tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post8900995558990505029..comments2024-03-17T05:30:42.919-04:00Comments on The Gardening Me: Experimenting with SpinachMargarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-88458734230175198462015-04-10T17:58:28.391-04:002015-04-10T17:58:28.391-04:00I hope that it does well, but we shall see. Like ...I hope that it does well, but we shall see. Like you said, if it does badly, at least there is chard which does make a great substitute (I can't believe I didn't realize this until last year) & is usually quite prolific to boot.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-89018719158939457612015-04-10T16:52:52.917-04:002015-04-10T16:52:52.917-04:00Hope you get lots of spinach! I do badly with it s...Hope you get lots of spinach! I do badly with it so focus more on chard, that does better on my plot.Lou@RainbowChardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01435858511588433002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-86685833169012851092015-04-02T14:29:36.292-04:002015-04-02T14:29:36.292-04:00It would be nice to simply direct seed, especially...It would be nice to simply direct seed, especially at this time of year when space under the grow lights is getting kind of cramped. I'll probably be doing the direct seeding (and also transplanting the existing seedlings) in the next couple of weeks. According to my notes, mid-April is the time to do this but I have never grown or seeded anything outside this early, so we will see how it goes.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-62366680921047349552015-04-02T14:25:18.155-04:002015-04-02T14:25:18.155-04:00Thanks Kate! Gardens (and gardeners!) are so diff...Thanks Kate! Gardens (and gardeners!) are so different that I think it's always good to try different ways of doing things, just to see which is best for you.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-44636299707397804452015-04-02T09:43:02.393-04:002015-04-02T09:43:02.393-04:00I have always been successful with direct seeding,...I have always been successful with direct seeding, so never had to go to the trouble of starting inside then transplanting. But I won't direct seed until at least May - I can't be bothered covering up during our cold nights so wait until we have good 24 hour temps. I really liked the William Dam Tyee, but trying a couple of others this year. Good luck, I really hope the direct seeding works for you as it is SO much easier!Susiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10354350096358468967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-90307626884782476642015-04-02T08:17:49.739-04:002015-04-02T08:17:49.739-04:00I can't wait to find out which works best for ...I can't wait to find out which works best for you. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02711803105453683283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-5085716782798400562015-04-01T14:57:49.341-04:002015-04-01T14:57:49.341-04:00Maybe after a few more years, I'll be a little...Maybe after a few more years, I'll be a little more laid back in the garden...but probably not - I do love a good experiment!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-63321186145376638102015-03-31T22:19:47.586-04:002015-03-31T22:19:47.586-04:00Interesting experiment. I just direct sow, and it ...Interesting experiment. I just direct sow, and it is what it is. Usually not great, but occasionally I get some spinach. The weather here is so fickle, I'm sure my failures are not due to just day length. Will be interesting to see how your plants do.David Veltenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07710293718143454000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-74934444214654029922015-03-31T17:06:33.591-04:002015-03-31T17:06:33.591-04:00I don't really have a good spot with natural l...I don't really have a good spot with natural light for them indoors - oh, how I wish I had a greenhouse! Maybe one of these days...Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-68050850444661339982015-03-31T15:13:01.875-04:002015-03-31T15:13:01.875-04:00What a great experiment! I will be looking forward...What a great experiment! I will be looking forward to the results as the season goes on. I found out that starting spinach indoors under lights will cause it to bolt sooner if the lights are on my usual 14-16 hours. So now once it comes up inside I get it out to the greenhouse which has no artificial lighting and they do much better.Dave @ HappyAcreshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03441364543023807886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-35756034602086384732015-03-31T12:53:35.165-04:002015-03-31T12:53:35.165-04:00Thanks Jennifer - it will be interesting how our i...Thanks Jennifer - it will be interesting how our impressions on this variety compare, especially as we are both new to this variety & purchased have the same seeds from the same source. I hope that it is as bolt resistant as it claims & you get a bumper harvest!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-15876778809381132732015-03-31T12:48:52.453-04:002015-03-31T12:48:52.453-04:00Thanks Michelle - it definitely would be very nice...Thanks Michelle - it definitely would be very nice to have more than a handful of leaves to harvest, especially for those cooked dishes where the spinach shrinks down to nothing!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-55536877226317145582015-03-31T10:08:17.165-04:002015-03-31T10:08:17.165-04:00I'm trying spinach for the first time this yea...I'm trying spinach for the first time this year. I started seeds for the Space Spinach F1 Hybrid from Pinetree at the beginning of February and transplanted them outside a few weeks ago. The plants seem to be doing well. My zone is weird - we have cold winters (sometimes) and then the heat of summer comes on hard and fast, so I like to get an extra head-start to beat the heat. I liked that this variety was resistant to bolting and I think better suited for the heat. Good luck with your experiment!Jenniferhttp://www.fernsadventures.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-26554807241891638292015-03-31T10:06:37.780-04:002015-03-31T10:06:37.780-04:00Very interesting experiment, cool but not cold loo...Very interesting experiment, cool but not cold looks like the way to go with spinach. It will be interesting to see how the direct sown seeds do in comparison. Hope you have a great spinach harvest!Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07812702328134261533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-48490280747495163122015-03-31T09:43:02.870-04:002015-03-31T09:43:02.870-04:00That's interesting about the root system - I&#...That's interesting about the root system - I'm really looking forward to seeing how my transplants do compared to the direct seeded ones. My gut feeling is that I will come to the same conclusion that you did. I've never had much luck with direct seeding, but chitting the seeds will definitely help with that.<br /><br />Good point about the lights - last year I did keep them under my regular lights which stay on for 16 hours - that's probably why the Galilee spinach bolted before even going outside. This time, I'm placing the packs on the same shelf as the onions, which only get 12 hours. Now I'm just hoping that I'll be able to get them into the ground before the days get too long.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-67314829300719563902015-03-31T09:27:16.162-04:002015-03-31T09:27:16.162-04:00That is so true, Jo...and life would be rather bor...That is so true, Jo...and life would be rather boring if everything always worked out as it should, especially in the garden.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-3949584136636780782015-03-31T09:26:12.957-04:002015-03-31T09:26:12.957-04:00Thanks Sue - it sure sounds like Space is a winner...Thanks Sue - it sure sounds like Space is a winner...hopefully it does just as well in my garden as it has in yours!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-85306665284542548072015-03-31T08:06:31.422-04:002015-03-31T08:06:31.422-04:00Good luck with the experiments. I'm certainly ...Good luck with the experiments. I'm certainly one that likes to direct seed her spinach. I've shown the root system a couple of times on my blog. They have nice tap roots when they are direct seeded and cramping them in pots has got to stress them which means earlier bolting. I tend to chit the seeds too. Spinach can be finicky. Though sometimes I just don't bother and just plant them out. I think they come up better if I take the time to soak them indoors for a day or a day and a half. Also one reason spinach bolts is the length of the day (well really night, but since we have 24 hours one goes with the other). So don't put them under lights that are on a lot. 13 hours is probably best. Supposedly the oldest strains would bolt with 14 hours of light. The modern ones are supposed to handle much more. Daphne Gouldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305049560953735881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-4265271789071905952015-03-31T05:05:24.998-04:002015-03-31T05:05:24.998-04:00That's the great thing about gardening, if som...That's the great thing about gardening, if something doesn't do so well for you, you can always give it another go. Hope you get better results from your spinach this year, it's something I've never grown even though I do like it.Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17436932004631816039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-6979484322004288962015-03-31T05:03:11.856-04:002015-03-31T05:03:11.856-04:00I grew the Space last year and just loved it. It p...I grew the Space last year and just loved it. It performed exceptionally well and provided a long season of cuttings. I agree----seed is key and even the best companies sometimes have an "off" batch.<br />Hope all your varieties do well this year!Suehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10122524042294993949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-60605753762132460382015-03-30T22:01:44.013-04:002015-03-30T22:01:44.013-04:00Thanks Nancy. For me, it's really more play t...Thanks Nancy. For me, it's really more play than work...especially at this time of year when I'm just raring to go!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-58799391695323867372015-03-30T21:48:21.701-04:002015-03-30T21:48:21.701-04:00Whew! You sure go to a lot of work to grow your s...Whew! You sure go to a lot of work to grow your spinach. I have planted Bloomsdale and one or two other kinds. I don't soak or anything, just plant them and hope for the best! LOL You are a serious gardener! I am a lazy one! Hope they do well for you. Nancy Cozy Thyme Cottagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03933769393226611441noreply@blogger.com