Have you ever visited the doctor because you feel low, and he suggests that you have iron and antioxidant deficiency and thus you should start adding spinach to your meal? Do you know why spinach? Because spinach is the powerhouse of nutrients.
Since it is helpful in many aspects, it is the most economical and healthy plant to grow in your garden. It gels well with every meal item; thus, you can take it in any food, be it soup, salad, curry, or however you want.
Since it is effortless to grow on your lawn, you must avoid buying it from the market. Why? Because The variety you can sample while purchasing from stores is similarly limited because you can only find the popular types there.
Though spinach may look similar to you, we will discuss a range of varieties in detail. These different spinach types have distinct flavors and shapes. It is a very easy-to-grow and low-maintenance vegetable plant.
Different varieties of spinach thrive in different environments. The maximum length of a spinach plant is 30 cm, with leaves of 20 cm.
As you can see, these plants are very compact, so you must have thought that you could grow them anywhere in the garden. You can grow it in containers or even in raised garden beds.
General Classification of Different Type of Spinach Plants
Since different types of spinach have different growing seasons, growing several varieties enables you to extend your growing season. Now we will talk in detail about different kinds of spinach plants. We will also look into the best ways to guide and care for the spinach plant.
If we make a general classification, we can divide the spinach plants into three categories:
Savoy Spinach
| Scientific Name: Spinacia oleracea |
It is a cold-hardy type of spinach plant. It is the most general kind of spinach plant. They have crisp, dark green leaves that are finely wrinkled. Savoy spinach’s ability to be cooked for many hours without losing its texture is another appealing quality.
Semi-Savoy Spinach
| Scientific Name: Spinacia oleracea |
These are identical to the savoy spinach in terms of taste and flavor. In terms of disease resistance, semi-savoy spinach is the best plant.
This is why most gardeners find it most favorable to grow in their garden. Because it costs them very little, they do not have to pay for pesticides and germicides to protect the plant from pest attacks.
Smooth Leaves Spinach
| Scientific Name: Spinacia oleracea |
As you can predict, the leaves of this class of spinach have no wrinkles on their leaves. Instead, they are smoother enough that it is very easy to clean and cook them. Because of its broad, flat leaves and quick growth, it is the plant of choice for gardeners. They can be stored for a longer period because of their rapid growth.
Different Types of Spinach To Grow in The Garden
Now that we have discussed the general classification, we will discuss the different types of spinach plants you can consider growing in your garden.
1. Bloomsdale Longstanding
It falls under the savoy spinach class and grows large spinach with wrinkled leaves. Because of its huge size and slow blooming, spinach is popular in markets. It has a nutty flavor. It can grow up to 12 inches tall and spread to 4 inches wide.
The cultivation requires moderate temperature and moisture; therefore, you can cultivate it in the spring or fall under full or partial sun. The water requirement for the spinach plant is 1 inch per week. It takes a maximum of 40 to 48 days to mature.
2. Regiment Spinach
I am introducing to you another species from the family of savoy spinach. These spinaches have dark crinkled leaves.
Since the leaves are immensely large and tender, you can consume them even in raw form. And, within just 37 days of cultivation, it is ready for you to consume and mature from Bloomsdale.
The leaves are quite delicate; therefore, you must cook them very slightly and use them in your salads and soup, mixing your desired flavor. The hybrid variety will be disease resistant and protected from pest attacks and infections.
3. Carmel Spinach
Carmel spinach falls under the category of semi-savoy spinach.
The best thing about Carmel spinach is that it takes a bare minimum of 25 days to grow baby leaves but to consume the mature leaves, you need to wait almost five weeks to harvest the mature leaves of spinach.
But be careful because these leaves grow very fast if you leave them for a few days without harvesting.
4. Indian Summer
This spinach plant grows in all three Indian seasons: summer, winter, or fall. It is a semi-savoy spinach plant, meaning the leaves are dark green and crisp.
It extends up to a height of 12 inches. Growing it is not tough, and so is managing the plant. Therefore, once you cultivate this crop, it will self-sustain its growth without demanding much care.
It takes about 35 to 40 days to generate mature leaves, and it grows best in the colder months of fall and spring.
5. Tyee Spinach
Tyee is a variety of F1 hybrid in the class of semi-savoy spinach. It has a robust and speedy upward growth and is resistant to bolting and Downy mildew. For it to be fully mature and ready for consumption, it takes 45 days.
Being semi-savoy family members, the leaves are green and partially crinkled. Its spicy taste doubles up the taste of your meal. It may be grown all year round in regions with warm winters.
6. Teton Spinach
Teton spinach has fewer crumbly leaves than savoy spinach and has thick, dark green leaves. It is also called baby leave spinach. Its growth is not very fast, and it takes time to be mature and edible.
The maximum time that goes into its growth is 45 to 50 days. The leaves are resistant to Downy mildew and mild in flavor. Since they are bearable to the extreme cold, you can store them in cold and dry places for as long as you want to consume them.
7. Catalina
Like Tyee, Catalina is also covered under the F1 hybrid and comes under the semi-savoy category. It takes approximately 48-50 days to mature and edible leaves.
The leaves are spear-shaped and succulent at the same moment. The leaves are heat resistant, and thus we advise you to grow them in winter or fall. Since their leaves are light green, they feel comfortable in the light frostings or partial shades after the summer month.
Because of this particular quality and its soft leaves, it is considered the best of all the semi-savoy spinach plants available.
8. Space Spinach
Falling under the smooth-leave spinach class, space spinach is yet another very much consumed spinach plant. The shape of the space spinach is a spoon.
The leaves of this variety stay very clean because it is uplifted from the ground level. For the maximum and healthy yield, we suggest cultivating it in fall or summer. Irrigation can be a plus if you want more nutritious and fresh leaves.
It matures in around 45 days. This hybrid variety exhibits resistance to Cladosporium leaf spot and most Downy mildew races.
Also Read: 15 Easiest Vegetables to Grow for Beginners
9. Red Cardinal Spinach
It is one more plant from the category of soft-leaf spinach. However, it is a cool-season spinach plant. Since the plant is tender and grows in highly cool weather, you need to be extra cautious when taking care of this plant. And, be more careful when harvesting the leaves as a harsh treatment can be damaging. The best way to recognize these plants is to examine their stem and veins, which are red.
The red cardinal is the spinach that grows the quickest. The maturation period is between 21 and 32 days. It also bolts the quickest, so it should be harvested when it is still young, tender, and consumed in salads. You can use its tender leaves in your salad and enjoy it slightly cooked when they mature.
10. New Zealand Spinach
Almost all the spinach plants we have discussed are cold-loving and grow their best during winter. But New Zealand spinach is different from them all. They thrive their best during the summers.
As you might have already predicted, these plants are found mainly in New Zealand and its native places such as Australia and Asia. Why? Because they found sandy shorelines favorable for their growth, mainly in these land parts of the earth. It is a crawling spinach that grows in a pile on the ground before climbing other plants as it ages.
Also Read: 10 Golden Watering Tips for Your Vegetable Garden
Recommendations for Caring for Spinach Plants
Follow our recommendations for better caring for spinach plants and helping them thrive.
1. Prepare Soil for Planting
Spinach thrives in the aerated loose soil complimented with compost and fertilizer. Broadfork garden beds and top with 1-2″ compost to prepare the garden.
2. Direct Seeding
You can direct seed it using your hands or push behind seeders. Since they are large, it becomes easier for beginners to analyze the optimal spacing.
3. Companion Planting With Other Seeds
Growing a diversified garden increases its beauty, nutritional value, and ecological resilience against pests and illnesses. In your garden, spinach is a perfect crop to interplant or grow as a companion plant. Plants that grow together and cooperate to make the most of the soil and available space are considered companion plants.
FAQ’s
The important minerals are:
• lutein
• kaempferol
• nitrates
• quercetin
• zeaxanthin
Plant and manure-based composts work best for spinach plants.
1 – 1.5 inches of water weekly is adequate for spinach plants.
Hand harvest outer spinach leaves or use scissors or shears to snip.
Sunny weather with good soil conditions is the best case for the plant to grow.
Conclusion
Spinach is the best plant to grow and is very easy to maintain. It is also nutrient-rich, making it the best plant to consume daily to maintain a healthy lifestyle. If you are consuming one spinach plant, it is a very healthy habit.
But if you want to explore more spinach plant varieties, we recommend you go through our article and get to know in detail about the top varieties of spinach. We have also given the best way to care for the plant. Therefore, you will have a complete guide even if you are harvesting it for the first time.