Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: rowlandwells on November 27, 2021, 12:12
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I was watching one of Raymond blank's cookery programs the other night and he was cooking spinach as a complement to salmon with spinach picked from his own garden and do you know it looked quite tasty :D
so I thought spinach yes I mite give a go only ever grew the perpetual variety and didn't go much on that so how about a summer sown variety and what to get? so its back to the garden professionals on our site to ask the question what spinach should i grow? because there's quite a few to choose from I looked at a variety called Trumpet [D T Brown] or Matador [Kings] still not sure? :unsure:
I noticed when Raymond Blank cooked the spinach it was not in the pan very long so that would suggest it doesn't need much cooking?
and cultivation as its been some time since I grew spinach I can't remember if I grew it in pots and then transplanted it in the plot or did I do direct sowings ?
so advise on both suggested varieties and cultivation would be most helpful
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I just buy whatever is in Lidl as it all seems much of a muchness to me. The big issue is usually bolting, so probably best to sow direct in succession and keep well watered during dry spells, much like lettuce really. I like it in curries where you just add at the last minute and wilt it before serving if you’re using young leaves.
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thanks nobbie
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Medania is a good all round variety, very winter hardy and fairly slow to bolt.. New varieties pop up all the time, I do three sowing a year for outside, one in late February with a quick growing one like Tarpy F1, another in April with a slower to bolt variety like toscane or medania and then end of July usually medania and also for overwintering in the greenhouse and under cloche ,one sowing start of September.
I never direct sow spinach, always module sow under cover, use three or four seeds per module then plant out three weeks or so later as small plants. If planting when it's cold use fleece. Or you can sow two seeds per module then thin to the strongest and have bigger leaves. Multisowing is good for smaller leaves that you can eat raw as salad
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Hi snow I've noted your replies and that's very interesting info both for growing from seed and planting also I've noted the varieties you mentioned and put all the info in my gardening dairy so not to forget many thanks for your replies much appreciated :)
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I love spinach either in a salad or cooked greens.
You can extend the productivity of each plant if you let plants get to a mature size and start with harvesting the outer leaves first, rather than cutting the whole plant (though cutting the whole plant does make sense eventually as the plants get older).
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I try to have some sown in Aug/Sept in the poly tunnel for late winter harvesting. Failed this year through excessive tomato and pepper regrowth but my usual problem is mice. They love the seeds. Reusing fruit juice plastic bottles as mini cloches works though - cut off the bottoms and simply put the remaining bottle over 2-3 seeds sown. We have drippers in the tunnel so about 4 cloches around each dripper works. Medania worked well for me too but Toscane bolted almost before it had germinated - outside or in tunnel. I do go for the New Zealand spinach perpetual look-alike but the leaves are stronger even when young. Quick stir fry or long slow cook in a lot of butter for curry accompaniment - tasty if nothing else. Didn't see the TV program, no TV, but salmon (hot smoked or pan fry), spinach and Puy lentils with sour cream/crème fraiche a standard for me. Enjoy.