How to Grow Spinach in Central Texas

If you like fresh spinach, it's time to get those seeds in the ground between January 1 and February 25 for a spring crop and between September 15 and October 25 for a fall crop in zone 8. Spinach is an easy crop to grow in Central Texas where the soil is a little more alkaline. Spinach grows best when the soil Ph is between 6.5 and 7.5. This is higher than the recommended rate for most vegetables. If you had your soil tested and the Ph is below 6.5, you'll need to amend the soil with agricultural lime according to the recommendation of your county extension office. Never apply lime or sulfur to your soil to adjust the Ph if you don't know the Ph level. You can do long -term damage to your soil.

Not only should the Ph of your soil be in the correct range, but the soil needs to be full of organic matter such as compost. A healthy dose of a granulated organic fertilizer worked into the soil also helps with spinach production. If you try to use fast-acting chemical fertilizers, especially high nitrogen fertilizers, the spinach will have a metallic or off-taste.

Soak the seed in water for 8-10 hours before planting one-half inch deep in damp garden soil. Seeds germinate in about one week. Thin spinach plants to 12-18 inches apart after the plants are actively growing. Keep moisture level constant but don't allow the plants to sit in wet soil or they will quickly rot. To keep the fresh spinach coming, plant a new crop of plants every week from the first of January until the third week in February.

The best spinach plants are grown in the fall because the tendency for the plants to flower or "bolt" decreases as the weather cools. You know when the plant is bolting because a central flower stem begins to form and the quality of the spinach leaves decreases.

There are three different kinds of spinach: Smooth and flat-leafed that are good for canning and savored and semi-savored that are best for eating fresh. Recommended seed varieties for Central Texas are Tyee, because it is slow to bolt, and Melody and Samish because of their disease resistance.

Harvest by cutting off the leaves as needed or cut all the leaves off one inch from the ground to encourage another flush of leaves.

Common pests are cabbage loopers and beetles that you can control with spinosad, and aphids that can be washed off with a strong spray of water or killed with neem oil.

Companion plants are cabbage, lettuce, pea, onion and radish. Do not plant near potatoes or where potatoes were planted the previous year.

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