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Vegetable Gardening

Spinach- have I missed opportunity?

12 years ago

Hi All,

I recently put some seeds in pots for transplanting in next week or two - one of the seeds is spinach. They are coming up in the peat pots, but now I am concerned I've missed my window for them. I am in south Georgia, and we are fairly consistently in the 80's for daytime temps, sometimes reaching the 90's already :-( Don't want to put these guys out just to have them fail. Can I do them entirely indoors? How much light/sun will they need? I don't have a grow light, so will have to depend on sunlight through the window. Will they get enough light? Any other suggestions on how to keep them growing? I can do outdoors containers, keep them shaded, etc. Any ideas/suggestions appreciated. Thanks!

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Comments (2)

denninmi
12 years ago
No, you haven't missed an opportunity, but you may have to adjust both your growing techniques and your expectations. If you try to grow it to full sized maturity in your climate in summer-like conditions, especially during the long days of May, it no doubt will bolt to seed and won't work.

But, there isn't any reason you can't harvest it young as "baby" spinach, just like the kind that is so pricey at the grocery store. It will grow quickly, and could be done either outdoors in shade during the hottest part of the day, or indoors under a grow light should you eventually decide to invest in one. It is a quick crop, probably could be harvested at 3-4 weeks. You could even grow it as a "micro-green" and harvest at 2 weeks, approximately, after it emerges from the soil.

Here is a link that might be useful: Guide to growing Microgreens
jennieboyer
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you! That sounds perfect. I have a spot that is fairly shaded and gets late afternoon sun. I prefer the "baby" spinach to the larger leaves anyway.

I do plan to invest in a grow light, but am trying to find something that doesn't cost a ton - I usually only grow 12-24 plants from seed. Hard to stomach investing a hundred dollars or more into that few plants!

Appreciate the quick response.
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