Organic Spinach Giant Winter

Spinach: Giant Winter
Spinacia oleracea
Approx. 90 seeds per gram
The taste of true spinach and the freshness of it when picked from your own garden is hard to beat. The leaves are soft and green, and packed full of goodness – containing vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, and iron.
Spinach needs a rich soil which holds moisture. This is important to stop it running straight to seed.
It has been grown in ancient Persia, India and China for centuries, as well as in Europe from at least the 14th Century.
If you do have trouble growing spinach, we find chards and perpetual leaf beet are great alternatives.

Giant Winter is a large-leaved, winter-hardy variety which is best sown from August to the end of October for cutting in late winter and early spring. It can also be sown in March for an early summer crop.

How to grow:
Grow in the miscellaneous section of your rotation.
Some varieties can be sown as early as January in modules under cover. But generally, we recommend sowing from March to May and again from August to September in shallow drills, 2cm deep, and in rows 30cm apart.
Thin as required to at least 15cm apart, then sow in succession every month for a good supply.
Harvest individual leaves when they are big enough and the whole plant before it goes to seed.
Pests and diseases:
We find that spinach suffers from few pests and diseases. Slugs can be a problem as can aphid and mildew.
How to cook:
Wash the leaves if necessary to remove any dirt and grit and use raw in smoothies.
To cook, shake off any excess water and heat in a saucepan without any additional water on a low heat for a few minutes only. Stir gently to prevent sticking until the leaves have wilted.
Spinach is famously used as the base for Eggs Florentine and is also excellent in quiches, tarts, lasagne and cannelloni. One of our favourite ways to cook it is mixed with potato, spices and Lemon juice in Saag Aloo.