Microgreens are harvested after about at most 14 days or so. Discover popular plant propagation techniques here with us! Because it is such a fast grower, spinach is also a heavy feeder. But how do you harvest spinach for the best taste, and how long can you store it for? If you cut about an inch above the crown, or base of the plant, it is likely the plant will send out a new flush of leaves. We are taking a deep dive into these good neighbor plants, what works well together, and what should be avoided but more importantly, were explaining why these things may have positive or negative impacts on your plants! Instead, sow seeds. Check out our flower growing guides to learn how to get beautiful blooms in your garden. Such vegetables form a huge part of the Zimbabwean diet daily. Disclosure. Though its native to Asia, spinach is used in numerous cuisines across the world. Green beans sell extremely well in Zimbabwe because they are affordable for many. Remain watchful for other plants with similar problems. Spinach needs around six weeks of cool temperatures to grow from seed to maturity. They have substantial nutritional value i.e. The ideal planting site for spinach is fairly sunny with good soil drainage. Microgreens are young vegetables typically 2.5 to 7.5 centimetres in height. The best times to plant spinach is as a spring or fall crop. To dry your spinach, follow the manufacturers directions on your dehydrator or freeze dryer. While zones 1 through 4 might need to wait another month or so, many of us can begin to get seeds started outdoors in the soil now. Temperatures above 80F reduce seed germination. Apply cup per 10 foot of row of a nitrogen-based fertilizer (21-0-0) 4 weeks after transplanting or at thinning to encourage rapid plant growth. STAR Varieties Beans, peas, and other legumes are an absolute necessity in the vegetable garden! Learn tips for creating your most beautiful home and garden ever. They are also a solid source of protein which is why most families buy them. Other greens come from naturally occurring foliage or shrubs. Place the cut ends into a paper towel to help absorb any excess moisture, and store your spinach in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Plant spinach from seed (not transplants) 4-6 weeks before your average last frost date. Trim off individual leaves with garden scissors, starting with the oldest outer leaves and letting the young inner leaves remain to continue growing for a later harvest. Clive Masarakufa is a Business & Management Consultant. Alliums tend to blend seamlessly between the herbs, spices, and vegetables categories, but we love them all. Keep the soil moist until seed germination occurs, which usually takes 7-10 days. Marie Iannotti is a life-long gardener and a veteran Master Gardener with nearly three decades of experience. Call up your soil microbe army andwinthe battle for profit! Bugs in the garden can make short work of a crop that took a long time to grow, so knowing exactly how to deal with every type of garden pest is essential! Its better to just sow seeds directly in the soil as seed and allow it to develop normally. Many of these green "weeds" can be foragedand cooked in a similar way to how one would prepare spinach. What makes mushrooms appealing is their place as a healthy substitute for meat. In the right conditions, spinach grows into a very hardy plant. You should plant from fresh seed under a year in age. Aphids are also a vector for diseases, and can spread things like spinach blight to your plants. Q: How do you know when spinach is ready to harvest? Remove the plastic once per day to let excess moisture escape and prevent damping off. The roughly 40 cultivars are all members of the Amaranth family. He is also a Data Analyst, Virtual Assistant, and Researcher. Note that containers tend to dry out faster than the ground, so you'll likely have to water container plants more frequently. A 10-foot row at 3 inches apart with 12 inches between rows will produce 4-6 pounds of spinach. If you plan on using your spinach within six months time, you do not have to blanch it before freezing. Step 8:Dont plant spinach on the same plot over and over, because this causes spinach pests and diseases to build up in the soil. Here's how: Aim to plant spinach seeds that are less than a year old, as the germination rate falls the older seeds get. Add humus and earthworms, Santa Gertrudis bulls: tested for two decades, Scepticism abounds over Zimbabwes compensation offer to farmers, Plant health: Protect your canola from blackleg, Produce shortage prompts rationing of purchases by stores in UK, Cucurbits: A fascinating history of cultivation for over 11 000 years, Husqvarna: Innovative, durable tools for agriculture, Another challenging pome fruit season ahead. Farmers can sow other plants between the rows of spinach plants. Space your spinach plants so they get good air circulation, and try to keep water off the leaves in the evening. Q: Should you soak spinach before planting? Spinach can be planted in most areas of the yard which get at least six hours of sunlight per day. This is for the serious players and those with land in favourable regions. The plant is strong, has vigour and tends to exhibit open growth behaviour. The soil must be cooler than 70 degrees Fahrenheit for germination. I, like anyone of you, would concur, believe that we should not import maize when we are endowed with so much land. The global market for fruits and vegetables is projected to reach over US$370 billion by end of next year. Growing spinach seeds from resistant varieties and preventing aphids on your spinach are both essential protections. Profits per hectare can be at least US$2000. In this case, it may be better to grow spinach indoors. Kale leaves are typically ruffled with spinach is often smooth. You can go exotic with alpacas and ostriches, or traditional with chickens or cows or goats but whichever you decide, weve got a little inspiration for your animal journey! In Ghana, they are used to make palaver sauce. Growing Spinach Seedlings. The purple varieties with bigger leaves should not be consumed. They take between 80 and 85 days to mature. Due to the long taproot that the spinach plant produces, it can quickly outgrow any starter containers. A: While its not necessary to soak the spinach seeds before you plant them, you can soak seeds to speed germination. Let us help you figure out whats best for your needs! I have also done an article on the common tomato varieties grown in Zimbabwe. She has published recipes since 2011 on her blog My Burnt Orange. This section is filled with all the starchy goodness we can muster! Thin stands when plants have 3-4 true leaves. Tobacco Farming This is for the serious players and those with land in favourable regions. The great thing about such vegetables is that they can be successfully propagated through the greenhouse or otherwise. Thin seedlings or transplant spinach to 3 inches apart in the row with rows 12 inches apart. Companion planting, sometimes called intercropping, can be used to deter pests and improve yields. How do you keep spinach from developing a bitter flavor? Sowing Advice: Sprinkle your seeds over the soil and cover with a layer of compost or soil. All things about tomatoes can be found here. For fall spinach, select early maturing cultivars and plant 50-75 days before the anticipated maturity date. This can cause leaves to twist and curl inward, which is hard to notice on some varieties of spinach, but it also can cause yellowing of leaves and plant death. Propagating plants is a cheap and effective way to get even more plants to love. Learning how to grow spinach will also require you to be ready for these potential issues. Refrigerate seeds 1 week before sowing to help germination. Cucumbers are perfect here because they are widely consumed in Zimbabwe. That means you should plant seeds in the garden as soon as the soil is workable in the spring. It's best to pot in a container that will accommodate the plant's mature size, as spinach doesn't like its roots disturbed in repotting. Many people prefer to wait until their plant has developed some good leaf growth, but spinach can also be grown as a sprout or as microgreens. How about sweet potatoes? Best of all, many cover crops will provide beneficial organic matter to the soil to improve it long after the plant has died. I will discuss some of the top crop farming business ideas for Zimbabwe. Wash it just before its eaten fresh to prevent bruising or leaf breakage. If vegetables are your thing here are some profitable vegetables to grow in Zimbabwe. When planting, mix a fertilizer that's high in nitrogen into the soil, following label instructions. Frozen spinach is best used within three to six months. Then, place about a pound of spinach at a time into a cheesecloth bag and steam it until its thoroughly wilted. Slow-drip irrigation or soaker hoses are great for these plants. Spinach and kale have similar growing requirements, both liking cooler weather and taking around the same time from planting to harvesting. Rather than a weekly deep watering, it's better to water several times a week. Lastly, add minced garlic. The fact that we now seasonally encounter maize shortages speaks to the potency of starting a maize farming business. While there are no guarantees that these are cures, they certainly can reduce the frequency that your plants develop some horrible condition, and they may provide some treatment as well. Our raised bed gardening category shares our tips about raised beds and how best to put them to use for you! Lettuce is lovely, and we love our spinach, too! Adding a layer of mulch around the plants also can help to maintain soil moisture. They are known as muriwo in Zimbabwe, morogo in Botswana,and sukuma wiki in Kenya. Harvesting the leaves throughout the growing season is how you prune a spinach plant to keep it vigorous. From mangoes to bananas, youll find a selection of topics about tropical fruit here for you to peruse! Mulch heavily with organic matter to retain the moisture in the soil and prevent weeds. An example of these come from the amaranth family and the plants areoften mistaken as weeds. If you want to have a consistent harvest and are in an area where a long, cool spring is likely, you can sow seeds every ten days or so to maintain regular new growing spinach. Lets talk about that. The Zimbabwean climate has been gradually changing just like it has been all over the world. 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