How and when to plant winter spinach

As a vegetable, spinach is not only vigorous, grows quickly, and has a short maturity period, but is also easy to plant and care for, with a long harvest period and abundant yield. It is suitable for planting almost all year round. It will germinate 3-5 days after sowing and can be harvested in about one and a half months. This makes spinach very suitable for farmers to plant in rotation or intercropping, and also very suitable for people who like to enjoy fresh vegetables at any time to plant and pick them immediately. Let’s learn about the methods and time of planting winter spinach .

1. Planting time for winter spinach

The planting time for overwintering spinach is relatively late, usually in mid-October to early November. The best time to sow is in mid-October, when the temperature drops to about 18 degrees. After sowing, spinach will usually start to be harvested around the Spring Festival.

2. Selection of spinach varieties

Selecting high-quality spinach seeds is the basis for achieving high yields. When purchasing, it is recommended to go to a regular agricultural supply store and choose varieties with high purity, strong germination ability, good adaptability, strong disease resistance, thick green leaves and rapid growth. Before sowing, remove diseased, damaged, moldy and shriveled seeds to ensure complete emergence and good growth. In addition, since spinach can be sown in all seasons, it is very important to choose varieties that are suitable for planting in that season.

Although spinach is cold-resistant, low temperatures in winter and early spring can easily lead to premature bolting, affecting yield and quality. Therefore, when planting overwintering spinach, priority should be given to medium and late-maturing varieties with strong cold resistance and good winter resistance, such as pointed leaf spinach, Boza No. 10, Boza No. 9, round leaf spinach, late round leaf spinach and Huabo No. 1.

3. Processing methods of spinach seeds

Spinach seeds have a hard seed coat on the outside. Direct sowing may lead to problems such as slow germination, late emergence, and uneven seedlings, affecting normal growth. In order to increase the germination rate and reduce diseases, seeds need to be processed before sowing. Commonly used methods include soaking seeds to accelerate germination, low-temperature germination and soaking seeds in liquid medicine.

(1) Seed soaking and germination

Soak the selected seeds in clean water for 12-24 hours, or soak them in warm water at 25-30℃ for 5-6 hours. After soaking, spread the seeds or wrap them with wet gauze, place them in a ventilated and cool place, spray water every day to keep them moist, and maintain the temperature and humidity at 20-25℃ during the germination period.

(2) Low temperature germination

Place the selected seeds in a freezer or refrigerator, keep them at a low temperature of 4-5℃ for 24 hours, and then transfer them to a ventilated environment at 20-25℃ for germination.

(3) Seed soaking in liquid medicine

Seed soaking in liquid medicine is mainly used to prevent diseases and promote germination. Commonly used drugs include 2% sodium hydroxide, 10% trisodium phosphate, 50% carbendazim, etc. Rinse with clean water after use.

4. Selection, arrangement and fertilization management of spinach planting sites

(1) Selection of planting sites

Spinach has strong adaptability, but it should not be planted in soil with too high acidity or alkalinity to avoid problems such as slow growth and yellowing leaves. Neutral or slightly alkaline soil is best.

It is not suitable for continuous cropping, nor should it be planted with cruciferous crops to prevent diseases and insect pests. New land that has not been planted before or rotation with grass crops should be selected. Good soil, water, fertilizer and light conditions can significantly improve the yield and quality of spinach. It is recommended to choose a sunny plot with deep, fertile, loose soil and convenient drainage and irrigation.

(2) Preparation of planting site and application of base fertilizer

After harvesting the previous crop, clear the field of stumps and weeds, deep plowing to a depth of 25-35 cm, and intensive cultivation, harrowing and leveling. Ridges are made with a width of 1.2-1.5 meters. When preparing the land, 60-80 kg of quicklime can be applied per mu to disinfect the soil.

When preparing the land, appropriate amounts of fertilizer should be applied according to soil moisture conditions, soil fertility and the type of previous crop, with decomposed organic fertilizer as the main ingredient and nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers as the supplementary ingredient. Apply 3500-4500 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer and appropriate amount of chemical fertilizer per mu, ensuring that the fertilizer is fully mixed with the soil before application.

5. Spinach planting tips

After being kept warm and moisturized for germination, spinach seeds will generally turn white and germinate within 3-5 days. When most of the seeds are white (at least 65%), they can be sown.

The main sowing methods are broadcasting and row sowing. Regardless of the method used, the soil needs to be moist when sowing. It is recommended to water in advance and then sow after the water has fully penetrated. After sowing, cover with 1-1.5 cm of fine soil. If conditions permit, sprinkle a layer of wood ash or chopped straw on the seeds to sterilize, retain moisture, and avoid direct sunlight to promote uniform germination.

From sowing to germination, spinach planted in spring and winter should be covered with straw or film to keep warm and moist. Spinach planted in summer and autumn needs to be protected from high temperature and strong light. It can be cooled and moisturized by covering with straw or setting up a sunshade, and watered in small amounts in the morning and evening to keep it moist before seedlings emerge. The covering or sunshade should be removed promptly after the spinach seedlings emerge.

6. Field management skills of spinach

After spinach is sown, it usually sprouts within 3-7 days. The seedlings grow slowly and require less water and fertilizer, so there is no need to water or fertilize frequently. Just spray a little water in the morning and evening to keep the soil moist when the soil is short of water. After entering the vigorous growth period, it is necessary to ensure sufficient water and fertilizer, and other management should be carried out normally.

(1) Watering management

The first watering of spinach seedlings is generally done when the seedlings grow 1-2 true leaves, and the second watering is done when they grow 2-3 true leaves. As spinach grows 4-5 leaves and enters a period of vigorous growth, you need to increase the amount of watering to keep the soil moist. Spinach grows most vigorously, has thick leaves, and has the best taste and yield when the relative humidity of the soil is around 75% and the relative humidity of the air is around 85%.

(2) Fertilization management

Fertilization should follow the principle of less at the beginning and more later, with nitrogen fertilizer as the main fertilizer and phosphorus and potassium fertilizer as the auxiliary fertilizer. After the seedlings grow true leaves, they need to be applied with a thin fertilizer once. It is recommended to use 10-15% thin manure water or 8-12 kg of urea in combination with watering. After entering the vigorous growth period, the amount of fertilizer should be appropriately increased, and topdressing should be applied twice in a row, applying 10-15 kg of quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer or 20-25 kg of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizer per mu. If the growth is weak in the later stage, apply an appropriate amount of quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer once 10-15 days before harvest, and water in time.

(3) Intertillage, weeding and thinning management

After the spinach seedlings grow two true leaves, thinning can be carried out in combination with tillage and weeding. Intertillage helps loosen the soil, prevent compaction, and create a good environment for root growth; weeding prevents weeds from competing with seedlings for nutrients, and manual weeding is recommended. When thinning out seedlings, remove plants that are too dense, have yellow seedlings, or are weak, maintain a distance of 3-4 cm between every two plants, and replant missing seedlings in a timely manner.

Through tillage, weeding and thinning, a good soil and nutritional environment can be created for the growth of spinach, thereby improving yield and quality.

6. Harvest spinach as soon as it matures

Generally speaking, spinach can be harvested 35-50 days after sowing, or when the seedlings reach 15-20 cm in height, or when they grow 8-10 leaves. When harvesting, priority should be given to picking spinach that is about to sprout and plants that are growing too densely. At the same time, remove diseased, yellow and rotten leaves, cut off the main root, and wash them before tying them into bundles for sale.

The above is an introduction to the planting methods and time of winter spinach. When planting spinach, you can choose suitable varieties according to different seasons. Grasping field management is the key.