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  • From: E C GRANATA <elainegranata AT msn.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Spinach from transplants
  • Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:53:56 -0600

Pam:  How do you sprout the seeds?
 
Elaine
Denver
 
> Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:38:51 -0400
> From: pam AT twinoaks.org
> To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Spinach from transplants
>
> Allan asked:
> Pam - What fertilizer mix do you use on your spinach seedlings in
> speedlings? -Allan in WV
>
> No quick answer, Allan. It doesn't come from a bag! It's screened home
> made compost, which has matured over the winter in built-up
> greenhouse beds growing lettuce. We screen compost in August,
> September, October, into beds with cinder-block frames, grow lettuce
> in the winter, then dig the compost out as we need it for seedlings in
> the spring. It's a system that sort of evolved, and works well for us.
>
> Marty and others with germination problems: The optimum soil
> temperature range for spinach seed germination is 45-75F. 85F is
> quoted as the max in Knott's Vegetable Growers Handbook and Nancy
> Bubels' Seed Starters Handbook. The story has another twist: Bubel has
> a table of "Percentage of Normal Vegetable Seedlings Produced at
> Different Temperatures" which gives 96% normal at 41F, 91% at 50F, 82%
> at 59F, then a plummet to 52% at 68F, and a measly 28% at 77F. So,
> don't expect most seeds to germinate at temperatures above 65F or so!
>
> For fall spinach we follow the advice of Alison and Paul Weidiger and
> sprout the seeds in the fridge for a week before sowing outdoors. This
> works great! Unfortunately the grasshoppers or something ate off most
> of the seedlings this year!
>
> Pam, Twin Oaks, Louisa, VA, zone 7
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