Latest / The Beanstalk : A Podcast for Gardeners / Episode 32 — Spinach - Fast, Fearless, and Foolproof

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Episode 32 — Spinach - Fast, Fearless, and Foolproof · The Beanstalk : A Podcast for Gardeners

• 0:28
  Welcome back to the Beanstalk, fellow beans.
• 0:31
  My name is John, your neighborhood garden buddy.
• 0:35
  Today we're talking about one of those plants that quietly
• 0:38
  overachieves without asking for much attention at all.
• 0:43
  Spinach. This is one of those crops that
• 0:46
  sneaks up on you and makes you feel like a gardening genius,
• 0:51
  even when the rest of the garden is being a little dramatic.
• 0:53
  Spinach grows fast, tolerates cooler weather, and somehow
• 0:59
  manages to be both incredibly nutritious and wildly versatile
• 1:03
  in the kitchen. It's a plant that works just as
• 1:06
  hard for beginners as it does for seasoned gardeners.
• 1:09
  And honestly, if there's a leafy green that deserves more respect
• 1:14
  in the home garden, spinach is right near the top of that list.
• 1:20
  Growing spinach is one of those choices that just makes sense.
• 1:24
  It's one of the earliest crops you can plant in the spring and
• 1:28
  one of the last you can grow in the fall, which alone earns at a
• 1:32
  permanent spot in my rotation. Spinach thrives when many other
• 1:37
  plants are still waking up or are already shutting down, and
• 1:43
  that makes it a fantastic way to extend your growing season
• 1:46
  without extra infrastructure beyond timing.
• 1:51
  Spinach gives you a huge nutritional return for very
• 1:54
  little effort, packing iron, vitamins and minerals into
• 1:59
  tender leaves that can be eaten raw or cooked.
• 2:03
  It also grows quickly enough that you don't have to wait long
• 2:06
  to feel rewarded, which is a big morale boost when the garden is
• 2:11
  still finding its rhythm. There's something deeply
• 2:15
  satisfying about harvesting spinach while most of the world
• 2:18
  still thinks gardening season hasn't started yet.
• 2:22
  When it comes to growing spinach, the biggest thing to
• 2:25
  remember is that this plant loves cool weather and
• 2:28
  absolutely hates heat. Spinach prefers soil
• 2:32
  temperatures that are still on the chilly side, which is why it
• 2:36
  shines in early spring and fall plantings.
• 2:41
  I like to direct those spinach seeds as soon as the ground can
• 2:44
  be worked, even if there's still a chance of frost.
• 2:48
  Because spinach seeds actually germinate better in cooler soil.
• 2:53
  Planting them about half an inch deep in rich, well draining soil
• 2:57
  gives them a strong start, and spacing becomes important as
• 3:01
  they grow, so airflow stays decent.
• 3:05
  Spinach does best in soil that holds moisture but doesn't stay
• 3:09
  soggy, so adding compost beforehand makes a noticeable
• 3:13
  difference. Once the weather starts to warm
• 3:17
  up, spinach will let you know it's unhappy by bolting, which
• 3:21
  is its way of saying it's time to make seeds and move on with
• 3:25
  life. Harvesting spinach is one of the
• 3:28
  easiest and most forgiving parts of growing it.
• 3:32
  You can start harvesting baby leaves when the plants are only
• 3:36
  a few inches tall, which is perfect for salads and quick
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  meals. If you want larger leaves, you
• 3:43
  can let the plant grow and harvest the outer leaves first,
• 3:47
  allowing the center to keep producing for a while.
• 3:51
  I like to use clean scissors or just pinched leaves off at the
• 3:54
  base, being careful not to damage the growing point.
• 3:59
  Spinach harvested in cool weather tends to be sweeter and
• 4:02
  more tender, while leaves grown closer to heat can get thicker
• 4:07
  and slightly bitter. Timing your harvest early in the
• 4:11
  morning also helps preserve flavour and texture, especially
• 4:16
  if the days are starting to warm up.
• 4:20
  Spinach does have its share of pests and problems, even though
• 4:25
  it's generally a tough little plant.
• 4:27
  One of the most common issues is leaf miners, which are small
• 4:31
  larvae that tunnel through the leaves, leaving squiggly white
• 4:35
  lines behind. These tunnels don't usually kill
• 4:40
  the plant, but they do make the leaves less appealing and can
• 4:44
  slow growth. Leaf miners tend to show up when
• 4:49
  weather warms or when spinach is grown near other leafy crops,
• 4:55
  and removing affected leaves early helps stop their spread.
• 5:00
  Row covers can also be very effective, as they prevent the
• 5:04
  adult insects from laying eggs in the first place.
• 5:09
  Aphids are another common problem, clustering on tender
• 5:13
  growth and sucking plant juices, which can stunt growth and cause
• 5:19
  leaves to curl. A strong spray of water or
• 5:23
  introducing beneficial insects like ladybugs usually keeps them
• 5:27
  under control without chemicals. Fungal diseases can pop up when
• 5:33
  spinach is grown too densely or stays wet for too long, so
• 5:38
  spacing plants properly and watering at the soil level
• 5:41
  instead of overhead goes a long way toward prevention.
• 5:46
  Spinach plays well with others in the garden, making it a great
• 5:51
  companion plant. It grows nicely alongside peas,
• 5:57
  radishes and carrots, especially in early spring when space is at
• 6:02
  a premium. Spinach's shallow root system
• 6:07
  means it doesn't compete heavily with deeper rooted crops, and
• 6:11
  it's quick growth helps shade the soil, reducing weed
• 6:16
  pressure. I also like using spinach as a
• 6:20
  filler crop between slower growing plants, harvesting it
• 6:24
  before the larger plants need the space.
• 6:28
  Just be mindful not to plant it too close to crops that demand
• 6:31
  heavy feeding late in the season, since spinach prefers A
• 6:36
  gentler environment. Saving seeds from spinach is
• 6:41
  absolutely possible, but it does take a bit of patience and
• 6:46
  planting. Spinach is wind pollinated which
• 6:50
  means it can cross with other spinach varieties easily, so
• 6:55
  isolation is important if you want true to type seeds.
• 7:01
  Once spinach bolts, it sends up tall stalks that produce
• 7:04
  clusters of seeds, and these need time to mature fully.
• 7:11
  Let the plants dry down naturally, then cut the stalks
• 7:15
  and finish drying them somewhere well ventilated.
• 7:19
  The seeds can be rubbed free by hand and stored in a cool, dry
• 7:23
  place for future seasons. It's a longer process than
• 7:28
  saving seeds from some crops, but it's incredibly rewarding if
• 7:32
  you enjoy closing the loop in your garden.
• 7:37
  Like any crop, spinach has its pros and cons.
• 7:42
  On the positive side, it grows quickly, thrives in cool
• 7:46
  weather, and provides incredibly nutritious harvest with minimal
• 7:50
  effort. It's versatile in the kitchen
• 7:53
  and fits beautifully into small gardens or raised beds.
• 7:58
  On the downside, spinach doesn't tolerate heat well and can bolt
• 8:02
  quickly if conditions aren't right.
• 8:06
  It also requires consistent moisture, which means neglect
• 8:09
  during dry spells can show up fast.
• 8:12
  Still, for most gardeners, the benefits far outweigh the
• 8:16
  drawbacks when it comes time to use your spinach.
• 8:21
  This is one of my favorite simple garden meals.
• 8:26
  Start by heating a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a pan over
• 8:31
  medium heat. Then add two cloves of minced
• 8:35
  garlic and let them soften just until fragrant.
• 8:40
  Toss in about four packed cups of fresh spinach, stirring
• 8:44
  gently as it Wilts down, which only takes a minute or two.
• 8:50
  Finish it with a pinch of salt, a squeeze of lemon juice and,
• 8:55
  optionally, a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.
• 8:59
  It's simple, fast, and lets the flavor of fresh spinach shine
• 9:03
  without getting fancy. This kind of dish is exactly why
• 9:07
  growing your own greens feels so rewarding.
• 9:12
  Spinach has a few fun surprises tucked into its leaves.
• 9:17
  Despite its reputation, spinach doesn't actually contain as much
• 9:21
  iron as many people think, but it does contain compounds that
• 9:26
  help your body absorb nutrients efficiently.
• 9:30
  Spinach was popularized in part by a simple decimal error in
• 9:34
  early nutritional studies, which accidentally made it famous.
• 9:39
  Baby spinach and mature spinach are the same plant, just
• 9:43
  harvested at different stages of growth.
• 9:48
  Spinach can survive light frosts and often taste sweeter after
• 9:52
  cold exposure because the plant converts starches into sugars.
• 9:57
  There are both smooth leaf and Savoy varieties, with Savoy
• 10:02
  types having crinkled leaves that handle Colt particularly
• 10:05
  well. Spinach is also one of the few
• 10:09
  vegetables that can be harvested repeatedly in a short window,
• 10:13
  making it feel incredibly productive for the space it
• 10:16
  occupies. For the garden Nerd Corner,
• 10:21
  spinach belongs to the Amarantha sia family, which includes beets
• 10:27
  and Swiss Chard, making them a close cousin to some other
• 10:32
  garden favorites. Its ability to tolerate cold
• 10:37
  comes from cellular adaptations that protect plant tissues from
• 10:41
  frost damage. Spinach's rapid growth is tied
• 10:47
  to its efficient photosynthesis in cooler temperatures where
• 10:51
  many other plants slow down. Historically, spinach spread
• 10:57
  from Persia through Europe and became a staple because it
• 11:00
  filled seasonal gaps in fresh food availability.
• 11:06
  Modern breeding has focused heavily on disease resistance
• 11:09
  and bolt tolerance, especially for warmer climates.
• 11:15
  Understanding spinach at this level really shows how well it's
• 11:18
  adapted to be a reliable early and late season crop.
• 11:23
  Thanks again for hanging out with me today on the Beanstalk,
• 11:27
  Fellow Beans. If you want to keep the
• 11:30
  conversation going, we've got a growing community over at the
• 11:34
  Beanstalk Garden Club on Facebook.
• 11:37
  Come join us, share your garden photos, swap ideas, and let's
• 11:43
  nerd out over plants together. If you're enjoying the podcast,
• 11:48
  don't forget to hit follow on Spotify so you never miss an
• 11:52
  episode. We'd also love to hear your
• 11:56
  feedback or questions for future episodes.
• 12:01
  From our patch to yours, keep on climbing.
• 12:37
  The.