Grow Your Own Beet Spinach

Lesson 2: Nurturing Young Beet Spinach

First Growth
After beet spinach seeds have been in the ground around a fortnight, the seedlings should start to emerge. If you followed our advice in Lesson 1, the seedlings should be in groups of three or four, 20cm apart. Once they're big enough to handle, identify the strongest plant in each group. Over a number of days, remove the weaker plants, starting with the weakest. This gives you some options if the "strong" seedling suddenly fails. If you're growing beet spinach in containers, thin the seedlings in the same way.

Get Weeding
Young beet spinach seedlings need regular weeding to make sure they end up as top dogs in their local patch of earth. So, get your hoe out and put it to work. Don't wait until weeds are the same size as your seedlings before hoeing. Cut young weeds up before they have a chance to establish themselves. Don't forget to water your young crop. Beet spinach is a thirsty plant that needs plenty of water to produce juicy leaves all summer.

Beating the Slugs
Slugs and snails are among the first deadly enemies your young beet spinach seedlings will face. If you don't want to use pesticide-impregnated slug pellets, try surrounding seedlings with grit or sharp sand. Alternatively, protect seedlings with a serrated ring cut from a plastic water bottle. If you're feeling really inventive, you can make a slug trap. Cut the shoulder and neck segment off a water bottle. Turn it round and insert the segment neck-first into the bottle body. Tape or staple the two parts together. Fill the trap with a sugary drink and place it invitingly close to your crop. Sit back and admire the results of your cunning plan…

Pic: GAP Photos/Jonathan Buckley