Site and Seed selection

Site selection

Select a site and a field in which a crop from the spinach family e.g. kale, cabbage had not been previously grown. They share the same pests and diseases.

Land preparation

Plough your land. Break up all lumps of soil. Mix in well-rotted manure. Smooth the soil surface.

Your soil test will tell you which fertilisers to add to your soil and how much. Usually you will be told to add an NPK fertiliser from Mavuno at planting. This contains Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium, and sometimes other nutrients too.

Seed selection

Common spinach varieties, that are mostly grown, include Fordhook Giant, Lucullus, Early Hybrid No.7, Bloomsdale, Giant, King of Denmark and New Zealand Spinach.

The Fordhook Giant variety from Royal Seed:

• Grows well, even in a hot climate
• Has large and crumpled leaves
• Grows to 65 cm
• Matures 60-70 days after transplanting.

Always buy certified seeds. 95-100% of the seeds will grow, so you will use less seed. Certified seeds also:

• Give high yields of good quality
• Are resistant to some diseases
• They grow fast, strongly and uniformly".

Buy certified seeds from agrovets. Fordhook Giant seeds come in pack sizes of 10g, 25g, 50g, 100g, 250g and 500g.