Growing spinach indoors

Click here for more information

Spinach is an extremely easy plant to grow. Growing Spinach Indoors is possible as long as you can provide your plants with a few basic requirements.

Information to get started growing spinach indoors in your home:

• Choosing & Planting the seeds- What you need to know about which seeds you should pick for the best crop.

When you are choosing a seed for spinach, in order to get the best chance of germination and healthy growth, you should choose a seed that is no more than a year old.

You will find that most popular varieties will grow well inside except, most specifically, the 'New Zealand' spinach variety, which is a completely different plant altogether.

You should ensure that the soil for growing your spinach is nitrogen rich. You can do this by using a nitrogen fertilizer with the soil before planting the seeds.

Soil pH is crucial to spinach growth and it will only grow between 6.0 and 6.7.

Soil for spinach should be a good few inches deep and the seeds should be planted 3-4 inches apart so allow sufficient space for growth before planting.

Spinach seeds must be germinated in the refrigerator. 

Sprinkle your seeds over a damp paper towel and then fold over. It will take around a week for your seeds to start germination at which point you can transfer them to a pot.

• Light & Temperature - How to provide the correct environment for your plants to ensure growth..

Generally, cooler temperatures are best for growing spinach and a cool temperature is very important for the young spinach plants.

For the first couple of months keep younger plants in a cool environment.

If temperatures rise above 15 degrees Celsius in the first few months then it will be almost impossible to prevent the spinach plant from bolting.

Tip - Bolting is when the plants grow bigger and faster than is preferred. This usually causes the leaves to become incredibly bitter and inedible.

After the plants get to about 6 weeks old, they can then be moved to an environment with a higher temperature. 

However, cooler temperatures are still preferred throughout.

Spinach does not need a lot of strong light to grow well. 

Too much light can cause leaf burn and around 9 hours or less everyday is a good amount of light for a spinach plant. 

Try locating the plant in window facing east or west so as to limit the amount of light it receives.

• Watering – Watering techniques specifically for spinach.

Spinach is fairly unusual in the fact that it likes a lot of water. For healthy growth water your plants every 3 days.

Note - You could use a mulch to help retain moisture in the soil. But don't use peat.

• Feeding & Nutrition – How to make sure that your plants get all the nutrients that they need in order to survive and produce crops!

As well as providing nutrients in the soil for spinach before planting the seeds, spinach will need regular feeding throughout the growth period.

You should use a nitrogen fertilizer on a weekly basis and if you spot any yellowing on any of the leaves then you should increase the feeding to twice a week to provide extra nutrients.

• Pollination – How to ensure that your plants are productive in their indoor environment.

As we are focussing on growing spinach for it's leaves, you will not need to worry about pollination.

• Harvesting – How to collect your crop safely and how to maximise growth for the future.

When the plants are young, you must thin out the weaker plants in order to allow the best growth for the stronger plants. These thinnings can be used for cooking or in salads.

Spinach is considered to have reached its maturity when it is around 6 inches tall, however the leaves of the spinach can be harvested when the leaves are tender and young.

To harvest a younger plant, just carefully trim the outer leaves. This will then allow the central leaves to grow and this cycle can be repeated multiple times before growth slows and the plant must be allowed to mature and harvested fully.

To harvest a mature plant, just cut the plant above the soil. Make sure to dig out the root before re-planting anything into the same pot.

So there you go! You can now grow spinach indoors whenever you like!

http://howtogrowvegetablesindoors.com/growing-spinach-indoors/