How to grow spinach? How long does it take to grow spinach before it can be eaten?

Spinach is a common green leafy vegetable that is rich in nutrients and has a short planting cycle, making it suitable for both home planting and large-scale production. If the climate, temperature and environmental conditions are suitable, spinach can be grown all year round. So how do you grow spinach? How long does it take to grow spinach before it can be eaten?

1. Steps for growing spinach

1. Choose the variety

There are many varieties of spinach, the most common ones are:

Round-leaf spinach: The leaves are thick, taste good, and suitable for fresh consumption.

Pointed leaf spinach: The leaves are thin and grow fast, suitable for stir-frying or making soup.

Cold-resistant varieties: such as "Hua Bo No. 1" and "Zhe Bo No. 1", etc., are suitable for winter planting.

Heat-resistant varieties: such as "Xia Lu" and "Xia Kang 12", etc., are suitable for summer planting.

Choose the appropriate variety according to the planting season and purpose.

2. Prepare the Soil

Spinach is not very demanding on the soil, but fertile, loose, well-drained loam is preferred, and the best pH value is between 6.5-7.5. Deeply till the land, remove weeds and rocks, and apply sufficient base fertilizer. The base fertilizer can be decomposed farmyard manure or compound fertilizer , with 2000-3000 kg of decomposed farmyard manure or 30-50 kg of compound fertilizer applied per mu. The beds are made into flat or raised beds with a width of 1.2-1.5 meters to facilitate irrigation and drainage.

3. Sowing time and method

Spinach is cold-resistant and suitable for planting in spring and autumn. The spring sowing time is March-April, and the autumn sowing time is August-September. It can also be grown in winter in some areas.

Sowing method:

Sowing: Spread the seeds evenly on the bed surface, cover with 0.5-1 cm of soil, and press lightly.

Row sowing: dig shallow furrows with a row spacing of 10-15 cm, sow the seeds into the furrows, cover with soil and compact.

Seed treatment: Before sowing, the seeds can be soaked in 40℃ warm water for 15 minutes, and then soaked in clean water at about 20℃ for 24 hours. After being fished out, they are placed in an environment of 20-25℃ for germination, and sown after the seeds turn white.

4. Field management

The soil needs to be kept moist during the growth period of spinach, especially in the seedling stage. Water it frequently with small amounts to avoid drought and waterlogging. Spinach grows fast and requires a lot of fertilizer. In addition to base fertilizer, 10-15 kg/mu of urea can be applied during the seedling stage, or 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution can be sprayed on the leaves. Remove weeds promptly to avoid competing with spinach for nutrients.

The main diseases of spinach are downy mildew and anthracnose, which can be controlled by metalaxyl, carbendazim and other pesticides; the main insect pests are aphids and cabbage loopers, which can be controlled by imidacloprid, cypermethrin and other pesticides.

2. How long does it take to eat spinach?

The growth cycle of spinach is relatively short, and the time from sowing to harvest is generally as follows:

Spring sowing: harvest in about 30-40 days.

Autumn sowing: harvest in about 35-45 days.

Winter sowing: In lower temperatures, growth will slow and harvest time may be extended to around 50 days.

In summary, spinach can be harvested when it grows to 10-15 cm in height. When harvesting, you can cut it from the roots with a knife, or pull up the whole plant. If the sowing is dense, the "thinning" method can be adopted to harvest in multiple times to extend the harvest period.