Spinach , well known as palak in India is green leafy vegetable. It is very good source of Dietary Fibre , Protein , Vitamin A,C & E etc. Growing Spinach is extremely easy and good choice to became a urban farmer.
Choosing a pot
We must take a wide pot , wooden box or crate to grow Spinach. Depth of 10 to 15 cm is sufficient for growing spinach. You can also choose many small pots and grow one plant in each. Drainage hole at the bottom of the pot is most important.
Soil
For growing spinach in container use well composted potting mix. Well drained soil is the main key for best growth of Spinach. You can see the perfect ratio of best potting mix in another article below.
Preparing seeds
Soak the seeds in water over night to have faster rate of germination. Sow the Seeds 0.5 cm deep. Spacing between two neighboring seeds must be more than 10 cm. Germination will take place in 6 to 8 days
Watering
Always water your plant when surface area of soil looks dry. Choosing a method of down watering is also very useful,in which water is poured in a plate placed below the pot. Thus water gets absorbed in a soil slowly.
Fertilization
As spinach is green leafy veggy, Nitrogen is required in abundance to the plant. You can either put sufficient amount of compost fertilizer in the potting mix or use compost/manure tea when plant leaves start becoming larger. Compost tea is nice organic way to promote thw growth of a plant
Harvesting
The Spinach plant will be ready in 30 - 35 days for harvesting after germination varies upon the growing conditions.
Harvesting is done when the plant forms 6-7 healthy leaves. Leaves must be 5 to 6 cm wide. Cut the outer leaves first with the help of knife or scissor. Keep smaller leaves from inside for continuous growth.
You can harvest plant at least 3 to 4 times in its life span.
Interesting facts
- 100 gram of fresh spinach carry only 23 calories.
- In 1930's US farmers credited popeye for 33% growth in domestic spinach consumption.
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