outlay that is sustainable.