Ask a Master Gardener: Now is the time to plant spinach


There is still another fall crop for Mid-Missouri gardeners -- spinach. This nutritious (think Popeye) green leaf vegetable can be planted during the first three weeks of August. It looks like we might have cooler weather patterns, so spinach planted now should flourish into a wonderful crop this fall.

As with most plants nowadays, there is an abundance of varieties to choose from. Spinach is separated into three main groups: savoy with the crinkly leaves, smooth or flat leaf types, and of course there are a few "in-between" varieties know as semi-savoy.

Savoy spinach with its curly, deeply crinkly and dark green leaves is typically the kind sold in supermarkets in fresh bundles. It has a very productive yield and can handle cold a lot better than most types of spinach. Because it has the habit of growing low, it can get muddy and gritty and thus be quite a chore to clean. Common varieties of savoy spinach include Bloomsdale, one of the most popular varieties. It has thick succulent leaves that are great eaten raw and added to salads.

Flat-leaf spinach, also known as smooth-leaf spinach, can be distinguished by its smooth and broad leaves that make it easier to rinse and clean compared to the crinkly savoy varieties. This is typically the type of spinach used in frozen and canned spinach, baby foods, soups and processed foods. "Space" is a popular variety in this category.

A hybrid, semi-savoy has slightly crinkled leaves. These varieties grow upright, which makes it less likely to be dirtied with mud, and thus makes it easier to clean than savoy varieties. Some are bred to have good resistance to bolt and disease. Semi-savoy is usually the best choice of spinach for growing at home. Melody and Tyee are a couple of varieties that are well suited for fall planting in our area.

Plant spinach seeds ½ inch deep, in rows 15-18 inches apart. To make up for germination problems, sow seeds generously then thin to 3 inches apart. When the leaves of the plants touch, pull every other one. The plants pulled during thinning are good in a salad as real baby spinach leaves. Most "baby" spinach leaves you see in the store are actually full grown leaves from a variety that has small leaves.

Here are some interesting facts about spinach: For fresh eating, you will need about 7 feet of row space per person. If you would like to freeze some for later use, figure about 10-15 feet per person. Spinach is about 90 percent water, so it takes about 10-12 cups to make one cup of cooked spinach. That is a lot of raw spinach, so plant a lot if that is what you have in mind.

On a different note, if you are still noticing Japanese beetles, you are not alone. Although the count is down at the extension traps, I haven't noticed much of a decrease here. They have really been ganging up on my sweet corn.

All those beetles will lay many eggs which hatch out as small grubs this summer/fall. There are products that can be put down to control grubs in lawns, and these can reduce Japanese beetles in your general area. You can use a natural product or a synthetic insecticide. The bad news is that this habitat they like so much (lawns) is not only yours, but every adjoining neighbor, if not even further. These beetles can easily fly ¼ mile. There are several lawn insecticides that claim to control the grubs of Japanese beetles. They actual kill a wide variety of lawn grubs. Contact the Extension office if you want to know these options.

Peter Sutter is a lifelong gardening enthusiast and a participant in the MU Extension's Callaway County Master Gardener program. Gardening questions can be sent to [email protected].