[missmoneypenny]

I love spinach but last year only managed a few sorry leaves which melded with the surrounding weeds and got hoed by mistake.
This year I am hoping to boost production by:
Mixing well rotted kitchen compost into the soil
Clearly demarcating where the spinach is
Netting at 1st to stop accidental damage.
Any other suggestions? Hoping to hear from a spinach meister!

[Gardener and Rabbit]

I wouldn't claim to be a spinach meister    , but have grown it successfully.

It doesn't like hot and dry conditions, so I'd suggest sowing early April and reckon on getting one good crop. I have to net mine against pigeons at all times.

G&R

[Annen]

Every time I have tried growing spinach it has bolted, so now I grow perpetual spinach instead, much more tolerant and tastes as good to me.

[lettice]

I've been growing spinach  the same way for years. Ive also grown the perpetual variety.
Sow in the greenhouse beginning of April and then when big enough to handle the plants, I transplant them to a raised bed that just has good garden soil. I mix in a bit of growmore at the beginning of the season, but nothing more throughout.
This gives a cut again and again crop to late February when they finally stop growing. the more you pick as individual leaves the more it supplies.
I also grew some chard last year (my first outing with chard) the same way, and had an excellent crop from early summer to february. The advantage with chard is you can eat the stems too.

I have found in my garden that spinach and chard seems not to attract any slugs or snails.
I do have a large zipped plastic cloche over mine, as in the hot summer they can dry out a little.
I tend to hose them regularly each evening through the summer.
That works for me.
First pic, some of my chard in top two and spinach in bottom two I have grown.
Second pic, my spinach, chard and beetroot shared zipped cloche;

[sunshineband]

I direct-sow spinach a bit later in the season, to follow broad beans or peas for example, and find it grows well like this. A sprinkle of Blood, Fish & Bone, plus some chicken manure pellets and it thrives.

I do net it against pigeons though, as they think it is just for them to munch on 

[3759allen]

i find it does better in the poly tunnel, it just seemed to bolt when i tried it outside.

may be worth making a small hoop tunnel covered with polythene. but a word of warning it will get very hot in there during the sunny days so you will have to keep opening the ends to get some air in there.

if you have trouble when weeding it might also be worth laying strips of cardboard between the rows after you've sown the seeds.

[Yorkshire Lass]

I feel very lucky after reading this thread 

I popped my seeds directly into the plot, weeded fed and watered them and had lots of lovely spinach.

Guess it ma have been beginners luck 

[missmoneypenny]

Thanks so much everyone. Looks like netting is a good idea, and I like the idea of blood fish and bone as i have just bought a box of it  for my Dahlias!
I'll wait til april then plant and net. Will report back on how it goes.

[oldgrunge]

Every time I have tried growing spinach it has bolted, so now I grow perpetual spinach instead, much more tolerant and tastes as good to me.

I have found exactly the same. Perpetual spinach just kept on cropping, until I had to dig it up as I'd sown it where I wanted to plant autumn raspberries!

[pa snips]

I love spinach and grow it in between rows of parsnips spaced slightly further apart than normal
The parsnip leaves creates a shady area as spinach likes the cooler areas
Works for me and saves space

[ptarmigan]

I find spinach a bit temperamental. Perp spinach is much easier. I don't net as the pigeons seem more interested in the PSB. But I do sow some spinach a bit later in the year so it's growing when it's a bit cooler.

[Madame Cholet]

me too perp spinach really easy few pests eats loads of it

[surbie100]

I love spinach and grow it in between rows of parsnips spaced slightly further apart than normal
The parsnip leaves creates a shady area as spinach likes the cooler areas
Works for me and saves space

Like that idea and hopefully will remember to try it when I sow my 'snips!

[missmoneypenny]

So, I planted perpetual spinach, and a true spinach , medania.
The perpetual spinach did very well, it's buff, lots of glossy paleish green leaves. Maybe the seeds were old I think they were on their last year and had been kept in the shed so maybe got overheated.
The medania- I just got one baby sized plant.
I planted in April and March (if I recall correctly) on soil enriched with manure and netted at 1st.
Now I'll re sow, but don't think I need to net at this time of year as there's plenty out there for the birds.

[compostqueen]

Not all spinach is the same, there are loads of varieties and can be sown at various times so don't give up

I have had a lot of success this year with Ibrido and Emilia. Previous years with Matador    One for sowing in September (or April) is the lovely dark green, red veined, Bordeaux which grows like stink!