Golden Acre Home & Garden Centre's Plant Library

Description:

A delicious leafy green high in vitamin K, primarily grown in cool seasons; leaves are various shades of green, oval and non bitter when harvested young; a versatile choice that can be eaten fresh or cooked; can be dried, frozen or canned for later use

Edible Qualities

Spinach is an annual vegetable plant that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. The crinkled oval green leaves can be harvested at any time in the season. The leaves have a pleasant taste and a soft texture.

The leaves are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Eating When Cooked/Prepared
• Cooking
• Canning
• Freezing

Planting & Growing

Spinach will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 inches. This fast-growing vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop.

This plant is typically grown in a designated vegetable garden. It does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone over the growing season to conserve soil moisture. This species is not originally from North America.

Spinach is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing the canvas against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.