Common name: spinach

Botanical name: Spinacia oleracea

Origin: Asia

Varieties

Spinach: Bloomdale Longstanding (43 days); America (52 days).

New Zealand Spinach: Only a few varieties of New Zealand spinach are available; use the variety available in your area.

Description

There are two kinds of spinach - the regular kind which is a hardy annual, and the less well-known New Zealand spinach, which is a tender annual and is not really spinach at all. Spinach, the regular kind, is a hardy annual with a rosette of dark green leaves. The leaves may be crinkled (savoy leaf) or flat. Spinach is related to beets and chard. The cartoon character Popeye made spinach famous with young children because he attributed his great strength to eating spinach - probably with some justification, because spinach has a very high iron content. Spinach was brought to America by the early colonists; the Chinese were using it in the sixth century, and the Spanish used it by the 11th century. New Zealand spinach (Tetragonia expansa) comes - as the name indicates - from New Zealand. It's a tender annual with weak, spreading stems two to four feet long, sometimes longer, and it's covered with dark green leaves that are two to four inches long. New Zealand spinach is not really spinach at all, but when it's cooked the two are virtually indistinguishable. The leaves of New Zealand spinach are smaller and fuzzier than those of regular spinach, and it has the advantage of being heat-tolerant and able to produce all summer. Heat makes regular spinach bolt, or go to seed, very quickly.

Where and when to grow

Spinach is very hardy and can tolerate cold - in fact, it thrives in cold weather. Warm weather and long days, however, will make it bolt, or go to seed. Ideal spinach weather is 50* to 60*F. Spinach grows well in the winter in the South, and in early spring and late summer in the North. Plant it about four weeks before your area's average date of last frost. New Zealand spinach likes

long warm days. It grows best at 60* to 75*F and won't start growing until the soil warms up. It has a short season, however (55 to 65 days), so it can be grown successfully in most areas of the

United States. Plant it on the average date of last frost for your area. Plant New Zealand spinach to supply you with a summer harvest long after it's too hot for regular spinach.

How to plant

Both spinach and New Zealand spinach are grown - like beets and chard - from seed clusters that each produce several seedlings. This means they must be thinned when the seedlings appear. Both types tolerate partial shade and require well drained soil that's rich in organic matter. Spinach does not like acid soil. When you're preparing the soil for planting, work in a complete, well balanced fertilizer at the rate of one pound per 100 square feet or 10 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Plant spinach seed clusters half an inch deep, two to four inches apart, in rows 12 to 14 inches apart, and when the seedlings are large enough to handle, thin them to leave the strongest seedling from each cluster. For New Zealand spinach, plant the seed clusters half an inch deep, 12 inches apart, in rows 24 to 36 inches apart. Thin when the seedlings are large enough to handle, leaving the strongest seedling from each cluster to grow. Cut off the others with scissors at soil level.

Fertilizing and watering

Fertilize both types before planting and again at midseason, at the same rate as the rest of the garden. Spinach does best when the soil is kept uniformly moist. Try not to splash muddy water on the leaves - it will make the spinach difficult to clean after harvesting. Mulch to avoid getting soil on the leaves. New Zealand spinach especially needs a regular supply of water to keep it producing lots of leaves.

Special handling

Spinach does not like competition from weeds. Cut weeds at ground level to avoid damaging the shallow roots of the spinach plants.

Pests

Aphids and, occasionally, leaf miners may attack spinach. Pinch out aphid-infested foliage, and remove leaves on which leaf miners have laid their eggs - look for the eggs on the undersides of the leaves. Control aphids chemically with Malathion or Diazinon; chemical controls are ineffective on leaf miners once they're inside the leaf. New Zealand spinach has no serious pest problems and is a good crop for the organic gardener.

Diseases

Spinach is susceptible to rust, but most varieties are rust resistant. Planting disease resistant varieties and maintaining the general cleanliness and health of your garden will help cut down the incidence of disease. If a plant does become infected, remove it before it can spread disease to healthy plants. New Zealand spinach has no serious disease problems.

When and how to harvest

For spinach, time from planting to harvest is 40 to 52 days, and a 10-foot row should yield about five pounds of spinach leaves. To harvest, either pick the outside leaves periodically, or pull up the whole plant at one time. Be sure to wash spinach thoroughly to eliminate the grit that sometimes sticks to the crinkled leaves. For New Zealand spinach, time from planting to harvest is 55 to 65 days, and a 10-foot row will produce about five to 10 pounds of leaves. To harvest keep cutting the tender tips off the ends of the stems; this will encourage new growth, and you can harvest until the first frost.

Storing and preserving

Both types of spinach can be refrigerated for up to one week. They can also be frozen, canned, or dried. Spinach seeds can also be sprouted.

Serving suggestions