Understanding your vegetables

By: Pfeiffer in Floral & Fauna on Jul. 26, 2011

Spinach beet is unlike any other spinach you might have eaten before. It is related to beetroot yet it has leaves which are similar to spinach and it can be cooked same way we cook spinach. Since this is a popular food loved by many people, you might as well take time to learn how spinach beet is prepared from seedling level all the way until it grows and is ready for harvesting. It is actually easy and it sure can provide you with delicious greens to last all summer.
A fine tilth soil will provide the best ground to grow the seedling of spinach beet and each row should have between three to four seeds placed at 20 meters interval. This will provide a proper ground for development of the spinach and will help avoid crowding. It also ensures that available nutrients are used efficiently. During the early days of growth, observe as the seedlings begin to emerge and remove the weak seedlings and retain the strong ones.
Do not by any chance allow weeds to grow besides your seedlings. Weed up as soon as you realize weeds are spurring out. In the mean time, provide lots of water to the growing plant because these crops need a lot of water if they are to develop the juicy leaves. Take measures to prevent slugs and snails from getting to your garden as these are some of the enemies your seedlings will face. Any novice gardener will love to grow this crop because it does not easily “blot”. But should you by any chance see any flower heads, remove them and let the crop focus its energy in growing leaves that will be used.
Since the plant requires high quantity of water, here is a simple example to help you measure the quantity of water that will be needed. A one meter by one meter size garden of spinach will need a minimum of 9 liters of water per week. This is under normal conditions when the weather is dry and hot. In just three months you will need to harvest your crop. During the time when the plant is about to be harvested, a lot of care has to be taken during weeding, not to disturb the crop. Pick outer leaves because they taste better and will also encourage more growth of the crop.

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