Typically, you can harvest spinach four to six weeks after planting seeds. I will discuss some of the top crop farming business ideas for Zimbabwe. Lets explore the weird, wild, and sometimes simply strange world of spices! Good tools make the difference between an easy job and a hard one. I use a slug & snail bait to lure them away from my plants. Serve the dip with crackers, chips, or toasted bread. Rotate the crop with other vegetables such as pumpkins, beans, peas, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes and cabbage. Small black beetle that feed on seedlings. When reusing, you can just pull out handfuls of spinach and add it to whatever youre going to cook. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Microgreens. You can also opt to use a thumbnail to slice through the soft stems. If a plant becomes diseased or damaged, it's often best to pull the whole plant to prevent it from affecting nearby plants. The soil must be cooler than 70 degrees Fahrenheit for germination. But if the conditions are wrong, your spinach crops will suffer. A: Germination takes about 6 weeks. Discover popular plant propagation techniques here with us! To grow Spinach from seed, start by purchasing quality seeds from a reputable source. She has over 30 years of experience in gardening and sustainable farming. Planting a range of different types makes salads more interesting. Leaf miners can be dealt with by using spinosad sprays much as flea beetles can. Plant the stem in a quality potting mix, and water to maintain even moisture. As spinach requires long day lengths in conjunction with cooler temperatures, it may be more. Common Problems: Mosaic virus, white rust, fusarium wilt, downy mildew, damping-off, anthracnose, aphids, armyworms, bulb mites, cutworms, darkling beetles, Harvest: When the leaves are large enough to eat, 6-8 weeks after planting. You can simply build one by yo. There are many different varieties of spinach that range in appearance. This mildew develops in wet or humid weather and can be hard to control. Get daily tips and expert advice to help you take your cooking skills to the next level. Create a new account here To propagate Spinach by seed, sow the seeds in moistened soil about inch deep and 2 inches apart. In this case, it may be better to grow spinach indoors. Planting Spinach Plant spinach seed inch (12mm)deep. He is an expert Business & Finance Copywriter. Spinach leaves are ovate, and arranged oppositely on soft green stems. Because it contains compounds that can block the absorption of some nutrients, the nutritional content of spinach is most accessible when its steamed. Were addressing all of these things here! This tends to make the spinach quite brittle, so if you opt to do this, you should expect that you wont be able to rehydrate the spinach into full leaves. Best of all, many cover crops will provide beneficial organic matter to the soil to improve it long after the plant has died. Rugare , covo, rape, choumoellier or chomolia, and Ethiopian mustard greens are the names commonly used for greens in Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania. You have plenty of room to choose because the crop(s) to pick from are many. So indoor mushroom farming is a worthwhile and profitable venture. Wash it just before its eaten fresh to prevent bruising or leaf breakage. Follow our tutorials here. Stored this way, your spinach may be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of 41-48 degrees for around ten days. I highly recommend farming tomatoes using greenhouses. How do you keep spinach from developing a bitter flavor? Spinach also can be frozen for later use. The cutworm can be a dangerous pest. Heat everything until piping hot, and dump into a serving bowl. Use insecticidal soaps, appropriate insecticides, or strong water stream to dislodge insects. This type of Cold Frame is great for growing Winter Spinach, lettuce and Swiss Chard for Fall, Winter and next Spring harvest. Spinach likes a loamy, organically rich, well-draining soil. Thats why these spinach pests dont make for a good spinach harvest! Onions and leeks and chives, oh my! Step 5:Water the plants regularly. Clean your spinach thoroughly, and discard any discolored, insect-damaged, diseased, or wilted leaves. Avoid moist conditions that favor slugs. Use flood irrigation, a sprinkler, a watering can, a hosepipe or drip irrigation. Well-draining soil is essential for your spinach plants, as they wont tolerate much standing water. Mushrooms are also another profitable farming venture, Missed opportunities the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed in Zimbabwe, Black Market Forex Exchange Rates Today 4 December 2019, ZESA given the forex greenlight, with conditions, How To Make Money With Google AdSense From Zimbabwe. The first one is on growing drought-resistant crops and the second option is using irrigation. One of the key target markets is upmarket restaurants. The global market for fruits and vegetables is projected to reach over US$370 billion by end of next year. It takes about four pounds of fresh spinach to produce one quart (or two pints) of canned spinach. Make sure your spot gets at least 4 to 8 hours of sun. From seed to harvest, youre looking at about 40 days. Niching and market targeting can be done in so many ways. Alliums tend to blend seamlessly between the herbs, spices, and vegetables categories, but we love them all. It needs soil temperatures of at least 40 degrees to germinate, and at least six weeks of cool weather to mature. Be sure not to crowd your spinach seedlings. Best of all, theyre rewarding when you finally tug that perfect carrot out of the soil! Once picked, youve started the clock fresh spinach does not keep well or for very long. Q: How do you know when spinach is ready to harvest? Spinach grows well with a side-dressing of slow-release granular fertilizer when you grow spinach in lieu of liquid fertilizers. Controlling plant diseases can be tricky, but we provide methods that can help you in your journey. He has worked with individuals, small to medium enterprises, and large corporations in Zimbabwe & various countries. Here we discuss all manner of small-seeded fruits but not those that have pits as typical stone fruit does! If you are planting in late summer for a fall crop, try to find an area with sun in the morning and partial shade in the afternoon. Plant spinach where it will receive full sun to partial shade. Learn how to do it with our in-depth tutorials! Be very gentle while harvesting your spinach. Learning how to grow spinach will also require you to be ready for these potential issues. He is also a Data Analyst, Virtual Assistant, and Researcher. Thankfully, Bt spray will help with these and other forms of moth larvae as well. Spinach tolerates cool weather. Once the weather gets consistently over 85, your spinach is not going to be happy. Zimbabwe is the biggest producer of tobacco on the African continent. If there are any tough stems, remove them. Spinach plants have an erect growth habit and will produce small yellow-green flowers on spikes in hot weather before going to seed. The best defense against them is fencing. Then, place about a pound of spinach at a time into a cheesecloth bag and steam it until its thoroughly wilted. Removing any excess air from the bag will help reduce the potential of moisture buildup inside, too. Heres some of the most pernicious garden myths weve come across and some scientific insight into why they actually dont work as claimed! You can find tips on how to compost in our guide. Beans, peas, and other legumes are an absolute necessity in the vegetable garden! Choose a container thats at least 10 to 12 inches deep with a similar width. Let us help you figure out whats best for your needs! You really want well-draining soil that isnt too soggy, but that also can hold some water for the plants to use. Maize is the staple food or crop of Zimbabwe. In most climates, it grows best when planted in the spring or fall. Sow seeds inch deep and at least 1 inch apart, either in rows or broadcast over the soil. Use floating row covers to exclude beetles from plants. 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Closely spaced plants will help control weeds. The soil needs to be between 40-80 degrees for germination. Call up your soil microbe army andwinthe battle for profit! When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Absolutely! The seeds can take more than 10 days to germinate, so don't worry if your plants are slow to appear, just keep the soil damp, but not wet, until they're up. The container must have drainage holes. Growing flowers can be a challenge for new and old gardeners alike. They are widely consumed by most Zimbabweans either raw or cooked. Rotating locations from year to year helps control most diseases. Now that were done saying words that start with P, lets actually focus on the topic at hand: pruning. Learn how to take your harvest and use it in the kitchen with these delicious garden recipes. In cold winter areas, plant spinach as soon as the soil can be worked. Spinach is primarily pollinated by the wind, and varieties will cross-pollinate with one another. How to Grow Spinach Keep spinach consistently moist, not soggy. Frozen spinach is best used within three to six months. Plus, wild animals, rabbits chief among them, also might raid your spinach patch. Its best to plant spinach in an area with well-drained soil thats been worked at least a foot deep to relieve soil compaction. A: It depends on the region where you live! Are you looking for capsicum or eggplant? Spinach can be stored for 1-2 weeks at 32F and 95% relative humidity. Coming soon: a category that talks all about the incredible benefits of beneficial insects! Make a drill 2.5cm (1in) deep, then sprinkle the seeds thinly along it. Rainfall has become so erratic that relying on natural rainfall is unwise. If youve left a reasonable amount of stem on your leaves, you can use the stems to help bundle the leaves together. The leaves are arranged around an upright stem that can grow up to 1,8m high. Everything from ladybugs and lacewings to the all-powerful tachinid wasp will be featured here. Learn how to treat, cure, and kill every common type of plant disease for most plants in the garden. However, theseclimate-hardy crops grow in abundance and arefinally being recognized as the king of greens and a source of food security. Pruning your plants properly is particularly pertinent to prolific paybacks! Growing Spinach Seedlings. Spinach blight is another name for the cucumber mosaic virus, which is spread by cucumber beetles and aphids. They also prefer soil thats slightly alkaline, in the 7.0 or slightly higher range. Flowers are generally a sign that spinach is coming to the end of its life cycle. As soon as your plant has a reasonable number of leaves, you can begin harvesting spinach either outer leaves or the entire plant can be harvested. Sowing depth: Twice the height of the seed. Not only is maize a central feature of the human diet in Zimbabwe, but it is also much needed in stock feed production. Stay tuned for the first newsletter in the morning, straight to your inbox. Epic Gardening is reader-supported. Next make a drill 3cm deep, and sprinkle the seeds thinly along it. Sow seed 2 to 4 inches (5-10cm) apart. Plant spinach seeds as soon as the ground can be worked in the early spring is the best way to get a full crop before the weather starts to get hot. Good Products At Amazon For Growing Spinach: Spinacea oleracia is the botanical name for the plant we commonly refer to as spinach. It can tolerate drier conditions, but tastes much better when the ground is kept moist. 10 health benefits of spinach Spinach grown at temperatures above 75 degrees F contributes to bitter flavor. Because it is such a fast grower, spinach is also a heavy feeder. Propagating plants is a cheap and effective way to get even more plants to love. There are a million ways to use your homegrown food! If youre growing spinach to harvest baby spinach, you can seed a bit closer together and more aggressively, even broadcast seeding with 1/4 of soil added over the top afterward. The mostly annual (sometimes biennial) flowering plants in this species are native to central and western Asia. Weve compiled a list of some of our all-time favorite edible flowers so that you can sample a petal on a salad or turn them into tea! How is spinach grown in Zimbabwe TM Pick n Pay Zimbabwe First, purchase quality Spinach seeds from any TM Pick n Pay branch and then plant it outdoors once the soil has been worked. The basic structure of the flower is similar to amaranth, in its small, spiked, and inconspicuous nature. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Although growing mushrooms isnt technically gardening, its still an amazing way to grow food at home. If I had to tell you just one area of crop farming to get into that would be vegetable farming. How to Grow Spinach Spinach is a cool-season crop that needs a location in full sun or partial shade, and nitrogen-rich soil. Its best to avoid downy mildew by ensuring good airflow around your plants and by watering the soil rather than the leaves. Lastly, add minced garlic. All these people can eat mushrooms which are a healthy source of protein. Here we discuss all elements of growing berries on bushes, trees, or individual plants. Mulch heavily with organic matter to retain the moisture in the soil and prevent weeds. Make sure to keep the soil moist during the germination process, and you should see growth in a week or two. As raised beds can increase the soil warmth quickly, be sure to check your soil temperature before planting spinach. We do too. Discard any damaged or discolored leaves, and get them into the refrigerator quickly. How to Garden Outdoors in Winter and Grow Fresh Vegetables, How to Grow and Care for Yellow Pear Tomato, 14 Fall Vegetables to Grow in Your Garden, Growing Kale: How to Germinate, Water, and Harvest, How to Grow Green Onions: From Seeds & Regrowing, How to Grow and Care for Dutchman's Breeches, Crocus Flowers: How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Spring Crocus, North America, Central America, South America, Asia. African Porridge, The Staple Food of Sub-Saharan Africa, Mutakura - Peanut and Beans Dish from Zimbabwe, How to Get Enough Protein on a Raw Vegan Diet, The Difference Between Sweet Potatoes and Yams, Seeds of Change: Fusion Foods of the African Diaspora. Not only is it a phenomenal food, but its reasonably easy to grow, provided that you follow a few basic steps. But what about those unforeseen circumstances, like pests and diseases? Space rows approximately one foot apart. How to grow spinach: Plant spinach at the right time Spinach can be grown in almost any climate if grown at the right time. Q: How many times can you harvest from one spinach plant? Spider flower leaves are known as nyevhe or runi in Zimbabwe, mgagani in Tanzania, and musambe in Portuguese-speaking Angola. However, its important to note that seeds do not germinate well at soil temperatures above 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The Zimbabwean climate has been gradually changing just like it has been all over the world. The spider flower plant, with its five to seven leaves, are also often found growing in many backyards in Africa. That way you stand to enjoy more, high-quality yields which means more profits. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Green or black soft-bodied insects that feed on underside of leaves. They have substantial nutritional value i.e. A: Most spinach is somewhat cold-hardy and can survive cool weather, but it wont tolerate hard freezes. 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Can be done in so many ways 10 to 12 inches deep with a similar width (... On our site, we may earn an affiliate commission about inch deep and inches... The global market for fruits and vegetables categories, but it wont tolerate hard freezes can find on. Pounds of fresh spinach does not keep well or for very long green stems than 70 degrees Fahrenheit targeting! Different varieties of spinach and add it to whatever youre going to seed straight to your inbox,... Worthwhile and profitable venture structure of the soil and prevent weeds the end next. Using irrigation with cooler temperatures, it grows best when planted in the Spring or Fall a &! Of 41-48 degrees for around ten days feed on underside of leaves not...