How to Grow Spinach in a Tray
Spinach produces leafy greens suitable for steaming or eating raw in fresh garden salads. It provides a good source of Vitamin A and is high in iron and calcium. This cool-season crop prefers the weather in early spring or fall, as it bolts quickly when hot weather arrives. Its short root system makes spinach a natural for containers or trays perched on the deck or patio. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Mix 1 bushel of peat moss, 1 bushel of perlite and 1 bushel of potting soil in a large container. Add 1/4 cup of limestone and 1 cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer to make potting media for containers. Mix all ingredients well and moisten with water to make handling easier.
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Fill trays to within 1 inch of the rim with potting media. This allows room for watering the spinach.
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Plant spinach seeds to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch, spaced 1 inch apart. Cover with soil, and firm the seeds down with your hands to secure the seeds and remove air pockets.
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Water thoroughly until water runs freely through the bottom of the tray. Keep soil moist until seedlings appear in approximately one week.
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Place the tray of spinach in a sunny location that receives six hours of direct sunlight a day. Spinach tolerates partial shade, but prefers full sun.
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Water when the soil feels dry to the touch. Plants grown in containers often require daily watering, as the soil dries quickly in the summer sun.
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Thin seedlings when they are 4 inches high by pulling every other seedling. Use the thinned spinach in fresh salads.
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Harvest when leaves are 6 to 8 inches high. Removing just the outer leaves allows the inner leaves room to grow and extends your harvest of spinach.
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Tips & Warnings
Harvest spinach when it matures, and freeze for later use. Blanch the leaves for 1 to 2 minutes, cool in cold water and freeze in food-storage bags.
Spinach bolts quickly and goes to seed in the summer sun.
References
Resources
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