INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Kilimo Biashara, the light of the farmers and we bring you the cultivation of spinach which is easy to do in all environments, whether it is in a home garden or a garden that is not home, Spinach can be cultivated for commercial purposes and meet the needs of the home for good nutrition.
Spinach is a leafy vegetable that is a good source of nutrients in the human body, vitamin C and minerals.
CLIMATE REQUIREMENTS FOR GROWING SPINACH.
Spinach needs adequate water throughout its growth period until harvest. Spinach also needs soil that is sufficiently fertile and water-retentive.
FIELD PREPARATION
Prepare the spinach field by weeding the land and softening the soil with a depth of thirty centimeters. Put one bag of manure in every one square meter. Plant spinach in rows ninety to one hundred centimeters wide (90SM by 100SM)
TYPES OF SPINACH SEEDS
• Amaranthus hybridus is a spinach with red leaves and black seeds.
• Amarantus africana is a spinach with green leaves and its seeds are black.
• Amaranthus hypochondriacus is a spinach with green leaves and its seeds are yellow, especially its seeds are used to make porridge for babies.
• Amaranthus dubius is a local spinach and Aspinosus is a spiny spinach.
PLANTING
• Mix spinach seeds with sand in a ratio of 1:3, 1:4, 1:5 or 1:6 to facilitate planting.
• Spinach should be planted in rows with a space of thirty centimeters.
• Cover the seeds with soft soil and spread dry grass after planting to maintain moisture and apply mulch after three to five days from the day of planting.
• Plant spinach in a space of fifteen by twenty centimeters.
• Water well.
GROWING
Use compost soaked in water for twenty-four hours to water your spinach to get the most yield. Use one bucket per square meter.
HOW TO CONTROL DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS
The biggest enemy of spinach is oil insects or more technically called APHIDS which suck the sap of the spinach and cause the leaves to curl, the spinach to shrink and wither. To control these insects, water your spinach using a device that produces water like rain, technically called a "watering can" to make the insects drop.
Some insects are crawlers that eat leaves from the inside, so use neem to spray the leaves to kill these pests.
HARVEST
Spinach is ready to harvest after three to six weeks from planting or transplanting. Harvesting can continue for two to three months depending on how you decide to harvest your spinach.
QUANTITY OF HARVEST
Each square meter produces four to five kilograms of spinach. This means that you will get about twenty to forty tons per hectare of spinach.
HOW TO KEEP SPINACH FOR MORE DAYS
• After harvesting, tie the spinach stems and put them in a container with water. By doing this, you can store spinach for twenty-four hours in one day.
To store spinach for more than four months, do as follows:-
• Harvest your spinach and then clean it properly
• Close the bundles tightly
• Boil water until it boils
• Immerse the spinach bundles in boiling water for one to two minutes.
• Dry well in the shade and keep your spinach in a dry place.
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