Spinacia oleracea
HEIGHT x WIDTH: 30cm x 30cm.
DISTANCE APART: 30cm
WHEN TO HARVEST: Start harvesting the leaves when they are at least 15cm tall. Use your fingers to break the outer leaves off at the base as this will encourage new leaves to grow from the centre.
HOW MUCH WATER: Water every day unless it rains.
WHERE TO PLANT: Full sun
CAN I GROW THEM IN A POT? Yes. Fill a pot that is 30cm deep with premium potting mix, plant the seedlings and water them well. Make sure that the container gets plenty of sunlight.
CAN I GROW THEM IN A GARDEN BED? Yes. The garden bed must get at least 6 hours of sun every day. Mix lots of compost or animal manure into the soil, plant the seedlings and water lightly. Spread some mulch such as pea straw or lucerne hay over the soil.
BEST BUDDY PLANTS: Sugar snap peas has a lot of best buddies because its roots help to put nitrogen in the soil that other vegies love! Plant sugar snap peas with beans, carrots, cucumber, radish or turnips. They even love to scramble up tall corn stalks.
OTHER ‘SMARTY PLANT’ TIPS:
- When you get your seedlings home, let them sit in a shallow tray of water which has had a tablespoon of seaweed solution added for an hour or two. This will get them ready for transplanting.
- After planting, water the seedlings with a very soft hose or a watering can several times a day until they settle in.
- Water every day and apply a liquid fertiliser every fortnight.
There’s more information at the Smarty Plants website.