How to Grow Spinach in a Tray

Spinach produces leafy greens suitable for steaming or eating raw in fresh garden salads. It provides a good source of Vitamin A and is high in iron and calcium. This cool-season crop prefers the weather in early spring or fall, as it bolts quickly when hot weather arrives. Its short root system makes spinach a natural for containers or trays perched on the deck or patio.

Potting soil
Peat moss
Perlite
Fertilizer, 5-10-10

Instructions

- 1
  Mix 1 bushel of peat moss, 1 bushel of perlite and 1 bushel of potting soil in a large container. Add 1/4 cup of limestone and 1 cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer to make potting media for containers. Mix all ingredients well and moisten with water to make handling easier.
- 2
  Fill trays to within 1 inch of the rim with potting media. This allows room for watering the spinach.
- 3
  Plant spinach seeds to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch, spaced 1 inch apart. Cover with soil, and firm the seeds down with your hands to secure the seeds and remove air pockets.
- 4
  Water thoroughly until water runs freely through the bottom of the tray. Keep soil moist until seedlings appear in approximately one week.
- 5
  Place the tray of spinach in a sunny location that receives six hours of direct sunlight a day. Spinach tolerates partial shade, but prefers full sun.
- 6
  Water when the soil feels dry to the touch. Plants grown in containers often require daily watering, as the soil dries quickly in the summer sun.
- 7
  Thin seedlings when they are 4 inches high by pulling every other seedling. Use the thinned spinach in fresh salads.
- 8
  Harvest when leaves are 6 to 8 inches high. Removing just the outer leaves allows the inner leaves room to grow and extends your harvest of spinach.

How to Grow Asparagus in the Sun

How to Grow Organic Radishes

Growing Vegetables