Spinach is a leafy vegetable that is easy and quick to grow, ideal in spring and fall. In summary, what you need to know : Name: Spinocia ol...
Spinach is a leafy vegetable that is easy and quick to grow, ideal in spring and fall.
In summary, what you need to know :
- Name: Spinocia oleracea
- Family : Amaranthacées
- Type : Vegetable, annual
- Height: 20 to 30 cm
- Exposure: Half-shade to shade
- Soil : Quite rich
- Harvest : January to December
- Spinach is easy to grow and care for, and the harvest is often bountiful with a little care.
- Spinach : Sowing and planting
- The ideal planting period for spinach is in early spring and late summer.
Spinach dreads the heat and may not tolerate the summer heat.
Cultivation in the ground :
Summer harvest : Spinach is sown from March to May. spinach culture
Autumn and winter harvest: Spinach is sown from August to September.
Beware, spinach does not like hot weather.
Sow in a row, respecting a depth of 2 to 3 cm for the seeds and thin out as soon as the first leaves appear at about 10-15 cm.
- When sowing, it is favorite to use potting soil to cover the seeds.
- Water in a fine rain after sowing and until emergence.
- Once the sowing has risen, thin out to 10-15 cm, which is generally the same as removing 1 plant out of 2.
- The ground must always remain slightly wet.
Spinach in pot :
Here is a vegetable that can be grown very well in a pot or in a planter on a terrace or a balcony.
Apart from the sowing which is done as in the open ground, it is necessary to take care to water regularly.
Maintenance of spinach
Spinach requires some care, especially in the summer when it is still hot.
Spinach hates drought and high temperatures.
It is important to mulch the soil in the summer to maintain humidity and to protect them from the first winter frosts.
If your spinach suffers from mosaic, i.e. the foliage takes on different colors, remove the diseased plants and make them disappear.
Beware of small animals!
Spinach hates slugs and snails, mildew (a form of mold) leaves yellowish traces on its leaves. When the seedlings melt, they sag.
Also beware of the cucumber mosaic virus, which weakens the plants.
Spinach harvest
harvesting spinachThe cultivation of spinach is easy and very fast. You will be able to harvest it 1 month and a half after sowing.
By favouring the picking of a few leaves regularly, you will favour the appearance of new shoots. If you pull up the whole plant, it will not grow back.
The spinach can be eaten fresh or cooked and the fact of cultivating it yourself gives it a very different flavor than the one we know it has .
Conservation of spinach
For the preservation of spinach, it is favorite to freeze it after washing and coarsely cutting the leaves.
It can also be blanched by boiling it for 1 minute in water and then immersing it directly in cold water. This technique preserves the green color of the spinach. Once blanched, it can be frozen.
Finally, you can simply keep it for a few days in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator.
Varieties of spinach
Here are some good varieties of spinach to select according to your tastes but also according to their sowing and growing period.
Giant winter spinach :
It is one of the most winter-resistant varieties. It is sown in autumn and winter depending on the region for a harvest from October to December. Its leaves are large, broad and thick.
Monstrous spinach from Viroflay :
It is sown in spring or late summer, it is appreciated for its resistance to summer heat provided it is protected from the scorching sun. It is cultivated practically throughout the year.
Spinach Symphony :
Quite rustic, it is a spinach that is sown in spring for a harvest until early summer.
Lagos spinach :
A summer variety, it is a spinach that tolerates summer heat very well and therefore has less tendency to go to seed.
Lazio spinach :
Highly resistant to most diseases, especially mildew, you will get big crops from spring to early winter.
To know about spinach
Spinach Origin from Iran, spinach has long been appreciated for its taste and excellent nutritional properties.
- If spinach contains a lot of iron, it is mainly Popeye who made this reputation very exaggerated because the quantities are very limited compared to other foods.
- Spinach is especially rich in nitrates, which are then transformed into nitrites through chewing by mouth, and vitamin B9.
- Raw spinach, on the other hand, is rich in vitamin C. There is also a good presence of vitamin E, pro-vitamin A, calcium, magnesium and fibre.
- Raw or cooked, spinach consumption is excellent for your health.
Spinach: to strengthen the body
Native to Asia, spinach or spinacia oleracea, is a plant that grows quickly to provide delicious leaves, excellent for health.
Its family: the lamb's-quarters. In spearhead, smooth or blistered, arranged in rosette and of a beautiful brilliant green, its long leaves from 20 to 40 cm are more vegetable than medicinal.
Spinach and its health benefits
No, Popeye did not become strong thanks to spinach because, contrary to popular belief, it contains little iron.
On the other hand, it is rich in fiber, potassium and vitamins, which gives it excellent nutritional benefits and surely a real boost for the body.
- "Broom of the intestine"! We could have done better as an introduction. And yet, it is well as it is nicknamed ... for its laxative and depurative properties indisputable.
- It is also an excellent anti-anemic, which contains in addition to chlorophyll, iron and folic acid. As for the legend of Popeye ... Forget it! The iron content of spinach is only 3 mg / 100 g. Not bad, but some wild vegetables such as nettle, lamb's quarters and dandelion contain much more.
- Spinach has a good reputation: it fights well against pale colors. A remedy against anemia and chlorosis, spinach is recommended whenever blood loss requires a pick-me-up! (heavy periods, spitting blood, etc.). This is why it often accompanies convalescents.
Did you know that?
- Spinach can be used internally (infusion) or externally (decoction).
- Fortifying wine: incorporate 200 g of fresh spinach juice into three quarters of a liter of wine.
- Infusion: 10 grams of seeds per cup. It is a mild and light laxative.
Toxicity of spinach: because of the oxalic acid salts it contains, spinach is forbidden to arthritic, rheumatic and gout sufferers. In addition, some people are violently allergic to oxalates.
Therefore, spinach should be consumed, but not in excess, especially by children and the elderly.
Growing spinach for its benefits
To grow good spinach, you need rich, moist soil with high nitrogen content. Place it in a cool, semi-shaded area of the garden. Good to know: spinach tolerates cold weather rather well.
When planting, consider incorporating an organic fertilizer made from manure and algae. And water them often in dry weather to prevent seeds from setting.
Tricks :
- Sow your spinach in small quantities, every 15 days, in order to spread out the production.
- Even if you hear or read the opposite, do not sow spinach in the summer because it quickly goes to seed. Instead, choose retarched tetragon, which tastes the same.
For propagation, sow in April or September-October at a depth of 2 cm in furrows spaced 30 cm apart. Rising occurs about ten days later.
It is very easy to grow spinach in 25 cm deep pots, with a substrate kept fresh at all times.
Spinach species and varieties
The 2 most known varieties of spinach are "Géant d'hiver" and "Monstrueux de Viroflay".
- "Géant d'hiver": Resistant to winter, even harsh, it offers beautiful leaves and is very productive.
- "Monstrous de Viroflay": Fleshy, it has large crisp leaves and resists better to heat than other varieties.
This makes it possible to sow it in summer.
Do you know strawberry spinach with the name Chenopodium vigatum? It produces very interesting bright red edible fruits...
Spinach in the kitchen and its properties
Consume the very young raw leaves in a salad, they are delicious! And cook the large leaves as an accompaniment to meat.
Gourmet idea :
Greedy, spinach? It's true that they are capable of the worst as well as the best! And for the best... Make them "fall" in butter with a sliced onion, a little cream and soft-boiled egg. A real treat!
Nutritional intake
35 kcal / 100 g raw and 26 kcal / 100 g when cooked. Spinach is rich in fiber, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamins C and E.
No comments