One of the fondest memories of anyone's childhood is the TV shows or cartoons she/he used to watch back then. For those who grew up in 90s to early 00s popeye the sailor man was certainly one of the cartoons which made it to the favourite cartoons list. The most striking feature of popoye was: spinach. He used to repeatedly consume spinach from a can that served as a respite for many mother's back then. How? They could get their kids to consume spinach (lame but it was surprisingly true in the contemporary context back then).
Spinach plant, scientifically known as Spinacea oleracea is a leafy green plant which traces its origins to Central and Western Asia. Its leaves are the edible part primarily.
Palak plant is known for its enormous health benefits such as:
- Strengthens bones since it is rich in Calcium
- Great for boosting metabolism
- Improves eyesight
- Has high fiber content, great for digestion
- Boosts immunity
With just 23 calories and high nutritional value, spinach is ideal for sustainable weight loss.
Ways of consuming spinach
Spinach can be either eaten raw in salads and sandwiches or it can be consumed in cooked and grounded form which in India is commonly known as palak ka saag or it can be cooked for a longer time on low flame with clarified butter to give out one of the most loved dish of Northern India: Sarso ka saag. You can also have spinach in the form of soup if you don't feel like putting in much effort.
Spinach plant has many varieties
1. Spinach seeds Urja green
It is a highly popular and fast growing variety and has rich green foliage
2. Savoy spinach
It is dark green in colour and has crinkled leaves
Your spinach cultivation guide
How about growing this miraculous plant at home? Today we will be guiding you through making your own 'spinach garden' at home.
- Though a winter season crop, the palak crop is grown throughout the year. It is tolerant to frost and also, you can grow spinach on almost all soil types but sandy loam soil with a neutral pH is considered ideal for palak cultivation. Have the best soil mix for spinach seeds so they get enough nutrition to grow.
- It requires ample sunlight but can also be grown in partial shade. However, while growing palak at home it is usually preferred to keep the spinach plant under direct or indirect sunlight. One can also know about nutrient deficiency in plants easily. So take steps accordingly and save the plant on time.
- Another point to be paid attention to when you grow spinach at home is watering. It requires sufficient watering, but overwatering should be avoided as it might affect the growth of spinach crop adversely.
- While growing spinach from seed spacing should be taken care of so that the plants have ample space to expand their roots and grow further.
- When you are planting spinach seeds, you should sow them half inch deep into the soil because of the aforementioned reason as well.
- One can expect spinach seedlings sprouting from the seeds within a fortnight of when the seeds were sown and your palak crop harvesting can be done within just 2 months! Harvesting is an important step so make sure you do it carefully.
Now spinach growing at home requires some special care and here comes the role of fertilizers. These are basically the materials used in planting which supply the plants with nutrients. However the best fertilizer for spinach or any other crop is natural fertilizer or the one that is composed of kitchen scraps since it does not leave any harmful impact on the soil as well as the health of the consumer.
About Urja Seeds
At Urja Seeds we provide a variety of spinach seeds online as well as other vegetable seeds, exotic seeds, flower seeds and micro green seeds online at quite affordable prices. We provide high quality seeds online at the best price which will definitely help you to have your own home garden easily.
FAQs
Q1: How long does it take for spinach seeds to germinate?
Ans: It takes about 14 days for spinach seeds to germinate and you can expect to see the full grown spinach plant within 2 months of sowing.
Q2: How do I prevent bolting in spinach leaves?
Ans: Bolting (premature seed formation in plants) is a major problem in spinach. It cannot be cured but prevented by NOT overwatering the plant, preventing excessive or deficient sun exposure etc.
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