Leafy vegetables : focus on spinach

An excellent ally for winter

Harvesting takes place 40 to 50 days after planting

Eat your spinach right after harvesting

Spinach can be cooked in a thousand ways

Spinach is a vegetable plant

A leafy vegetable is a vegetable whose consumed parts are the leaves of the plant. Raw or cooked, leaves can be cooked in a thousand and one ways ! You will find a selection of leafy vegetables grown without pesticides in Terra Botanica's vegetable garden.

Growing spinach

Spinach is an annual or biennial vegetable of the Chenopodiaceae family.

Sowing

Sow the seeds in a row at a depth of 1 to 2 cm and cover them with a little soil. Pack the row well. Remember to leave about 20 cm between the rows.
The seeds of summer varieties (such as Matador spinach) are sown from March to April. This is therefore the ideal time!
Winter varieties (Monstrueux de Viroflay spinach, Géant d'Hiver spinach...) are sown in August-September.

Planting

Keep only one spinach plant every 15-20 cm in the row when it has 4-6 leaves. Then pack the soil at the foot of the plants while they are still in place, and water with light rain. In terms of yield, it takes about 8 linear metres to feed a family of 3 all year round.

Harvesting and storage

Harvesting takes place 40 to 50 days after planting. Eat your spinach right after harvesting to preserve the nutritional qualities of the plant. Tip: you can store the washed leaves in the refrigerator for a few days.

Good to know

Spinach is a green vegetable that is very rich in fibre, minerals and vitamins: it is therefore a precious ally for the winter! It is also a vegetable that can be grown practically all year round, provided that you sow it at the right time and choose the right variety.

Tip

Spinach enjoys the proximity of peas, beans and broad beans, as well as cabbage, lettuce, chicory, celery and strawberries. Beware, however, that it is a rather exhausting plant for the soil. It can still return to the same spot after 3-4 years.

To order your seeds, go to the website of our partner and supplier, the Sainte Marthe Farm. You will also find seeds from the Sainte Marthe Farm for sale in our shop on the park.

For more information, see the article " Growing spinach successfully ".

Leafy vegetables: focus on spinach