spinach and crocus

For the last few years now, when Valentine's Day arrives I start feeling like it's time to plant my spinach and my shelling and edible pod peas. This winter has been so mild here on the south coast of BC that I probably could have started sooner....but I didn't want to get fooled! I recently read a gardening rule of thumb that goes like this: "Start sowing spinach outside when the crocus begin to bloom."
....well, Valentine's Day has come and gone and the crocus have been around for a couple weeks now so I anxiously ran outside this morning to get my spinach crop started...and with the new moon a couple days ago, it means it's ideal timing for planting spinach!!

This year, I decided to try soaking my spinach seed overnight before planting it outside, I've never done this before.....we'll see if it speeds things up a bit..maybe, especially since I'm planting inside my new hoophouse this time....never done that before either.
I've read that when you put seed in a bowl of water, the good and viable ones will sink to the bottom and the duds will float on top. I'm not sure if this is true for spinach seed...hope not...because look at all those floaters in my soaking bowl!! I've decided that I'm not convinced of this rule of thumb so....I planted all of these anyway and hopefully they'll germinate but since I'm sowing quite generously I probably won't be able to tell.
Spinach is a heavy feeder, I've found it likes a very rich, fertile not-too-acidic soil. So before I sow the seed, I make sure the soil has lots of well rotted compost mixed in and I also work in a complete organic fertilizer, a mixture of good stuff like alfalfa meal, kelp meal, bone meal, greensand, etc....I sow my seed by sprinkling it evenly all over the bed and then I put a light layer of compost over the seed layer. The compost adds even more of those good nutrients that spinach loves so much. When the spinach begins to germinate and grow on, I begin to thin the bed once the plants have their first 2 true leaves...they're still very tiny plants and I put the whole plants into our late winter salads...ooooowhat a treat!...and delicious mixed with the indoor grown pea shoots too.
After the bed has been thinned to a plant every 2-3 inches, I give the spinach a good drink of water mixed with an organic liquid kelp tea. And then I just let it grow, watching for slugs and removing them if I see any. In about a month and a half, I can start harvesting my baby spinach leaves for my garden customers who are patiently awaiting that first spring harvest......they can't wait and neither can I!
Here's a little baby "Olympia" spinach plant. It's a smooth leaf variety and the seed is available at West Coast Seeds. I also grow an heirloom spinach called "Bloomsdale". It's a crinklier savoy leaf variety. Unlike Olympia (who is a hybrid), Bloomsdale is open-pollinated and so is a reliable variety for seed saving.
Here's one of last year's spinach beds with my wooden tomato cages. I discovered that in my garden, it's a good idea to plant an early spinach crop in the summer tomato beds. I can plant the tomato transplants in when they're ready even if the spinach isn't quite ready to get harvested and pulled yet....they grow well together and when the tomatoes get larger they even give the spinach some shade that it appreciates...and by the time really hot summer arrives and the tomatoes take up the entire space the spinach is finished. Every year offers up some new clever ideas!! So off I go to get my peas in the ground....I think spring really IS here!