Spinach

[Chantal]

I love spinach eaten raw rather than cooked, although I do like this too. I grow spinach but this is the everlasting spinich which has longer leaves and is best cooked. What sort should I grow to give me the smallish round leaves, like, if I dare say it, the sort sold in bags in Sainsbury's?

[John]

Hello Chantal
There are loads of different oriental leafy greens that are eaten raw. The organic gardening catalogue has one of the best selections around:

http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/i ... _22_210_28

Most of them are extremely quick and easy to grow, many are also very useful because they are of the cut-and-come again type. Many of them are frost tolerant and grow well in a cold frame or under a cloche through the winter. The only thing you have to watch is timing as some may run to seed when sown too early or too late in the season (depends on the type). I regularly grow Mizuna and Mibuna for green leaves - Mibuna has elongated round leaves similar to what you describe.
I know Johnboy used to grow a lot of these different types at his nursery so I await his thoughts on this.

John

[Compo]

Try Corn Salad (Lambs Lettuce, it often comes in those supermarket bags of mixed salad leaves with watercress and spinach) it is cut and come again and winters over well, has a slight spreading habit, so is low maintenance, if it bolts in spring cut it right back, good stuff, mine is on it's second summer now and going strong.

[Chez]

Hello Chantal - we have great success with 'Medania' spinach, from Unwins. It is suitable for growing as baby leaf spinach, i.e. just like bagged supermarket salads. And that's mostly how we use it. We start it off early in a growbag and just pick the leaves as needed. Of course, it grows well outside too and can be used for cooking if you leave it longer before picking. That reminds me, we must get sowing our outside lot!

[Chantal]

Thanks Compo, I'm already growing lambs lettuce in a pot in the greenhouse so I'll get that planted out and start picking.

Thanks Chez, I like the idea of growing spinach in a grow bag as I can keep this at home which is handy considering the amount I eat in the summer. The baby leaf is just what I want so I'll be on a seed hunt.

[Bal]

Hi Chantal
I have had good results with Vivat, Trialthon & Trinidad. I purchased these from Marshalls.Best results obtained by sowing late April and early August.They are less prone to bolting when sown at these times
Bal

[Chantal]

Thanks Bal, I've added these to my list and sorry John, I forgot to thank you last time. I am growing Mizuna and Mibuna but am plagued with flea beetle (see the flea beetle thread). I'm growing trays of the stuff in the greenhouse now in the hope of keeping the little perishers off them.

I'm off to the garden centre to see what I can find.

[John]

That may be the answer to your flea beetle problem, Chantal. I start my Mizuna etc in modules outside on an old table then plant them out when they have 3-4 young leaves. I've never had a flea beetle problem with them when started this way.

John

[Chantal]

I grew the first lot in the greenhouse too John and planted them out with about 5 leaves maybe three weeks ago. They're also covered with a fleece cloche. I'm thinking of pulling them out, feeding them to the chickens and sticking with greenhouse trays.