Comments on: Ridiculously Fresh Spinach

By: Ed Bruske

Ed Bruske — Mon, 04 May 2009 21:09:44 +0000

Sylvie, thanks for the tip on the books. It never occurred to me to look for the original novels, nor did I know there was an earlier version of the film. (A French friend tells me it was a TV serial as well.) The two films are among my favorites–hearbreaking, classic cinema.

fh, if all else fails, read the instructions. You might be surprised how often farmers turn to their manuals. Nobody can keep all that info in their head.

By: foodhoe

foodhoe — Mon, 04 May 2009 19:50:20 +0000

Great post, we neophytes just plunked a buncha seeds down in the earth and are crossing our fingers with very little actual information on what we are doing. It’s very interesting to read about shading the plants etc, and makes me realize I should consult our gardening manual!

By: Sylvie

Sylvie — Sun, 03 May 2009 01:19:57 +0000

Funny you say that about the reed mat. That was my first shade cloth (a recycled reed blind). I still have it but only use for small areas and for the demo garden. I bought several large shade cloth at yard sale price from a closing nursery. They are terrific!

Jean de Florette and its sequel Manon des Sources are some of my favorite movie (the ones with Gerard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil, Emmanuelle Beart etc – not the 1950′s version). Do try he books if you have not read them. If you like the movies, you’ll love the books!

By: Ed Bruske

Ed Bruske — Sat, 02 May 2009 15:24:25 +0000

Sylvie, now I understand. Yes, I know which fabric you’re talking about. I’ve never used it before. Maybe time to try it. The technique you’re describing reminds me of a great French film, “Jean de Florette,” where the farmer makes ingenious use of reeds tied in a long, narrow matt to shade his carnation plants. The matt is supported on poles, so you can walk the length of the flower bed and simply roll up the matt to allow sunshine onto the plants. That’s how our forefathers would have shaded their garden, before synthetic fabrics.

By: Sylvie

Sylvie — Sat, 02 May 2009 13:29:09 +0000

no, not Reemay. I use Reemay in winter or for plants that want extra warm, as heat builds up under Reemay. Not good for spinach, lettuce, rocket or any of the plants that prefer cool. Shade cloth is more loosely woven, is dark and casts shade. I’ll be posting on that in one of my next post.

By: Ed Bruske

Ed Bruske — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:29:09 +0000

Sylvie, I obviously have to get some more Reemay. The last bolt we had we spent on covering a nearby peach tree a couple of years ago to keep the squirrels off. (Worked somewhat.) Shading sounds like a good method for the spinach. I did some extra watering to give the plants some relief. Otherwise, we are loving this cool, moist spring we’re having.

By: Sylvie

Sylvie — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:42:32 +0000

I am a tad cooler than you Ed in the First Washington, but we also had 4 days above 90 degrees. I used shade cloth and a couple of misting during the day, and so far, so good… You are right the flavor of really fresh spinach is outstanding. I love it with running egg yolk and a little bacon….

By: ppolischuk

ppolischuk — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:10:38 +0000

We had some spinach (and lettuce and carrots) overwinter down in Shaw. It’s now bolting, but it provided a lot of delicious, buttery leaves before climbing for the sun. I think that’s the way to go with spinach in DC.

By: Julia

Julia — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:29:33 +0000

I agree about the fresh spinach! It has texture, it’s sweet! I’ve tried growing spinach here in New England but have never been able to harvest anything appreciable. Lucky you.