Spinach -help please

**sez** · 11-04-2009, 01:29 PM

Originally posted by coreopsis View Post

This year I'm back to growing veg,in my madness I decided to grow some of the stuff I'd love to eat but I never grew before.
I've done some research about spinach.Looks like I need well manured soil,dug at least 30 cm deep(as they have tap roots which I didn't know about).It's no problem with digging but none of my beds are manured.So far I planted the seeds outside(as suggested sowing time on the packet)in the cells and I'm waiting for the shoots to appear.
I know tap-rooted vegs shouldn't be replanted as they don't like it so what should I do?Sow it once more in deeper container?Is spinach prone to slug attack?What's the aftercare once it's growing?

If anybody could give me some hints I'd be very grateful.Thanks

I wouldn't worry too much about the manure. I planted some last year, just bunged it in 4/5 seeds to 1 sq foot (well double that... I always plant extra and euthanise the weakest

). Slugs love the stuff though.. if anyone has a magical cure for slugs I'd love to know it

anyway.. I wouldn't worry too much. In my opinion it's very much a 'throw it in and leave it to it' kind of veg

**Nicos** · 11-04-2009, 01:31 PM

Is it spinach or perpetual spinach??
I've never grown spinach but have grown perpeptual several times.
If it is perpep then I just sprinkled it onto a recently mucked piece of soil and left it be- very simple to be honest. I just put some fleece over it as I do with most seeds just to warm up the soil a bit and to retain moisture.
Never grown them in cells - sorry!

**coreopsis** · 11-04-2009, 01:45 PM

It's spinach-not chard or perpetual one.
As for the slugs-I suspected b*%$�@ds would munch on it so I planted it in cells 4-5 seeds each.

**smallblueplanet** · 11-04-2009, 03:00 PM

We're growing spinach for the 1st time ever this year. We started some seeds in modules and then potted them into 10" pots, growing okay with no problems so far, but when/if we put them in the ground....

**w33blegurl** · 11-04-2009, 03:28 PM

I sowed some spinach straight into the ground.....slugs have scoffed all but one seedling. That was WITH the pellets (oragnic), little b*ggers. Have now started some more off in modules to transplant when a bit bigger!

**Rossa** · 11-04-2009, 04:34 PM

Sowed my spinach seeds direct last year and had good crop. Small leaves good for salad. Trying and oriental variety this year. Sown that type direct but some of last years sort that I had left over I've tried in pots indoors and have done nothing so far. Trying bright lights chard and scarlet kale as well to see what I get from those.

**Eyren** · 11-04-2009, 04:37 PM

Apparently my spinach last year didn't read the instructions! I sowed "Matador" in a roughly 50/50 compost/soil mix in a 6-inch deep raised bed (over rather poor soil) and it did very well in the wet spring we had - it filled the 50cm x 1m strip of the bed and we just managed to eat it all before it started to bolt

This year, as the weather was a lot colder, I sowed "Bloomsdale" in modules indoors and planted it out on the lottie under coke-bottle cloches, and have sown "Matador" in a different part of the same raised bed as last year. Will have to see how it does - I put some chicken manure on the raised bed over winter, so I'm hoping for another good crop!

EDIT: for some reason I didn't have any problem with slugs until later in the year. No aftercare - there was more than enough rain to keep the spinach happy last spring!

**pete the trike** · 11-04-2009, 05:06 PM

Hi,
Get some 3in - 4in pots put 4 / 5 seeds in each one. Water, cover with cling film, glass, plastic bags whatever will do the job. Keep them warm, when they germinate, 4/7 days remove the cling film or whatever you have used. When they have the two seed leaves and at least two new ones
plant them out. The whole pot (don’t split them) every 12 inches apart.

This way you will not disturb the taproot, you can also do the same with beetroot.

As for slugs and so on you deal with them as you feel fit, I know how I deal with them.

pj

**coreopsis** · 21-04-2009, 08:27 AM

I had a look at the spinach tray-from about 20 cells only 3 has germinated.How long it takes to germinate?

**Alison** · 21-04-2009, 11:39 AM

I always start mine off in modules as otherwise the slugs get the lot. Sowed a 15 module tray of it yesterday to go with the one which I already have on the go. I usually find it germinates pretty quickly at this time of year in my cold greenhouse.

**Jenegade** · 21-04-2009, 12:10 PM

I just planted some Spinach seeds in a 12 inch tall pot, they've germinated and appear to be growing ok. I'm growing them in a container as I have a slug problem and thought they'd get eaten too quickly in the ground.

**Mchanen** · 21-04-2009, 12:37 PM

Lukily i don't have much of a slug problem- my stuffs in baskets on the patio but you never know if those little critters will get to them.

I have heard though that putting a bowl or something similar filled with beer/lager into a small hole in the ground not far from your plants so it's at ground level will attract the slugs as they like to have a drink of it and then they drown in it- maybe worth a try

Also maybe you could put some vegetation in a pile not from from your plants so it will attract the slugs to that so maybe then they won't go after your plants?!

**coreopsis** · 21-04-2009, 03:22 PM

Looks more like I have a problem with seeds...Must had this "gut feeling" when I bought some more spinach seeds from Lidl last week...

The "lazy" one that doesn't want to germinate was sown in modules about 3 weeks ago.The tray sits on the coal bunker so should be safe from slugs.
What should I do then?Sow some more but keep it in the house until it germinates?

**BarleySugar** · 21-04-2009, 05:22 PM

Not used this with spinach but I have used the copper tape around sections of drinks bottles to protect individual lettuce and kohl rabi plants. (DD came up with the idea when I complained about the cost of copper rings, but I've read it on here somewhere too) It seems to be working, not one bite taken from either, but I suppose of you trapped a slug inside there would be a problem. Also it'd be a bit of a fiddle for too many plants. I found Wilkinsons cheapest for the copper tape (not surprise there).

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