Growing spinach, spinach beet and chard

Growing spinach, spinach beet and chard

What to do

• Prepare soil for sowing by digging and adding plenty of well-rotted manure. Remove weeds, large stones and rake to leave a fine finish.
• For summer crops of chard sow seeds from mid March to late spring.
• Make a trench 2.5cm deep with a garden cane.
• Sow seeds 8cm apart, cover and water.
• Subsequent rows should be about 38cm apart.
• When seedlings are 2cm tall, thin to leave a plant every 30cm.
• Remove weeds and water every couple of weeks in the summer, adding a high nitrogen liquid fertiliser.
• To harvest, remove leaves as required from around the outside of plants.