29 - Spinach
Varieties
- Abundant Bloomsdale Spinach
Life cycle
Seed germination treatment details
Culture and fertilization requirements
Transplanting or Planting – Priming seed
Scientists call this process “priming,” and it’s easy to do at home. About a week before planting, soak spinach seeds in room temperature water for 24 hours. Place the wet seeds on a paper towel, and allow to dry at room temperature for a day or two. Shift the seeds to an airtight container, and keep in a cool place for up to a week. The primed seeds will retain enough moisture to complete the first two stages of germination. After planting, primed spinach seeds germinate in only 5 days, compared to 10 or more for seeds straight out of the packet. Once primed, there is a live embryo growing inside the seeds.
Spinach loses its enthusiasm for sprouting at temperatures over 75°F (23°C), so I prime a few seeds before starting them indoors in August, and direct-sow a winter crop when temperatures cool down in autumn.
Why not plant directly after priming? “Good questions! When primed commerically (using various chemicals to insure sterility), primed seeds are good for 30 days. Those done at home should be planted within a week. Think of priming as partial pre-sprouting. It works well with carrots, too. ” “I don’t think I addressed your question clearly. You could sow the pre-soaked seeds if you wanted, but when you allow the soaked seeds to partially dry, the germination process slowly continues within the seed. This slow pace suits spinach well, carrots too. ”
On your water question, I would use distilled water for working with seeds and sensitive seedlings grown in small containers. The lower the soil volume, the more likely you would see nutritional deficiences after the first few waterings with alkaline water. Keeping spinach seeds at room temp (65-70F) for the priming process has worked well for me.”
Current Seed Start & Transplant Dates
Note: Seed starting and transplant dates do not always correlate one to one with dates shown below. Note correct start and expected transplant dates on the tag of the tray for seed germination. Adjust dates with plant tags on a yearly basis if necessary. 8 ounces of fertilizer is about 1 cup. Consider Sustane various NPK and Alfalfa Meal or Blood Meal for nitrogen.