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At home, Ancient Persia, he was called the king of vegetables, used in medicine and cooking. The crusaders brought garden spinach to Europe, the monks began to cultivate it, but for a long time it was available only to the nobility. Since the 200th century, bread made from spinach seeds has become widespread, and greens have been used to decorate dishes (natural juice color) and as a vitamin supplement. Over the past XNUMX years, he has become famous in all countries, has experienced bursts of fashion and disappointment. It was only after convincing evidence from scientists about its composition that ordinary spinach took its rightful place in the diet as a very useful nutritional component, the use of which should have some restrictions.
Botanical description
Garden spinach is a herbaceous plant, annual, reaching a height of 50 cm. It belongs to the Amaranth family (formerly called Marevs). Its elongated leaves have a different shape and thickness, depending on the variety, they can be oval, triangular, smooth or wrinkled. As a dioecious culture forms male plants – with flowers collected in a panicle, and female – flowers grow in the axils of the leaves.
Spinach flowers are cross-pollinated, so only one cultivar must be growing on a site to produce seeds. In spring and autumn, leaves grow on it (for the sake of which its cultivation is organized), and when the daylight hours lengthen, flower stalks grow, first on male and then on female plants. At the same time, the leaves lose their juiciness, oxalic acid begins to accumulate in them.
Young leaves (before flowering) are rich in vitamins: A, C, B, K, D, organic acids, protein. Garden spinach is recommended to be eaten to strengthen the immune system, get rid of beriberi and seasonal depression, strengthen blood vessels, spur the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, and get rid of flatulence. Traditional medicine uses it to combat a number of nervous diseases, rickets and general weakness, constipation, anemia, diseases of the throat and respiratory tract, up to pneumonia. But it must be remembered that spinach castings are prone to the accumulation of nitrates, in addition, the organic salts that make up their composition will do a disservice to people whose internal organs form sand or stones. Elderly people should not get carried away with spinach (as well as sorrel), because it contains a large amount of oxalic acid, which threatens the formation of oxalates.
But such warnings in no way detract from the usefulness of this truly wonderful vegetable, its moderate consumption only brings benefits. Among the warnings, I would like to note one more thing: food prepared from spinach should be stored only in the cold and not more than a day. When warm, any dish containing spinach can turn into poison, because nitrous acid compounds are formed, which contribute to the formation of methemoglobin.
Video “Growing spinach”
Demonstrative video on how to grow spinach on your site.
Cultivation
Growing spinach from seeds has become ubiquitous. For germination, they need an air temperature of +4 degrees, the sprouts calmly tolerate short frosts. Its in the fall, if no big winter frosts are foreseen (in the south) or in the spring after the ground has thawed. In the middle lane, winter sowing and film coatings are usually used. When using a heated greenhouse, and even with lighting, this crop can be grown anywhere. Seeds can be sown several times, it is convenient to grow it between cucumbers, eggplants, peppers or tomatoes.
Garden spinach grows well on nutritious fertile soil, it prefers loam and sandy loam, and is sensitive to acidity. Cultivation is carried out at pH values of 6,6-7,0, more acidic soils are detrimental to it. If the soil is heavy, then you need to apply organic fertilizers in advance.
In the garden, it is advisable to sow spinach where tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, beans or cabbage were previously grown. In autumn, it is desirable to fertilize the soil with compost, humus, or complex fertilizers and ash can be applied. It must be borne in mind that an excess of potassium will accelerate the shooting, which means that the period of leaf growth will be reduced.
Spinach roots deepen by 30 cm, they produce certain substances that have a beneficial effect on neighboring crops. Therefore, it is often planted among radishes, kohlrabi, celery, and head lettuce. It is good in such a neighborhood that strawberries grow and bear fruit. So often summer residents do not set aside a separate area for spinach, but plant seeds throughout the garden, which will improve the condition of the soil and help the above-mentioned crops grow.
But, if the summer resident is interested in getting a rich harvest of spinach, for its cultivation you need to find a place protected from the north and east winds with well-drained fertile soil. In the fall, add compost or humus for digging. In the Non-Black Earth region, complex mineral fertilizers are applied in the spring before sowing, but then they are fed only in case of emergency, because this vegetable is prone to accumulating nitrates.
To obtain an early harvest, seeds are sown in August, then before winter, not only shoots will appear, but even the first rosettes will form. Then they are covered for the winter, and in the spring, after the soil thaws, they continue to grow. Before spring sowing, seeds are soaked in water for a couple of days to speed up germination. Then they are dried to flowability and sown to a depth of 2–3 cm in rows, leaving 30 cm between them. When 2 true leaves appear, spinach is thinned out, 8–10 cm are left between plants. are the most productive.
Growing spinach involves getting tender leaves, and if the plant is low on water, it will concentrate on growing the stem and preparing for flowering. Therefore, you need to monitor the humidity, water in a timely manner, if there is a need for top dressing, then they are combined with watering. During the season, a bed with spinach is weeded several times, the ground between the plants is loosened.
If the bushes grow very often, they run the risk of falling ill with downy mildew. Affected leaves must be removed, planting thinned out. In the same place, growing spinach is possible only after 3 years. This will protect the plants, help protect against diseases and pests. Aphids, cabbage scoops, gamma scoops, or rather, their caterpillars, are pests that may like planting spinach. The caterpillars will have to be removed mechanically, and the plants will need to be treated, if necessary, with an infusion of tobacco or tomato leaves.
When growing spinach, harvesting begins as soon as a rosette of 5 to 8 leaves is formed. Plants are cut or even mowed, sometimes uprooted. Harvesting stops when flower stalks begin to grow.
Collected leaves can be stored for a week at a temperature of +1 degree. If you need to prepare for the future, then the leaves are frozen, and at a temperature of -1 or -2 degrees they are stored for 3 months without loss of quality. They can also be dried or salted. You can get seeds from your plants. To do this, several specimens must be allowed to bloom and mature, but this is only advisable when grown on a plot of the same variety, since cross-pollination can create uncontrolled hybrids.
Varieties of garden spinach
When choosing a variety, it is imperative to pay attention to the ripening dates, only taking them into account can you plan the time of sowing. For example, garden spinach of the early ripe Virofle variety with a growing season of about 30 days quickly forms stems. Slightly corrugated leaves form a rosette with a diameter of 30 cm.
Variety “Godry” is also early ripe, the growing season lasts 30 – 37 days. It is cultivated both in protected and open ground. Moreover, it is sown in the garden in early spring and before winter. It forms a rosette with a diameter of up to 23 cm.
Spinach “Ipolinsky” (also early – 35 days) slightly bubbly oval leaves form a rosette from 12 to 50 cm in diameter. It is advised to preserve it. Grow in the spring in the garden or in the greenhouse. Of the late-ripening varieties, Victoria is usually cultivated. The growing season is 37 – 40 days, the leaves form a small rosette – up to 19 cm in diameter, it is very good for spring sowing. In addition to garden, you can find New Zealand spinach seeds, but this is not a separate variety, but just another plant, it is also called Tetragonium. This is also a green vegetable crop with similar nutritional and taste qualities, but it belongs to a different family – the Khrustalnikovs.
Video “A set of useful properties in one plant”
Informative video that proves the beneficial properties of a green plant.
