Tufted Linen and Oak Dining Chair - Set of 2

Spinacia oleracea

Baby Salad Spinach

High-yielding plants with early harvests of tender, deep green leaves whose sweet, nutty flavor is perfect for scrumptious salads or quick cooking. Plants produce well throughout the season.

TO START OUTDOORS

In early spring when danger of hard frost is over, sow seeds in well-worked fertile soil in full sun. Space seeds 1 in. apart in rows 8 to 10 in. apart, or broadcast thinly for bed planting. Be sure to firm the soil well over seeds to ensure good germination. If first sowing germinates unevenly, plant more seeds as they will catch up fast.

GROWING NOTES

Spinach is most productive grown in cool spring conditions and sown again in late summer for a fall crop. After seedlings reach 2 to 3 in. tall, thin out every other plant (and enjoy in early salads) and keep thinning in this fashion until plants are spaced 5 to 6 in. apart. Keep the shallow-rooted plants well weeded and watered. Spinach is a heavy feeder so fertilize several times with fish emulsion solution for best harvest.

HARVEST AND USE

There are two methods for harvesting spinach; either cut the entire plant 1 in. above the base once plants are 4 or 5 in. tall, or wait until plants are well established and harvest just the outer leaves, leaving at least 4 center leaves so plant will continue to grow. Water and fertilize after cutting and plants will provide 2 or 3 pickings before weather gets too warm and spinach begins to go to seed.