Spinach, Spinacea oleracea: "Mr. Workhorse"
I'd like to express my gratitude to the Arab traders who brought spinach to China, where it eventually spread with the help of travelers and farmers right to my own backyard here in North America. Can't forget to thank Popeye, too—his thrilling biceps spiked American spinach consumption by 33 percent in the 1930s. While Popeye may have been the one pumping iron, spinach is the real workhorse. It's easy to grow, tastes amazing with just the barest of seasonings, and can be wilted onto or into almost any dish for an extra boost of incredible nutrition.
Above: For more images of Spinach, see our Gardenista Gallery.
Spinach packs a laundry list of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, in particular delivering hearty doses of iron and calcium per calorie. Weird health tip of the day? The oxalates in this dark leafy green hinder our ability to take in spinach's iron. But nutritionists have a simple solution. Just serve the wonder-green with a side of orange slices to combat the oxalic effect.
Above: Photograph by David Ferris.
Cheat Sheet
- Beautiful dark green foliage can be used as a garden edging
- Prevent spinach from bolting by planting it in the shade of beans or peas
- A side benefit of bolting: yellow-green flowers
Keep It Alive
- When sowing seeds directly into the garden, clear soil of weeds first. This delicate green can suffer from undue competition during its early growth
- Spinach likes full sun to partial shade and consistent water (it will bolt if soil is too dry)
- In hotter climates, plant in containers and move them away from the heat of the sun at midday to prevent bolting
Above: Elegant Deer Fencing protects the salad greens in garden designer Lisa Bynon's garden in Southampton, Long Island.
Spinach might be available year-round in grocery stores, but you'll get the best results in your home garden if you treat the green as a cool-weather crop. Plant a few successions in early spring, take a break in the summer, and plant again in the fall. In mild climates, you can mulch with straw or lightly cover the plants to keep your crop growing through the winter, or at least to reap another harvest from the same plants in the spring. If you live in a climate that's too warm for spinach, or want nutritious greens all summer long, try an alternative such as purslane, lamb's-quarters, amaranth, or orach.
Above: What's for dinner? May we recommend Crostini With Lentils, Spinach, Herbs, and Greek Yogurt? Photograph via 101 Cookbooks.
Read More:
For more dinner ideas (and leafy green love), see our archive of Garden-to-Table Recipes. And read about Tomatoes, Lettuce, and Chives in our Field Guide archives.
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