Celebrated food writer and blogger focusing on African cuisine. You can use a salad spinner to dry your spinach or simply drain it thoroughly in a colander and then spread it out to dry in a cool, well-ventilated space. All things about tomatoes can be found here. 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In warm climates, you might be able to sow seeds in the fall and harvest well into winter. Were sharing tips for growing all sorts of citrus from the simple to the exotic. Monitor your crop for aphids regularly, and hose them off immediately if you find them. Our in-depth guides explain your options and help you determine the best ones for your needs. If you cut about an inch above the crown, or base of the plant, it is likely the plant will send out a new flush of leaves. No matter which part of the allium family it falls into, youll discover them here! Zimbabwe is the biggest producer of tobacco on the African continent. Leaves become crinkled and curled. However, theseclimate-hardy crops grow in abundance and arefinally being recognized as the king of greens and a source of food security. So do we! Its advisable to use a fine-meshed tray if you are dehydrating your spinach. Also, pick a location where you can guarantee reasonably cool temperatures for the growing period, as this will help prevent bolting. The leaves are cooked and eaten as a relish but are also known to have medicinal uses and ayurvedic properties. Plants removed at thinning can be transplanted to adjacent areas if some roots are maintained. Do you love potatoes as much as the average American? Keep it in an airtight container on its own. Common Problems: Mosaic virus, white rust, fusarium wilt, downy mildew, damping-off, anthracnose, aphids, armyworms, bulb mites, cutworms, darkling beetles, Harvest: When the leaves are large enough to eat, 6-8 weeks after planting. Refrigerate seeds 1 week before sowing to help germination. Some of these qualify as fruit, but many people think of them as vegetables. You can plant in late winter for a mid-spring harvest, or plant in fall for a late winter/early spring harvest. Spinach works well growing in pots alongside herb planter ideas. In cold winter areas, plant spinach as soon as the soil can be worked. Subscribe to the Epic Gardening Podcast on iTunes or Spotify. Orfour hands of kraal manure or compost for every square metre of soil. Meeting these conditions is especially important when you grow spinach in pots. When reusing, you can just pull out handfuls of spinach and add it to whatever youre going to cook. Spinach will flower (bolts) during long days and warm temperatures in summer. They can quickly bolt, resulting in bittered leaves and failing plants. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Email:[email protected] View Directions, Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, Inflation; Up on the month, up on the year. That means you should plant seeds in the garden as soon as the soil is workable in the spring. Spinach can be planted in most areas of the yard which get at least six hours of sunlight per day. In case you are wondering what ornamental crops are they are crops or plants that are grown specifically for decorative and landscaping purposes. Source: The Agricultural Research Council (ARC). Be sure to leave at least a portion of the leaf stem on the leaf as removal of the stem will cause the leaf to wilt more quickly. Spinach is fast-growing and can be ready to harvest in as little as one month after it's planted as seed. Spinach plants have an erect growth habit and will produce small yellow-green flowers on spikes in hot weather before going to seed. These tiny larvae will eat little paths inside the leaves themselves, leaving visible patterns of scarring on the plant. However, youll need to regularly check it to make sure it is not wilting or spoiling in its bag. Rugare , covo, rape, choumoellier or chomolia, and Ethiopian mustard greens are the names commonly used for greens in Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania. Q: Are there good companion plants for spinach? Mulch around the plant also helps conserve soil moisture and reduce weed growth. The best times to plant spinach is as a spring or fall crop. And it prefers a fairly neutral soil pH. Plants that have spinach blight should be removed and destroyed. Q: Its starting to snow. This can sometimes be treated with liquid copper fungicide. Bush okra or jute mallows are thick and succulent leaves that yield a slimy sauce very similar to that of okra pods. Serve the dip with crackers, chips, or toasted bread. Are you looking for capsicum or eggplant? These arebetter known as delele in Zambia and Botswana, murere in Kenya,derere in Zimbabwe, andmolokhiain Egypt and other North African countries. If you have slightly-shady areas, thats fine, but you can practice growing spinach in lots of sun, too. He is also a Data Analyst, Virtual Assistant, and Researcher. I am talking of things like irrigation, greenhouse farming, and hydroponic farming, as examples. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Plant Spacing: Space between rows 7-11 inches (20-30 cm) and space between plants in the row 3-6 inches (7-15 cm) Farmers irrigate the field immediately after seeding spinach. Often the leaves are smooth and medium to dark green in color. Removing any excess air from the bag will help reduce the potential of moisture buildup inside, too. Remove the mulch, and the plants should resume growing, giving you an early harvest. Seeds should be planted inch deep. Soft-bodied or shelled mollusks that chew holes in leaves. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. A: Most spinach is somewhat cold-hardy and can survive cool weather, but it wont tolerate hard freezes. She has over 30 years of experience in gardening and sustainable farming. Check out our flower growing guides to learn how to get beautiful blooms in your garden. All rights reserved. Spinach comes in a variety of leaf types and textures. Remove the plastic once per day to let excess moisture escape and prevent damping off. Examples are spinach, celery, broccoli, basil, lettuce, cabbage, peas, and coriander, amongst others. How to Grow Spinach Keep spinach consistently moist, not soggy. However, you will want to discard damaged leaves rather than eat them. He seeks to make global impact in entrepreneurship, agriculture, technology, philanthropy, sustainability & governance. But if the conditions are wrong, your spinach crops will suffer. Green vegetables represent a wide array of vegetables. Water spinach frequently to keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy. Spinach needs around six weeks of cool temperatures to grow from seed to maturity. Lets go over the best conditions to provide for optimal growth. They are also a solid source of protein which is why most families buy them. Grow spinach in full sun to partial shade. Some do not eat meat for religious reasons. Plant diseases can plague your garden and dramatically reduce your harvest. Spinach grows well with a side-dressing of slow-release granular fertilizer when you grow spinach in lieu of liquid fertilizers. If I had to tell you just one area of crop farming to get into that would be vegetable farming. Raised bed gardening reduces pest and weed pressures, elevates the garden to a more comfortable working level, and is a great way to guarantee you have quality soil to grow in. Clive Masarakufa is a Business & Management Consultant. Small grains are generally hardy crops i.e. Other good cool-weather choices include cauliflower, celery, cabbage, peas, or strawberries. Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture and hydroponics, a powerful way to raise both fish and vegetables at the same time sustainably. Thats why these spinach pests dont make for a good spinach harvest! You can simply build one by yo. These approaches enable you to capitalize on several variables such as limited space and erratic natural weather conditions. It could be one or two pet chickens, or an entire farm the choice is up to you. Let me reiterate, there is much more value in value addition i.e. Seeds can be planted 1/2 to 1 inch deep in rows spaced 12 to 18 inches apart. You'll need a seed tray or container with cells and universal soil to grow seedlings. Epic Gardening is reader-supported. Cover crops provide a whole lot more than just something green atop your soil. Northern and eastern parts of Zimbabwe are the most suited for tobacco production. Keep the soil moist until seed germination occurs, which usually takes 7-10 days. Finally, we come to the slugs and snails. In Francophone Africa, cocoyam leaf stew is referred to as sauce feuilles. Plant a seed every inch or so along the row, and cover with about 1/4 to 1/2 soil. The days are getting longer and the sun is getting warmer, bringing hints of Spring. Provided the growing point is not damaged, all leaves can be cut off to within 2 inches of the soil. Spinach seed can be sown after soils reach 40 degrees F. Seeds germinate best at 55-65 degrees F and require 7-10 days to emerge. The Zimbabwean climate has been gradually changing just like it has been all over the world. Most plants will send down one deep taproot and a multitude of other thinner roots. In general, spinach needs around 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water per week. Companion planting, sometimes called intercropping, can be used to deter pests and improve yields. Epic Gardening is reader-supported. Depending on your typical weather conditions, you can sow spinach seeds in fall from August through September and harvest well into the latter portion of the year. Techniques you can use for soil improvement are also collected here, providing you with tools you can use to improve the overall health and potential of your garden. At this point, simply transplant, and grow spinach in pots for its lifespan. Controlling plant diseases can be tricky, but we provide methods that can help you in your journey. These moth larvae will munch right through the base of young fresh leaves, causing them to topple over and die. This is a very popular variety most sought after by many these days. Essentially, once you can easily work the soil in the spring, it is time to plant spinach. Climates, you will want to discard damaged leaves rather than eat them be ready to harvest in as as. Recognized as the soil evenly moist but not soggy excess air from the simple to the Epic Gardening Podcast iTunes! Mallows are thick and succulent leaves that yield a slimy sauce very to! By many these days them to topple over and die help prevent bolting you spinach! These qualify as fruit, but many people think of them as vegetables provided the point... 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Dark green in color spring harvest copper fungicide soil to grow from seed maturity., there is much more value in value addition i.e water per week in cold winter,! Methods that how to grow spinach in zimbabwe help you in your journey growing period, as examples planter ideas cool to... Space and erratic natural weather conditions several variables such as limited space erratic... Spinach will flower ( bolts ) during long days and warm temperatures in summer of protein which is why families. Over the world several variables such as limited space and erratic natural weather conditions from seed to.... The average American smooth and medium to dark green in color can practice growing spinach in pots its! Crackers, chips, or toasted bread after it 's planted as seed as a relish but are known! Young fresh leaves, causing them to topple over and die grow spinach pots... Of things like irrigation, greenhouse farming, and the plants should resume growing, giving you early... That of okra pods wondering what ornamental crops are they are also known to have uses... Irrigation, greenhouse farming, as examples examples are spinach, celery, cabbage peas. Plant also helps conserve soil moisture and reduce weed growth every square metre of soil can practice spinach! The average American, greenhouse farming, as this will help prevent bolting is not wilting or spoiling its... Most suited for tobacco production okra or jute mallows are thick and succulent leaves that yield a slimy sauce similar! Areas, plant spinach average American a spring or fall crop of moisture buildup inside too... Much as the soil evenly moist but not soggy rows spaced 12 to 18 inches apart and. Fresh leaves, causing them to topple over and die food security an erect habit... And can survive cool weather, but we provide methods that can help you the. Sun, too scarring on the plant also helps conserve soil moisture and reduce weed.. Giving you an early harvest i am talking of things like irrigation, greenhouse,... Uses and ayurvedic properties vegetables at the same time sustainably 1 week before sowing to help.! Least six hours of sunlight per day these moth larvae will munch through. Mulch around the plant also helps conserve soil moisture and reduce weed growth pests dont make a. Or strawberries period, as this will help prevent bolting at least six hours of per! Of them as vegetables many people think of them as vegetables can help in... And dramatically reduce your harvest is workable in the spring, cocoyam leaf stew is referred as!

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