A project underway at the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station’s Woodman Horticultural Research Farm, will help growers choose which spinach varieties to plant and when. The research is being conducted by two graduate students and a researcher with the station, in an unheated high-tunnel environment.
The study addresses the needs of growers who already grow spinach, but are looking to try other varieties and those who are interested in starting production.
“The traditional growing season in New Hampshire is very short, limiting the period for local food production. Growing systems that allow for an extended period of production can help support agriculture in the state and supply more locally produced food on a more consistent basis,” said Kaitlyn Orde, a graduate student involved in the project.
Researchers are collecting yield, sugar content, ease of harvest, and average leaf size measurements from eight spinach varieties planted on six different dates from mid-September to early November. The varieties UNH is using are Regiment, Tyee, Space, Gazelle, Corvair, Renegade, Emperor, and Carmel.
“Results from this experiment should allow us to confidently provide recommendations to growers on the highest yielding and quality varieties, and provide some target planting dates. Knowing the spread and peaks in production would allow growers to match their harvest peaks with good sales opportunities such as at Thanksgiving and Christmas, or stagger plantings to harvest continuously through the winter,” Orde said.
Although the research project is ongoing, scientists report they already have seen great variation in plant type and growth habit between varieties, affecting ease and pace of harvest. They also have seen differences in leaf size, color, and texture, leading them to theorize that some varieties may be better suited for fresh eating, such as sold as a salad mix or used in cooking. They stress, though, that all are delicious raw.
According to Orde, researchers also have found that winter spinach production is incredibly low maintenance. Aside from harvesting and the occasional irrigation or pest control, it has been very easy to produce high-quality greens. Researchers have not encountered any major challenges this year, and the spinach has been very productive due to the warm weather.
Researchers will continue harvesting until plants are either no longer producing saleable spinach leaves or until the tunnel is converted to another crop for spring or summer production, as a grower would do. They then will start summarizing their results to share with farmers and gardeners that are interested in growing spinach during the cold winter months.
