Spinach Seeds 25g

True spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a fast-growing cool-season green prized for its tender, deep green leaves and mild, fresh flavour that tastes best while the foliage is young. It is wonderful raw in salads, lightly sauteed, or stirred into cooked dishes. Note that this is true spinach, not Egyptian spinach (molokhia), which is a separate warm-season plant. In Egypt it thrives as a winter crop, since heat and long days quickly turn it bitter.

Planting

In the Nile Delta and Lower Egypt, sow from late September through November, with successional sowings into December and January for baby leaf. In hotter Upper Egypt, shift sowing to October and November. Sow seed about 1.25 to 2.5 cm deep, with plants roughly 10 to 15 cm apart in rows about 30 to 45 cm apart. Spinach germinates in around 7 to 14 days at soil temperatures of 7 to 20°C, and prefers full sun or light shade.

Fertilizing

Before planting, enrich the bed with compost or aged manure according to a soil test. About 3 to 4 weeks after planting, side-dress with a nitrogen source such as calcium nitrate (15.5-0-0). Sandy soils may benefit from a second application later in the season.

Care

Keep the soil consistently moist, supplying at least 2.5 cm of water per week. Water the soil in the morning rather than the leaves to keep foliage dry and discourage fungal disease, since water stress also triggers premature bolting. Thin seedlings to 7.5 to 15 cm apart once they reach 2.5 to 5 cm tall. Watch for aphids, leaf miners, caterpillars and slugs, plus downy mildew. Harvest before flowering, when leaves are about 7.5 to 15 cm long, usually 37 to 48 days after sowing.