What species of spinach?
I am wondering what species of spinach I should plant if my goal is to have "baby spinach" leaves for salads. My arugula and lettuces are doing great, I just wish I had thought to mix in some spinach sooner! In Chandler AZ, thanks.
I've not had much luck over the years with spinach in my garden so I grow Swiss Chard. It is very much like spinach in taste, but it has the added benefit of growing much longer when the weather heats up enough to cause spinach to bolt, but the leaves are not of the "Baby" type as they grow quite large.
Spinach for me is very much a hit or miss thing, and it's been mostly miss, thus Chard is my choice.
Spinach for me is very much a hit or miss thing, and it's been mostly miss, thus Chard is my choice.
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rainbowgardener
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I have problems with the early bolting of spinach, Brent. We usually go from a Pacific Northwest spring to a Wild West summer almost overnight!
Some gardeners sow spinach late and it is available to them in the spring. I guess that should work for me, too. However, I made a commitment to purple orach several years ago. I have done that by having a "mother plant" that sets seed in an out of the way location. I scatter the seed a little but mostly, transplant many of the volunteers which start near the mother plant in the spring. There will be lots.
Perhaps some folks would have problems with all the volunteers but they are purple and easy to see
. They are also annuals and if I run the tiller over them - they are gone.
Orach is in the same family as spinach. It has very close to the same flavor. It's tender and begins to arrive in the kitchen even before lettuce transplanted out of the greenhouse, certainly before spinach from spring sown seeds. That's okay; orach is useful both raw and cooked.
A spinach variety that holds up a little better than some of the others is Unipak 51. Not a very attractive name but what are you gonna do? "Perpetual spinach" is called "spinach beet" by some people. It is closer to beets but doesn't make a big root. It's not much different from chard but doesn't have the thick stems. Like chard, it can last well into hot weather.
Last year, I grew a white beet. The leaves were very much like perpetual spinach. I'm looking forward to having it again in 2016. I should say that baby beets are a favorite vegetable but DW doesn't like the color of beets
. I never convinced her that yellow beets were much different. I'm working white beets on her now .
I don't care much about mature beets and have had problems starting beet seed in the summer for a fall crop. Still, I can enjoy the leaves a few weeks later than orach and spinach.
Steve
Some gardeners sow spinach late and it is available to them in the spring. I guess that should work for me, too. However, I made a commitment to purple orach several years ago. I have done that by having a "mother plant" that sets seed in an out of the way location. I scatter the seed a little but mostly, transplant many of the volunteers which start near the mother plant in the spring. There will be lots.
Perhaps some folks would have problems with all the volunteers but they are purple and easy to see
. They are also annuals and if I run the tiller over them - they are gone.Orach is in the same family as spinach. It has very close to the same flavor. It's tender and begins to arrive in the kitchen even before lettuce transplanted out of the greenhouse, certainly before spinach from spring sown seeds. That's okay; orach is useful both raw and cooked.
A spinach variety that holds up a little better than some of the others is Unipak 51. Not a very attractive name but what are you gonna do
? "Perpetual spinach" is called "spinach beet" by some people. It is closer to beets but doesn't make a big root. It's not much different from chard but doesn't have the thick stems. Like chard, it can last well into hot weather.Last year, I grew a white beet. The leaves were very much like perpetual spinach. I'm looking forward to having it again in 2016. I should say that baby beets are a favorite vegetable but DW doesn't like the color of beets
. I never convinced her that yellow beets were much different. I'm working white beets on her now .I don't care much about mature beets and have had problems starting beet seed in the summer for a fall crop. Still, I can enjoy the leaves a few weeks later than orach and spinach.
Steve
I actually have had luck with Melody spinach and Bloomsdale long standing. If you want to try some of the other tropical spinach then try Japanese Okame or Horenso. NZ hot weather spinach is a proflific spinach substitute as long as it is not overcooked and less slimy than Malabar spinach.
You can also try amaranth or en choi which is another spinach substitute that does better in the heat. It is best cooked.
You can also try amaranth or en choi which is another spinach substitute that does better in the heat. It is best cooked.
Yes, Melody was the first regular spinach I had luck with. I tried Tyee, because it had such rave reviews, but it did not work out as well. I have to be careful, I learned the hard way that the best things that grow for me will be the ones that say "tender", "hardy" usually means it can take the cold, but not the heat. It is also better if the variety were developed in climates similar to your own. I do not like the flavor of all of the Florida cultivars, but their climate is closest to mine, so many of their cultivars will work better that those developed in Washington State, Holland, or France.
Unipak 51, Bossa Nova, Rushmore, and Polka were recommended for Arizona around Maricopa, La Paz, and Yuma. The growing season is from October through February.
Unipak 51, Bossa Nova, Rushmore, and Polka were recommended for Arizona around Maricopa, La Paz, and Yuma. The growing season is from October through February.
