Spinach vegetables are grown for it’s for its succulent
edible green leaves. They are rich in vitamin and minerals especially iron. The
vegetables thrive well in altitudes below 1000M above sea level. The soils
should be fertile, well drained and high in organic matter content. Varieties
of spinach vegetables include
- Early
hybrid No.7: This is an upright growing, compact and very prolific plant.
The leaves are dark green, semi savoyed and large with short petioles. It
is early maturing and highly productive, tolerant to downy mildew and has
a very good regeneration ability.
- Bloomshade
long standing: These are an upright compact plant with thick fleshy leaves
which are dark green, savoyed, large and with very long petioles. It is
vigorous and exceptionally long standing vegetables.
- Giant
noble: These are a dwarf plants, fast growing but produces moderate
yields. The leaves are mid-green, thick, and smooth with short petioles.
- King
of Denmark:
This is a spreading plant, very prolific and vigorous in growth. The
leaves are mid-green, smooth, thick, broad, and medium sized with long
petioles. This variety has rapid regeneration ability.
- New Zealand
spinach: These are a hardy low spreading and branching plant. It has
numerous leaves which are thick, fleshy dark green, triangular and smaller
than other varieties. The seeds are large and prickly but germinate slowly.
It does well in hot dry climates. It produces large amounts of green
vegetables over a long period and is therefore best suited for home
gardens.
Prior to planting spinach seeds are soaked in water
for about 24 hours in order to enhance germination. The seeds are sown thinly
in rows 30-40 cm apart and 2cm deep. The seedlings are later thinned to 10-20
cm apart within the row leaving only strong plants. Adequate watering is
essential for good growth. Spinach seedlings can also be raised in a nursery
bed and transplanted into the field. Spinach vegetables respond well to
fertilizer application before transplating.200kg of DAP fertilizer is
recommended for every hectare grown with these green vegetables. The farm
should be free of weeds to minimize competition for production of marketable
leaves. There are no major pest and diseases/of economic importance. However
ringspot disease which is easily spread through water splash can reduce the
quality of marketable produce. Mulching is therefore a good control method. The
crop can be harvested for a period of 6-12 months. The largest green leaves
should be harvested as they mature. These should be cut off carefully to avoid
injuring the spinach plant. Staggered growing should be practiced for
sustainable vegetables production. Spinach leaves become coarse in texture and
bitter as they grow old. more-http://yagrein.blogspot.com/p/what-are-youth-saying.html
