Tribe.net. Local Connections Chickweed http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/7a905869-8519-4178-a0e7-0c0305b8d8c4#0819fb44-0a52-41d7-bc1a-defeb9b83a78 2007-06-18T03:46:36Z 2007-06-18T03:46:36Z

Spinach likes it cool and wet.....so early spring and late fall, a little too much heat and you bolt. If you want to grow it during warmer months find a shady spot in the garden or create shade by planting taller plants to block the sun and keep it nice and moist, also dont just plant one crop, plant a new row every 2-3 weeks once its early spring and you will extend your harvest nicely. I have had spinach seed overwinter and then sprout in the garden when it was time, amazing what mother nature will do for you! If you still have problems with spinach and your climate try swiss chard, it can take the warmer weather and tastes alot like spinach and is very versatile! One of the best books to get that you can find in probably and book store or used books is Rodale Press Organic Vegetable Gardening (or something to that effect) it is a great book for the beginning gardener and always remember....you dont have to always follow the "rules" of gardening, some of the best stuff comes out of trial and error.

Chickweed 2007-06-18T03:46:36Z Mrs.Purple http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/7a905869-8519-4178-a0e7-0c0305b8d8c4#064b0ded-764c-4a9b-bc84-d7a161105c29 2007-06-14T12:59:57Z 2007-06-14T12:59:57Z

I had great success with newzealand spinach last year.. slow to take off, but then.. there was no stopiing it! (and last year was a freaky hot summer too) http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_MV139#IMAGE%20MV:TETTEA2

Mrs.Purple 2007-06-14T12:59:57Z Rae http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/7a905869-8519-4178-a0e7-0c0305b8d8c4#e3200395-1c7f-4ba0-b1f5-32f351652eb0 2007-06-13T17:00:12Z 2007-06-13T17:00:12Z

Will - thank you so much for your information! I appreciate it very much. Rae

Rae 2007-06-13T17:00:12Z wil http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/7a905869-8519-4178-a0e7-0c0305b8d8c4#1e6115f0-d4b0-4a68-ba1e-71691471ad68 2007-06-11T11:44:13Z 2007-06-11T11:44:13Z

The best crops of spinich i've grown were either seeded in the late fall ( in zone 6, with min temp of about 0F) or in the very early spring. I've had huge crops like that which i handled pyo (pick your own) for people putting it up. It is close to impossible to grow good spinich in the heat of summer. Try other greens. One of the major weed "problems" in my gardens has been amaranth, which i find every bit as tasty as spinich when fairly young, say up to a foot or so tall. Seed for amaranth cultivars (cultivated varieties) is available (sometimes called calaloo, it's carribean name) and it likes the heat of summer very much, being grown as a staple potherb in africa, india, south america etc. http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog/product.aspx?scommand=search&search=amaranth&item=518#tabArea Swiss chard and beet greens, which are kin, are pretty good replacements too, but these also like cool weather, though don't bolt as easily as spinich. I really like the variety of beet called "lutz" or sometimes lutz keeper or long season. Plant these in august. The beets get softball size and larger but still remain tender and keep in the garden pretty much all winter with very little protection. Lutz also produces lush beautiful tops that are larger than other beet varieties and are great source of greens in the fall. When lettuce starts going to seed and gets too bitter to eat in salads, it is good cooked up, and this was actually the way it was usually eaten until the 20th century, as i understand it. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2006/01/11/FDGJTGHRQG1.DTL But for summer greens, i think amaranth is my favorite.

wil 2007-06-11T11:44:13Z $item.owner.firstName http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/7a905869-8519-4178-a0e7-0c0305b8d8c4#4f687ae9-010b-4b84-8989-63f5fa7c35b3 2007-06-11T04:53:22Z 2007-06-11T04:53:22Z

(Vancouver-ish, BC, Canada) Hmm.. about 2/3 of ours is bolting too. It was direct sown, but I guess it was the weather. It was cool with just enough rain in April when we planted. Then it warmed up in May, but not too hot. Now it's raining again, but not cold. So please, more advice... When's a good time to plant to get a fall crop?

$item.owner.firstName 2007-06-11T04:53:22Z ~Ms. Purity~ http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/7a905869-8519-4178-a0e7-0c0305b8d8c4#5e809c08-0783-40d1-9066-df64ba75d84b 2007-06-10T23:51:56Z 2007-06-10T23:51:56Z

direct seed them. Transplanting causes stress which triggers the bolting.

~Ms. Purity~ 2007-06-10T23:51:56Z Rae http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/7a905869-8519-4178-a0e7-0c0305b8d8c4#3020d85e-54e1-499e-b2ef-13030f459748 2007-06-10T22:33:08Z 2007-06-10T22:33:08Z

Thank you, I appreciate the info! Any advice for the future to help the Spinach grow? This is my first year with it. I started with seed indoors in Feb. Then in late May I moved them outside and into the garden. I had about 15 very small plants and about 1/2 are now bolted. My climate is cool (North MN).

Rae 2007-06-10T22:33:08Z ~Ms. Purity~ http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/7a905869-8519-4178-a0e7-0c0305b8d8c4#e92cb7f0-5b96-40f2-bf89-b20ec2d1634a 2007-06-10T20:18:23Z 2007-06-10T20:18:23Z

Your spinach has bolted and those are the flower buds.

~Ms. Purity~ 2007-06-10T20:18:23Z Rae http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/7a905869-8519-4178-a0e7-0c0305b8d8c4#f8896ada-119d-40b4-9ada-af51b37ad9ab 2007-06-10T16:05:07Z 2007-06-10T16:05:07Z

Hi everyone - I am looking for some opinions/advice about my spinach. This is my first year growing spinach and about 1/2 of the plants are starting to grow these strange bulb clusters. Its hard to describe in words so I posted a pic as well. Is this a pest? Some of the other spinach is fine leaves growing strong and I am worried this may spread. See recent posted photo for more info. Thanks! Rae

Rae 2007-06-10T16:05:07Z