by Barbara Goodman, EMGV

Plant a row of spinach! Really, this has been such a “fruitful” endeavor. The cool temperatures of early spring and fall are great for spinach, and I will confess that I now opt for seed tape to make my task even easier.

Last year I planted two short rows and the germination rate was excellent. They could have done with some thinning but I just let them be, and as they filled out I began to snip just a few leaves of the “baby” spinach to add to salads. Well this seemed to be their signal to get growing faster, so I was able to do this almost once a week. I got busy with other things and ignored them for a while. Then we got hit with the January snow and ice. They bounced right back and still grew vigorously. Each week I harvested plenty of smaller leaves to add to mixed salad greens and every other week I got plenty of mid- to larger-sized leaves to sauté briefly for a healthy addition to scrambled eggs or quiche.

It feels so good to have truly fresh organic touches in our meals and it brings a real sense of accomplishment with very little effort. If you want enough for generous servings or a gratin dish, you should plant more. I planted the rest of the packet of seed tape in March for my spring crop. Be warned that a heavy spring rain can sometimes knock down tiny seedlings, so keep some seed in reserve just in case you need to re-plant.

 

Additional resources:
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/central-north-carolina-planting-calendar-for-annual-vegetables-fruits-and-herbs