Spinach

Origin & history

Spinach comes from Persia and reached Europe through the Arab world and Moorish Spain; the name can be traced from Persian aspanākh through Arabic isfanākh to Spanish espinaca. It is documented in German monastery gardens from the Middle Ages onwards. Botanically it belongs to the amaranth family, making it a closer relative of beetroot and chard than of lettuce. It is also dioecious — there are male and female plants, and the male ones bolt first.

Varieties

For spring and autumn sowing, round-seeded varieties such as the open-pollinated classic “Matador” work well; for overwintering choose explicitly winter-hardy types like “Winterriesen” or “Verdil”. On heavy, damp soils F1 varieties with declared tolerance to downy mildew are the better bet — the packet then shows a “Pf” followed by a list of numbers. Baby-leaf varieties have small, smooth, tender leaves and are deliberately sown thickly and cut early.

Care

Thin to 5 cm once it is up — crowded spinach stays small and rots from below. Keep it evenly moist, because drought is the second trigger for bolting alongside day length. It needs no fresh manure and no nitrogen; a bed composted the previous year is plenty. Hoe between the rows a few times while the leaves have not yet covered the ground.

What can go wrong

Downy mildew is the main nuisance: pale yellow patches on the upper leaf surface, a grey-violet bloom underneath, always worst where the stand is dense and the air stays damp. The answer is cultural — sow more widely, thin rigorously, water at the base in the morning, take out affected leaves and choose tolerant varieties. Spinach also does not belong in the same bed as chard or beetroot: all three are close relatives, and three years is the minimum gap.

Harvest, storage & kitchen

Either pick individual leaves or cut the whole stand about four centimetres above the ground — cut above the growing point it will come again once or twice. Wash in several changes of water; there is nearly always soil at the leaf base. Spinach does not keep: use it the day you cut it, or blanch briefly, squeeze out, portion and freeze. Young leaves raw in salad, larger ones cooked — cooking collapses the volume to roughly a tenth.

Frequently asked questions

When do you sow spinach?

In two windows: from early March to around 20 April, and from early August to 20 September. You pick from late April to early June and, in autumn, from late September to the end of November. Sow about 2 cm deep, deeper than most salad crops.

Can I still eat spinach that has bolted?

Yes, but only the young leaves below the flower stalk are worth having; the upper ones quickly turn tough and harsh. Once the stalk stretches there is nothing to wait for, so clear the row and sow again for autumn.

Is spinach winter hardy?

Yes. An autumn sowing overwinters outdoors as a small rosette; a layer of brushwood or fleece mainly keeps the leaves cleaner. In early spring it grows on and gives one more early cut.

How often should I water spinach?

In dry weather, soak it every two or three days — around 10 to 15 litres per square metre — rather than giving it a daily splash. Short doses keep the roots up in the crust that dries out first. A thin mulch between the rows then holds the moisture in the soil for longer.