Growing Spinach

Full of Iron, Magnesium and Vitamin C - Spinach is the NZ, Australia and Asia native that is best planted in the cooler months of the year. Relatively quick to mature, in as little as 7 weeks you can be enjoying this versatile superfood!

In its raw form - Spinach is a rich source of Vitamin C, use in salads or alongside berries in a morning smoothie. Cooking Spinach releases the Vitamin C through the steam, but the cooked Spinach is rich in fibre - and as it collapses during cooking, you can eat more in volume in one sitting! If you find yourself overloaded with spinach, storing it in a sealable plastic bag in the freezer means you can have access to it for months to come.

Spinach loves a rich soil bed, so ensure you fertilise and feed well. It can be grown in pots or gardens and is quick to mature. Once picked, you can return again and again until the end of the season - and it loves the sun so make sure to avoid shady areas of the garden!

How to choose the best variety for you

Spinach Seed – Hybrid no.7
The leaves are dark green, smooth, and rounded, held upright on super-vigorous plants. With a tangy, crisp flavour only possible in home-grown fresh spinach, Space Hybrid is sure to become a favourite.

Spinach Seed
Prolific producer. Steam or boil for nutritious greens. Also makes an exciting salad ingredient.

How to sow your Spinach Seeds (Tape)
Choose a well drained site in full sun. Sow direct where to grow in a warm, well prepared seedbed. Form a shallow trench / groove approximately 1cm deep and lay tape in it. These seeds are already spaced and attached to the tape. Cover with soil to a depth of 1cm and water well.

How to sow your Spinach Seeds (Seeds)
Choose a well drained site in full sun. Sow these seeds in trays for subsequent transplanting or, after frosts, sow direct where to grow in a well prepared seedbed. Sow seeds 3cm apart, in rows 45cm apart and to a depth of 1cm

Care for your Spinach Seeds
Keep seedbed evenly moist during the germination period of 7-10 days. Apply McGregor’s VegeMax 2 weeks after germination for healthier plants and a maximum crop. Protect your vege garden from snails and slugs with McGregor’s Snail and Slug Bait and from White Butterfly with McGregor’s Derris Dust.

Hints and Tips
High quality seed tapes that incorporate an effective general controlled release Osmocote mini fertiliser. This gives young plants a controlled and longer release of nutrients without burning the young roots. The thick weedbuster tapes give the young plants a week or two head start on weeds by minimising weed competition through a critical period.