5/22/2007

The Spinach Dilemna

Ugh. I did not get to see my parents or work in the garden last weekend as I thought I would. Ugh. 'Gotta' cold. It hit me Friday night. It's not fun rolling straight from allergies into a cold.

Yesterday, I put in peas and some more greens. The mustard is showing up, as is the lettuce I originally planted. The spinach is nowhere to be seen; someone else who rents a plot told me that spinach doesn't seem to grow well there. I like fresh spinach. Spinach salad with black olives, feta, rasberry vinaigrette and red onions. Slivered almonds would be good, too. I'm making myself hungry.

Maybe I need more sand. Or more of something else. Or less of something. Maybe a container on my porch would work better. Off to the internet.

Hmmm. tapping chin with index finger. What is this?

"Check the soils(sic) PH and if necessary add lime." Hmmm. Lime increases alkalinity (sort of the opposite of acidity).

"You can plant spinach in early spring. To stagger your crop over summer you can plant part rows every few weeks. The last planting should be about 50-60 days before the first frosts." Yikes! That would be March-April. Maybe I'll shoot for a fall crop.

Wait! This sounds better because it doesn't require me to stand out in the cold and/or snow digging. Totally excellent.
"If the soil was prepared in the fall, seeds can be broadcast over frozen ground or snow cover in late winter and they will germinate as the soil thaws."

"Spinach doesn't like acidic soils, a good PH is around 6.3-6.8. Add the appropriate amount of lime to the soil if necessary." The soil test showed that the pH is "below optimum".

Well, there are some possible answers. So, when could I start a fall crop?

"Seed spinach again in late summer for fall and early winter harvest. Chill seeds for summer or fall plantings in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 weeks before planting." That's according to Watch Your Garden Grow, a site I've used quite a bit for information on vegetable growing.

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