How to grow spinach on the windowsill

Spinach is one of the most useful plants suitable for growing at home. A large number of vitamins make it extremely common among those who care about their health and prefer vegetarian food. Spinach is also great as a seasoning for meat and fish dishes. In order for even the fierce winter to eat young, green shoots of this plant, you need to know about the rules for growing spinach at home on the windowsill.

Spinach Popularity

In European countries, spinach is a very popular plant. Salads are prepared from it, added during canning, used almost everywhere and always. Spinach received such a prevalence among the foreign population due to the high content of organic compounds of iron, vitamins of various groups, as well as amino acids. A useful plant is not only eaten by adults: starting from 4 months of age, spinach puree is included in the child’s diet, so that the baby’s body is better saturated with the necessary vitamins.

In Russia, spinach is not as popular as in Europe, but every year people began to notice its positive properties and gradually use it for food. Today spinach is widely used by those who care about their proper nutrition or by vegetarians. Due to the fact that spinach is suitable for use only in fresh form, there is an urgent need for year-round cultivation of this crop.

What you need to know about spinach

1. Spinach is a plant that grows only with a long day. If you are going to grow spinach in the autumn-winter period, you must provide seedlings with an additional light source.
2. The plant is able to withstand cold up to +8 degrees Celsius, but +15 degrees can be considered the most optimal temperature. In hot weather, spinach quickly goes into the shooting phase and eating leaves becomes impossible. That is why the best place in the house for growing spinach can be considered a windowsill on the north side or a balcony.
3. Spinach is not very ripe. Just 40 days after planting, you can get the first leaves ready for use.
4. The plant is not suitable for long-term growth. After 2-3 sections, the leaves stop growing and arrows with seeds begin to form. Therefore, it is effective to plant three pots with a plant at once, in order to saturate your body with useful vitamins without interruption.
5. The culture prefers neutral or slightly alkaline soils. Particular attention should be paid to this, since in an acidic environment yellow spots may appear on the surface of the leaves or seedlings will begin to fade on their own.
6. Spinach is a moisture-loving plant that does not tolerate either drying out or a large amount of water. Before planting, it is necessary to take care of drainage and a small hole at the bottom of the pot. If you are going to grow spinach at home, where the air humidity is constantly low, you need to spray the leaves twice a week with plain water from a spray bottle.

Rules for growing spinach on the windowsill

In order for all your efforts not to be wasted, and you could get a large crop of useful spinach shoots, you must responsibly approach the planting of the plant. Following simple rules, you will simplify the landing process and will enjoy the result.

1. The first thing you need to think about is crockery for growing. It should not be too deep, wide or long - an ordinary flower pot, in which a drainage hole must be made, can be considered an ideal.
2. The next step is preparing the soil. In principle, spinach is not a demanding plant, ordinary street soil may be suitable for it, as long as it is not acidic. In this case, you will need to think about feeding with various water-soluble or dry substances. But the most suitable for spinach is the soil, consisting of one part of vermicompost and two parts of special coconut fiber.
3. Before you put the soil in the pot, you need to take care of the drainage. To do this, lay a layer of expanded clay or foam plastic with sand at the very bottom of the dishes. This will prevent the plant from flooding - excess water will drain down and flow to the roots only if necessary.
4. Take your time to plant the seeds immediately in the soil! Spinach seeds have a very hard, dense outer surface. If you do not keep the grains in the water, the sprouts will begin to emerge only after 2-3 weeks. The best option is to leave the seeds for a day in the water, then drain and pour the water slightly tinted with potassium permanganate (light raspberry color). In a disinfectant solution, the seeds should also be kept for about a day.
5. Two days later, you can do the landing. Seeds should not be deeply immersed in the ground - do not deepen more than 1 cm. If you are going to dive seedlings, you can plant the seeds often in one pot. If you plan to immediately distribute the seeds in 2-3 pieces per pot, you will no longer need to dive such shoots in the future.
6. Each pot with planted spinach seeds must be closed with a plastic bag to create a greenhouse effect. In such conditions, you can get seedlings after 6 or 7 days.
7. If the seeds of the plant were planted often and spinach needs to dive, you can perform these measures after the appearance of 2 or 3 leaves on the plant. Carefully removing one sprout from the moist earth, it must immediately be planted in a separate bowl with the same soil composition and drainage. Do not try to place shoots close to each other. In a round pot, plant 3 pieces of spinach (in the image of a triangle).
8. Spinach should be watered as it dries, without overflowing and not keeping it dry. It will be possible to cut leaves after 3-4 weeks from the appearance of seedlings. The leaves will be 100% useful, free of pesticides, additives and other harmful substances that fill the shelves in supermarkets.

What to do, if…

Spinach is ideal for those who only learn the technique of growing plants, but want to provide themselves and their family with a natural and healthy product. Here are some helpful tips to help you answer your most important questions:

What to do if the sprouted seeds are pulled up without giving the first leaflet?The plant does not have enough light! If you grow spinach in the fall or winter, be sure to provide the plant with extra light, install a lamp.

Spinach leaves weak, the plant grows slowly? This can usually be seen if the soil is weakened and there are no beneficial trace elements in it. Fertilizer will help you solve this situation.

Spinach is a healthy and unpretentious plant. Growing it yourself on a windowsill, you will provide the whole family with useful vitamins throughout the year.