Strawberry spinach: description of culture and agricultural technology. Strawberry spinach: growing from seeds (reviews) Prices for mineral fertilizers

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Spinach, strawberries or something else?

Increasingly widespread, this crop is widely advertised by seed producers as an exotic outlandish ornamental vegetable crop. And, accordingly, the cost of seeds is set accordingly. To start growing, you still have to buy seeds (if there is nowhere else to get them). In the future, in my opinion, you can get them yourself, and in terms of quality they will not differ in any way from those purchased in the store.​

Description

It is advisable to plant several plants separately from other vegetables, for example in a round bed. This will eliminate its uncontrolled growth.

Features of cultivation

The southern regions of Europe, North Africa and the Mediterranean coast of Asia are considered the homeland of the multi-leaved mari. In the wild, spinach-raspberries can be found along the Atlantic coast of Europe. Unlike its other relatives, multi-leafed spinach has juicy, edible leaves and bright stems that look like raspberries or strawberries, but have nothing in common with them in taste. Spinach is used as an ornamental and food plant at the same time.​

Growing seedlings

Seedling picking on permanent place habitation is carried out at the stage of appearance of 2-3 leaves. With a careful and careful attitude to the root system, young plants quite easily tolerate this procedure. Half an hour before transplanting, the sprouts are abundantly moistened. This makes it easier to remove them from the old container.​

Strawberry spinach grows in any soil, but the highest percentage of yield is observed in sunny areas with nutrient soil.

Growing from seeds

Sprouts with small basal leaves will appear in early autumn. They will successfully endure the winter and give the first crop of leaves. in early spring, three weeks later, as the snow thaws.

The first fruits can be harvested in early summer. You can plant seeds for seedlings in the first spring months.

Self-sowing

When two true leaves appear on each sprout, you will need to thin out the plant, removing the weakest sprouts. If this is not done, then the plant will stretch and bring very small berries. Depending on your desire, you can leave one or two sprouts in each hole.​

Harvest

hot salad

No need to be afraid that, overripe, they crumble to the ground. These fruits are kept in the axil of the shoot so well that they are collected directly from the twigs, and only then cut off. It is more comfortable. Ripe red balls adorn emerald green strawberry spinach wonderfully. The photo shows it very well. Outwardly, the fruits look like raspberries, but in fact they are more like mulberries (due to the large number of small seeds). The amount of harvest depends on the care of the plant. It can be approximately determined on the basis that the size of each berry is approximately 1.5 cm, and there are up to 35 of them on each shoot. However, without watering and on poor soils, the size of the fruit is much smaller.

What is useful for multi-leafed gauze, or zhminda (strawberry spinach)

Now an unusual plant has appeared on sale, advertised as both vitamin-rich spinach and a fragrant berry. It's called strawberry spinach. Many willingly buy seeds and plant them on their plots. In order to justify the hopes placed on this plant, you need to know in advance about its features, pros and cons.

Use in cooking

After tasting the spinach berry, you can feel how much it contains small hard seeds. Therefore, when harvesting them, there will be no problems getting enough.​

Berry Recipes

In the future, depending on the needs, crops can be increased. To obtain a second harvest in July, re-sowing is carried out.

It is surprising and admirable that strawberry spinach is a whole storehouse of substances that are useful and necessary for our body. It contains protein substances, mono- and disaccharides (fructose, galactose, sucrose), a rich set of vitamins and provitamins (C1, B1, B2, E, A, P, etc.), micro- and macroelements. In terms of the presence of iron, spinach is a real champion among vegetable crops, and the protein in dry matter is one and a half times more than in the dry matter of milk and twice as much as in cabbage. In terms of lipid (fatty acid) content, it surpasses wheat flour.

It consists primarily in frequent, but moderate watering and irrigation of the above-ground part. In dry soil, this crop wilts and dies very quickly. In winter, during the heating season, the frequency of watering and spraying is increased. To increase the level of humidity, you can put a container filled with water next to the plantings.

This plant is demanding on the presence of boron in the soil. Due to the lack of this trace element, young shoots and buds quickly wither and die. Strawberry spinach, like other varieties of this crop, is grown using seeds. For reproduction of this species, seeds of ripe berries are used. They are germinated at room conditions for seedlings and planted in open ground as soon as it warms up. Caring for young seedlings of strawberry spinach is no different from caring for plantings of other varieties. These are regular watering, weeding, loosening the soil and fertilizing the soil.

In order to grow spinach from seeds successfully, the seed material is carefully prepared. This will ensure the friendly appearance of healthy and strong seedlings. For spinach seeds, a bubbling procedure is used.

Planting and caring for strawberry spinach is easy and hassle-free. An important quality when grown in the northern regions is the frost resistance of the plant. He will calmly endure spring frosts down to -8 ° C, and will also winter well under a dry shelter.

leaf recipes

Plants that are sown immediately in open ground will ripen in the month of August and will develop much better than those that are planted in seedlings. From spinach planted in seedlings, you will get a harvest a little earlier, already in July. Well, in order to enjoy strawberry spinach already in the month of June, you should take care of the winter sowing of seeds.

Chop 1-2 onions and a couple of cloves of garlic and fry a little in sunflower (or olive) oil. Rinse spinach leaves, finely chop, dip in boiling water for 2 minutes and drain in a colander. Put the cooked leaves, finely chopped canned olives, spices, salt to the onion and garlic in the pan and simmer under the lid until tender. You can add a beaten egg at the very end of cooking.

​On the pages of horticultural magazines, and on other resources on related topics, you can find a lot of information about the content in this amazing plant a large number of vitamins and microelements, although no one has conducted special studies. By analogy with garden spinach, belonging to the same family as strawberry spinach, the beneficial properties of the plant are determined by the content of vitamins PP, B1 and B2, C, as well as trace elements - iron, copper, calcium, magnesium, sodium. Traditional medicine recommends eating half a glass of spinach berries every day to increase the level of hemoglobin in the blood, and use the green part (in the form of salads) to cleanse the digestive tract and improve the functioning of the nervous system. Baths of dried strawberry spinach leaves are used for joint pain. Compresses are also made from them.

"Strawberry spinach" sounds pretty tempting. So to speak, two in one. But in fact, this plant is nothing more than a multi-leafed gauze. Another name is common zhminda. It belongs to the Amaranth family and the Marev subfamily. In southern Europe and northern Africa, marmot grows mainly as a weed. The plant is cultivated in a few countries, for example in the Netherlands. Some mistakenly consider strawberry spinach to be a quinoa, which, by the way, was previously cultivated. But it's two different plants although they belong to the same family. Mary is not as unique as advertised, but it can be cultivated. She has useful properties, but there is little trouble with growing her.

Preparing spinach seeds is easy. Mash ripe berries slightly, add water and leave for several days in a warm place. When they turn sour, rinse the mass through a sieve several times until the seeds are cleared of mucus. You just need to keep in mind that the seeds are very small, so the sieve must be appropriate. After washing, spread the seeds in a thin layer on a cloth or paper napkin to remove excess moisture. Transfer to a paper towel again and dry until completely dry in a ventilated area until they become free-flowing. Store in a closed glass jar or paper bags in a cool, dry place.​

decorative use

This culture can be successfully grown at home on a windowsill, balcony, loggia.

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Spinach-raspberry

Varieties.

Optimal temperature regime, at which spinach fully develops and grows, is 15-16 degrees Celsius. The higher the temperature, the greater the likelihood of shooting landings. Then the leaves of the plants become unfit for food. Many grow this herb on a glazed balcony, creating a moderate temperature regime of at least 9 degrees Celsius.

Zhminda - cultivation

How to grow spinach on a windowsill? This question interests many who are a gourmet of healthy leafy greens. Spinach can be bought in any supermarket, and at any time of the year. But, you see, greens grown with your own hands are always fresher and tastier. This plant develops quite successfully not only in the open field, but also on the windowsill in the apartment. The main thing is to provide him with optimal growth conditions and competent care.

First, the seeds are soaked in warm water at room temperature for 48 hours, then dried so that they become free-flowing again.

Spinach-raspberry - how to grow from seeds?

During the period of active development, strawberry spinach must be regularly weeded and watered. You can fertilize the plant with ammonium nitrate and organic top dressing. Spinach does not tolerate hot and dry weather very well, so during such periods it should be watered more often and more abundantly.

If the berries that are ripe remain on the branches, they will eventually fall off, but they will be excellently preserved under snow cover and will give excellent new shoots with the onset of spring. Therefore, if you are going to plant this miracle plant in your garden, think in advance about limiting its spread by self-sowing.

Pie

Not all gardeners liked strawberry spinach. The reviews of many who grew it contain information that the berries of this plant are absolutely unsuitable for food, and the leaves are no different from quinoa. Well, as they say, this is a matter of taste ... There are many people who praise zhminda, they only warn that it is necessary to wait for the berries to fully ripen. Then from them you can cook delicious compotes, fillings for pies, jam. In addition, they can be dried or frozen and used in winter. The leaves of the plant are great for salads. Strawberry spinach is especially valuable for this, because it is the first spring vitamin greens. If you are going to boil the leaves, remember that the chlorophyll contained in them turns into pheophytin, which is undesirable for those suffering from kidney stones. So that chlorophyll is not so destroyed, spinach leaves are boiled in a large amount of water.

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Strawberry spinach in many sources is presented as an annual. However, if the stems remain unharvested in the ground, in the spring they can again give rise. The root of the plant is quite thick, has many branches. The main stem is difficult to isolate. Usually there are several of them, each up to 70 centimeters long. The leaves are not fleshy, they do not look like spinach. They are petiolate, pointed at the ends, serrated along the edge. The flowers are small, inconspicuous in appearance, but there are a lot of them on the branch. Located almost at the base (in the sinus) of each leaflet. The fruit looks like a berry. Some compare it with strawberries, others - with raspberries, others - with mulberries. It has many small seeds and little pulp. The color of the fruit is bright red, but it is considered ripe when it becomes almost burgundy. The seeds are very small, black and shiny.

Food application.

Description of the plant and useful properties

Spinach gardeners know Strawberry Sticks.

​Domestic spinach does not need to be fertilized if its seeds were originally planted in nutrient soil. After all, this is an annual, with a short growing season, which is quite enough of those nutrients that the soil is rich in.

Rules for planting and caring for spinach-raspberries

Spinach is a light-loving crop, therefore, boxes with seedlings should be placed on the southern windowsills. If this is not possible, artificial lighting lamps can be used. It can be LED or fluorescent lamps, which are installed at a distance of 50 cm from the landings. It is a long day plant that requires 10 hours of daylight. In winter, spinach is illuminated for about 4-5 hours with the help of phytolamps, in cloudy weather - throughout the day.

You can grow spinach outdoors in beds or rows. Landing on the beds is carried out in places where the soil is too knocked down and heavy. The second method is applicable to soils of any type. Row spacing should be at least 35 cm. Seed planting depth - 2 cm.​ Spinach is an unusually useful crop, which, like other greens, can be grown not only in open ground, a greenhouse, but also in apartment conditions. Spinach, the cultivation of which has become a real business, is very popular in cooking. It is added to salads, roasts, sauces, canned and frozen.

If you have never heard of this unusual plant, then we are in a hurry to bring to your attention strawberry spinach, also known as spinach-raspberry, multi-leaved marijuana or ordinary zhminda. This exotic wild plant is native to northern Africa, southern Europe and the Mediterranean.​

Rinse spinach leaves, cut and dip for 2-3 minutes in boiling water, drain in a colander and put in a bowl. Finely chop the onion and fry in oil. Add ready-made onion and some salty cheese, pre-shredded to the spinach in a bowl (preferably Greek feta, but you can also use our cheese). Roll out the puff pastry into a thin layer and divide into two parts. Put the prepared filling on the first, cover it all on the second, fasten it around the edges and place in the oven. Bake until done.​

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How to grow healthy and tasty spinach?

Jam If you have a desire to grow strawberry spinach in your home, planting and caring for it will not cause difficulties. Having so many weeds among its relatives, the plant adopted from them extraordinary vitality, unpretentiousness and fertility. It grows on any soil, in the shade, partial shade and in the sun, with or without watering. It tolerates winter frosts perfectly, sprouts as soon as the first blades of grass begin to appear from the ground. If suddenly frosts come at this time, strawberry spinach will endure them without the slightest damage to its green “organism”. That is, it grows like ordinary grass. But for the plant to have more beautiful view, it is better to plant it in the sun or in a sparse penumbra, regularly water and weed. The most favorable soils for him are fertile, in which there is a lot of calcium.

Growing spinach in open ground - features

They say that there are no comrades for the taste and color. For some people, the taste of berries and leaves of strawberry spinach causes complete delight, for others, the attitude towards it is expressed something like this: "I thought it was nectar, I tried it - grass-grass." Summary: you need to try and decide whether you need this vegetable grass or not. Nevertheless, judging by the reviews, many people like it.​

• Care consists in weeding, loosening, fertilizing, watering and tying branches. At the initial stage, the development of the plant is slow and the sprouts suffer from weeds, but later growth accelerates and the spinach “bush” grows quite voluminously and “clogs” everything that grows nearby.
• Growth conditions.
• Many gardeners, out of inexperience, believing that this grass needs a lot of moisture, simply fill it. As a result, rot and fungal infections appear, which make no sense to fight. After all, as mentioned earlier, spinach leaves quickly nourish harmful substances, after which they are simply not safe to eat.
• For planting spinach at home, any deep containers with drainage holes are suitable - pots, flowerpots, seedling boxes or containers.
• Spinach care in the garden consists of regular watering and weeding. Landings should be clean, their growth should not be hampered by weeds. To prevent stalking of plants, they are often watered, sprayed, especially on hot summer days. Fertilizers for spinach are applied throughout the growing season, after rain or watering. Immediately after this, the procedure for loosening the soil is carried out. For the entire period of growth, 3-4 weedings are enough with a slight loosening of row spacing. During this, it is necessary to remove young shoots that clog the rows and thicken the plantings.
• It is worth noting that with any processing, spinach grass retains all useful substances - ascorbic, oleic and oxalic acids, carotene, manganese, calcium, phosphorus and other trace elements and vitamins.
• Raspberry spinach has been popular and in demand in Holland for a long time, it is grown primarily as a healthy salad green. And recently, the multi-leaved gauze began to slowly move to our gardens. In this regard, a number of misconceptions associated with this plant also arose. Some summer residents are sure that this is a newfangled western hybrid of spinach with either strawberries or raspberries. This is not so, the zhminda has nothing to do with the last two berries. But spinach really has a distant botanical relative.
• Most often, strawberry spinach is used to decorate their garden. The photos presented to your attention demonstrate how bright and beautiful it is. The value of this plant is that the red fruits are kept on the branches from June to the end of September, creating a wonderful border along the paths or bright unusual spots in the flower beds. The unpretentiousness of spinach allows you to plant it on alpine hills or in those parts of the garden where other plants do not take root well.

Basic care and varieties

Boil syrup from sugar and water (product ratio - 1: 1). Rinse the berries, dry a little and put in the finished syrup. Let it boil and leave for 12 hours to brew. After that, let the mass boil again and leave to infuse again. For the third time, cook until cooked.

In order to please the harvest of strawberry spinach as soon as possible, the cultivation of this crop is produced by seedlings. They begin to do this in the first decade of March. Special cassettes for seedlings are filled with earthen mixture, 1-2 seeds are placed in each cell, sprinkled with soil on top and watered. Mari seeds are very small, so if they are placed deep in the ground, they may not sprout at all. Finished cassettes are covered with glass or plastic wrap. When 5-6 leaves appear on the sprouts, the spinach is planted in the garden. The distance between plants is at least 40 cm, as the bushes grow strongly. For the best result, the bed is fertilized by mixing the earth with wood ash. It is also recommended to feed the spinach with organic matter at least twice a season.

Strawberry spinach leaves are used in salads, canned (salted, marinated, frozen), soups, meatballs are prepared from them. Juice is squeezed out of berries, compotes are boiled, jam is made, side dishes and main dishes, puddings are decorated with them. For fresh consumption, it is still better to sweeten the berry.

Growing Strawberry Spinach

Sowing with a cardboard seed carrier will help protect strawberry spinach seedlings from weeds.

Strawberry spinach is an annual vegetable plant. He is unpretentious and cold-resistant. Grows well even in the sand. From the humus, of course, will not refuse either. In the socket phase, it withstands frosts down to -10 degrees. Heat and drought also do not harm the plant.

When home plants reach a height of 8-9 cm, they will be densely leafy, it's time to cut off the grass. The crop is harvested in 2-3 runs - 1 time per month, until the first peduncle appears. The first flower cluster usually appears about two months after the seeds are planted. After that, the plants are completely removed with the root, and a new batch of spinach seeds is planted in their place. The principle of harvesting domestic spinach is the same as that of spinach grown in the garden.​

The bottom of the boxes is covered with a drainage layer of 3 cm of small pebbles or expanded clay. Then they pour nutritious loose soil, which you can cook with your own hands. Mix slightly acidic garden soil with humus and disinfect the finished substrate in the oven.​

Spinach is harvested in the garden at the stage of appearance of 7-8 leaves. The last cut of the leaves is carried out before the formation of peduncles. After that, the plants are pulled out along with the root.

Growing spinach indoors

Growing spinach in the garden is carried out using seeds. Spinach is very demanding on the structure and composition of the soil. It is planted in fertile, organic-rich soil with good drainage. Ideally, sandy or loamy soil with a neutral level of acidity is suitable for this plant. Spinach simply does not grow in acidic soil. If it is planned to plant this crop on heavy, knocked down soil, it is recommended to add organic matter, lime and carbonate residues.​

The plant is an annual vegetable crop that forms small bushes up to half a meter in height. Spinach-raspberry grows quite actively and for short term forms sharp spear-shaped leaves of green or light green color and medium-sized red berries, which appearance and the truth is a bit like strawberries or raspberries.

All gardeners know such a vegetable crop as spinach. But not many are familiar with its spinach-raspberry relative. Strawberry spinach, zhminda, spinach-raspberry, multi-leaved gauze are the names of the same vegetable plant.

Other berries can be added to the jam to improve the taste. It turns out especially good with kiwi.

To make it easier to move grown strawberry spinach from the windowsill to a permanent place of residence, seedlings are grown in peat tablets or pots. You can also sow seeds in one common box, but at the same time transplanting seedlings into the ground will become laborious.

Taisiya Grigoryevna Muravyova from Saransk shared on the Internet a recipe for kvass from strawberry spinach:

Top dressing is done two to three times per season, using organic fertilizers. Spinach responds very well to wood ash, which is embedded in moist soil.

Sowing.

As it turns out, the technology for growing spinach is quite simple. At good care And optimal conditions content success in this process is guaranteed to everyone.​

spinach care at home

The second option for preparing the planting mixture: combine biohumus with coconut fiber in a ratio of 1: 2. One of the main advantages of coconut fiber is the ability to constantly retain moisture in the soil, as a result of which it will never be dry or waterlogged.​

The most successful varieties of spinach for the garden, which have been used by many summer residents for several years: Godri, Victoria, Matador, Strawberry, Giant and Zhirnolistny.

Soil preparation for planting spinach seeds begins in the fall. The site is fertilized with phosphorus-potassium preparations and compost - 6 kg are spent on a plot of 1 m2. Top dressing is applied before digging the site.

Strawberry spinach greens have a mass useful properties. It is because of the leaves that it is grown in the first place. First of all, spinach-raspberry greens are a storehouse of iron. No other vegetable crop can compete with zhminda in this category. In addition, greens are rich in vitamins of groups B, C, E, A, contain many useful substances, proteins and trace elements. Strawberry spinach zhminda greens can be eaten both raw, as part of salads, and as an ingredient in soups or meat dishes. The leaves can be frozen, dried, salted or pickled for use throughout the year.​

Recently, the cultivation of this spinach has become popular in Russia. It has a rather interesting, one might even say mysterious, appearance. This is a plant with green leaves and fruits that are insanely similar to raspberries or strawberries. Although, if we compare the taste qualities of spinach-raspberries and raspberries, they have nothing in common. More precisely, spinach berries have absolutely no taste, even remotely resembling a berry one.

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STRAWBERRY SPINACH

You can grow strawberry spinach in another way. So, the plant grows well from seeds. They are sown as soon as the snow melts and the earth warms up a little, or in the fall, before the onset of frost. Although the gauze is practically not sick, before sowing, the seeds are kept for 20-30 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Holes are made in the garden and 4-6 seeds are placed there. After 2-3 leaves appear on the seedlings, the weakest sprouts are pulled out.

"There are natural yeasts on the surface of the berries, so you don't need to wash them. After the rain, I picked the berries, kneaded them. I added a bucket of warm boiled water, 2 kg of sugar to half a bucket of berries. I poured everything into a large bottle, covered it with a cotton swab. Kvass" boiled " three days, and then I drained it and put it in the refrigerator. The kvass turned out to be effervescent (like carbonated), pleasant red, "velvety" in taste, it smells of nuts, fresh malt and a little bit hoppy. In general, very tasty!​ With good care, spinach branches are literally strewn with berries and, under their weight, lie on the ground (in favorable years from 1 sq.m. you can collect up to 1.5 buckets of fresh berries). Therefore, they should be tied to pre-driven pegs or support heavy branches in any other way you like. As a result - always clean leaves and berries. This is an annual, early maturing crop. Practically not affected by diseases and garden pests. Seed fruit ripen in July. It is grown in two ways: sowing seeds in the ground and seedlings. To obtain early greenery, it is better to grow seedlings using the potted method. To do this, in mid-March, the seeds are sown in peat pots or cups with a soil mixture. Seedlings appear in 10-12 days. At the age of 30-35 days, seedlings dive into the ground. Landing pattern 40 x 40.​ ​***STRAWBERRY SPINACH***​ The third option is to purchase a ready-made substrate in a garden store. The soil for growing spinach should not be acidic, otherwise growing spinach at home will be unsuccessful.​ Strawberry spinach is one of the most popular plants among gardeners. The crop of this crop ripens in early spring, which is important for many. In regions with low soil fertility, before sowing spinach seeds, the site is fertilized with mineral top dressing. For 1 m2 of area, a nutrient mixture of 10 g of nitrogen, 10 potassium and 5 g of phosphorus is used. Spinach-raspberries are also edible. But, despite their attractive appearance, they are practically tasteless. They can be used in food as juices or as an ingredient for jam. Strawberry spinach helps to normalize hemoglobin levels. And thanks to the bright saturated red color, the fruits can be used as a natural food coloring. Spinach-raspberries began to be grown on their own household plots many gardeners, as it has very succulent leaves, which, on top of everything else, are also useful. Spinach of this species is absolutely not whimsical and cold-resistant. It will grow well even in places where the soil is sandy. It can withstand temperatures down to -10°C in the rosette stage. But it does not suffer from heat and drought at all. More importantly, it is not afraid of diseases and garden pests. Berries do not wash! They have unique natural yeasts that help kvass to “roam”.​ You can also sow spinach in rows. The sprouted sprouts are thinned out, leaving about 10 cm between them. When the plants grow up and begin to interfere with each other, they are thinned out again, now maintaining a distance of 35-40 cm between them. Pulled spinach is not thrown away, but used for food. To make the sprouts hatch faster, the holes are covered with jars. And if the spinach was planted in rows, the whole garden is covered with a film. But the wine disappointed me: strong, beautiful, but sharp and not fragrant. Probably, it was necessary to add currants or cherries to it. " Preparation. Direct sowing into the ground is carried out as soon as the snow melts. The sowing scheme is the same as for seedlings. 4-5 seeds are sown per hole, preferably after the pre-sowing preparation procedure. The wells are closed with jars until shoots appear. With the advent of two true leaves, seedlings are thinned out, removing the weakest seedlings. Some gardeners leave two plants per hole. Spinach can be sown with seeds before winter (similar to other annual green vegetable crops). Recently, the cultivation of strawberry spinach has become fashionable due to its attractive appearance. However, it is, first of all, real, 100% vegetable greens. As soon as they don’t call it: many-leaved marya, many-sided marya, spinach-raspberry. For room conditions seeds are best early varieties spinach, which in a month will be able to please the first greens. These varieties are Stoic, Godri, Giant, Victoria. Buy planting material you can in any specialized store.​ Strawberry spinach gives tender and juicy leaves rich in vitamins and minerals. They are readily used in cooking: they are added to salads, dressings, soups, okroshka, canned and frozen. Spinach leaves are very sensitive and accumulate nitrates rather quickly. Therefore, experienced gardeners recommend excluding such a microelement as nitrogen from the general diet. It can be made only in extreme cases.​ The plant is picky and can actively develop in almost any soil. However, to get a rich harvest, it is better to plant it in fertile soil with enough moisture. Whether it is planted on the shady or sunny side also does not play a big role in the development of strawberry spinach. The unpretentiousness of growing zhminda allows you to independently choose a place in your garden for this exotic vegetable crop. Zhminda is a mid-season culture. It can be grown in two ways. The first is growing seedlings. The second is seeds. Collect half a bucket of berries, pour them with a bucket of warm water, add 2 kg of sugar, close and put in a warm place. Fermentation lasts 3 days, after which an incredibly tasty, slightly hoppy and very aromatic drink is ready. If strawberry spinach has already grown in the garden, growing from seeds, and even more so seedlings, is not required. Now it will grow by self-seeding. Some gardeners are afraid that in this case, spinach, like weeds, will clog other crops. Fears are unfounded, as this prolific culture is easy to get rid of. It is only necessary not to let her form berries. For example, if you plan to use greens for salads, do not tear off individual leaves, but uproot the plant.​ This is possibly one of the best food uses for strawberry spinach. This plant is also used for medicinal purposes. From the dried leaves prepare medicinal teas, medicinal decoctions and tinctures. According to some reports, spinach is used to treat diathesis in children. Ripe berries, left on the branches in late autumn, crumble and are perfectly preserved under the snow, and in the spring they give friendly shoots. Obviously, you need to think about limiting the spread of plants by self-sowing, since the abundance of seeds and their vitality suggest the uncontrolled reproduction of spinach and its transformation into a malicious weed (by analogy with horseradish). Sometimes it is considered some kind of latest achievement of foreign breeders, as a hybrid of spinach, strawberries and raspberries. In fact, this is an ornamental vegetable plant that is not very common in our country, long known as the capitate gauze, which is a close relative of the wild grass white gauze or zhminda from the haze family. Planting seeds is carried out according to the scheme 7x7 cm with a depth of 1 cm. For the convenience of planting, gardeners divide the soil in boxes into identical squares, and then plant the seeds. From above, the seedlings are sprinkled with soil, moistened with a spray gun and covered with transparent glass or film. Shoots will appear very quickly - within a week after sowing the seeds. After that, the shelter is removed. Strawberry spinach bears fruit with juicy, sweet berries with a strawberry flavor. In appearance, they are very reminiscent of raspberries. They are consumed fresh, and are also used to make jams and other sweet dishes. Strawberry spinach is a densely leafy annual plant with numerous lateral stems. Its height is no more than 50 cm. The formation of ovaries on plants occurs in the axils of the leaves. Small green ovaries grow rapidly, acquiring a bright crimson color and large size. Early maturing strawberry spinach is a plant resistant to winter frosts. The berries ripen on the fourth day after the formation of the ovaries. Fruiting in this variety lasts until late autumn, however, it will not be as plentiful as in the summer season. Cultivation of the site for sowing seeds is carried out in the spring. To enjoy tasty and juicy greens, planting seeds is carried out in several stages. You can get early greens in spring if you sow seeds at the end of August. Seeds can be sown both directly in open ground soon after the snow has melted, and in seedlings. The last option is recommended for those who want to get an early harvest -​ Spinach-raspberries should be planted as soon as the snow melts. We plant 3-4 seeds in rows at a distance of 30-40 cm, and make the distance between rows about 40 cm. Immediately after planting, each hole should be covered with a jar until the first shoots appear. Many people use strawberry spinach as the first spring green. Reviews here are mixed. For some, the leaves of the plant seem tasteless, so something else, such as radish, is added to the salad with them. If you are determined to grow strawberry spinach in your garden, growing from seed is best for you. Firstly, this is the easiest way, and secondly, you can be sure that the plant will definitely sprout. After about a month, the bushes will grow, forming up to 10 shoots each. Berries in large quantities will be for everyone. They will turn red around July, but harvest only when they are soft. Then they have a sweet aftertaste. Hard berries have neither taste nor smell, and when cooked they turn from red to slightly yellowish.

Raspberry spinach, strawberry spinach, berry spinach - all these names evoke associations with some kind of exotic hybrid plant that is difficult to grow. In fact, this is an annual herbaceous plant, which even a novice gardener can handle growing. Strawberry spinach has a lot of useful properties and is decorative, but first things first.

Spinach strawberry description

Despite the Russian-language name, the culture has nothing to do with spinach (Spinach). This is a plant of the genus Mary, family Amaranthaceae. Homeland of strawberry spinach (Strawberry Sticks), or zhminda, is the south of Europe and the north of Africa. Botanical description:

• The plant is an annual, up to 70 cm high, with a thick rhizome.
• Stems are erect, leafy along the entire length.
• The leaves are triangular-lanceolate, with serrated edges, 7 cm long, 4 cm wide.
• The plant is densely leafy below, the leaves at the base are spear-shaped, pointed.
• The flowers are collected in inflorescences in the axils of the leaves, the perianths are red.
• Flowering occurs in late July-early August, the fruits ripen in a month.
• The fruit is a complex drupe, when ripe, red-burgundy in color, slightly sweet.
• It has many shiny black-brown seeds.

Strawberry spinach

Young leaves are eaten as green leafy vegetables and berries. The fruits taste nothing like strawberries or raspberries. The name reflects only the external similarity of the berries.

Agricultural technology

Strawberry spinach is related to the quinoa, and its closest ancestors are the same weed. That is why even cultivated varieties of zhminda are absolutely unpretentious, drought-resistant and frost-resistant. This is a very unusual-looking plant, so it is often grown in flower beds, you can allocate a place for it in the beds or place it in containers. For good harvest cultivation on light fertile soil is recommended.

So that the berries are not dryish, the plant should be provided with sufficient moisture. Zhminda may well develop in the shade, but in order for the fruits to be sweeter, it is better to allocate a sunny place for it. It is not demanding on soils, it can develop in ordinary garden soil.

The plant should be provided with moisture

Sowing seeds

You can sow berry spinach both in early spring and before winter. Before sowing, it is recommended to pickle the seed material for half an hour in a pink solution of potassium permanganate. Growing strawberry spinach from seeds is not difficult. The holes are made at a distance of 40 cm, several seeds are placed in each to a depth of 2-3 cm. To speed up the germination process, the crops are covered with a film. When two true leaves appear in the ascended plants, the crops are thinned out, leaving one in the hole. Removed sprouts are suitable for consumption, or they can be planted in other beds. The culture can withstand frosts down to -8 degrees.

Growing seedlings

In areas with a cold spring or for early greens, you can grow spinach-raspberry seedlings at home. Sowing is carried out in mid-March-early April. Seeds are disinfected, mixed with dry sand and sown in boxes in grooves 1 cm deep. But peat humus cups are best suited for this crop. Shoots should appear in 10-12 days. Seedling care is normal, the main thing is that the earth does not dry out. It can be planted in open ground in 30-35 days with a clod of earth (the roots are fragile). Landing pattern - 40x40 cm. Experienced gardeners spinach-raspberries are used as a compactor in a greenhouse or on beds between tomatoes, eggplants, peppers. While the main crop grows up, spinach will already produce a crop of fresh greens.

Growing seedlings

Interesting. An unusual plant is grown in an apartment on the balcony. It not only provides the whole family with vitamins, but also performs a decorative function.

Care

In order for the harvest to please with quality and quantity, it is necessary to water the zhminda regularly, combining it with top dressing with ash and loosening. If cultivation is done for the sake of berries, then the plant needs to be supported, since tall stems can droop to the ground. Spinach greens can be used in young age, with the beginning of flowering, the plant often appears bitter. The berries ripen in September, they need to be removed carefully, as overripe fruits crumble. The seeds that have fallen into the ground easily endure the winter and randomly sprout in the spring like weeds. They can be planted in beds, with careful handling, most plants take root well.

Beneficial features

Strawberry spinach has a number of useful properties, and both berries and leaves are valuable. It is widely used in traditional medicine, as a source of essential substances and for medicinal purposes. On the basis of this plant, rejuvenating masks and decoctions are made to strengthen hair.

Zhminda has the following properties:

1. Stimulates the work of the heart and blood vessels. It contains vitamins A and C (antioxidants), carotene (preserves the walls of blood vessels).
2. Helps in the digestive tract. The substances contained in the plant prevent constipation.
3. The high iron content in berries helps to increase hemoglobin.
4. It is a source of vitamins PP, groups B, E, K, iron, magnesium, calcium, fatty acids.
5. May act as a low calorie source of protein.
6. Successfully cures diathesis in children.
7. Regular consumption of fresh herbs contributes to the normalization of the nervous system.

Has beneficial properties

The grass is dried, tinctures and decoctions are made from it. Leaf tea is used as an immune boosting drink. But we must not forget that any medicinal plant has contraindications. Spinach-raspberries should not be used for stomach ulcers, diseases of the genitourinary system and gout.

Application in cooking

Berries are widely used in cooking. They are used in home-made preparations: they cook jam, assorted compotes (goes well with strawberries), they are used as a natural dye. Beautiful kvass is made from fresh berries. Spinach-raspberry is popular with Europeans and is often found in recipes of the peoples of Europe. The leaves are added to salads and soups, used in the preparation of meat, vegetable dishes and sauces. In addition, greens can be prepared for the future, it is suitable for drying, freezing and canning.

Spinach with strawberry-like berries is extremely attractive and useful plant. Its juicy leaves will become an indispensable source of vitamins in spring, and bright berries will decorate a variety of dishes. At the same time, anyone can grow it, because breeding strawberry spinach does not require serious knowledge and effort.

Strawberry spinach is enriched with vitamins, microelements and other useful substances. Greenery is not whimsical, so almost all gardeners grow it. The plant has healing properties, so it is used to treat various diseases. Therefore, it is important to know how to grow strawberry spinach on the windowsill of the house or in the open field, as well as how it can be used.

Brief description of the plant

Strawberry spinach is considered annual plant, but if the seeds are crushed to the ground from the berries, they can germinate again on their own next year.

The plant has green leaves, triangular-lanceolate in shape, which are often added to various dishes. The top of the foliage is slightly pointed. The edges of the leaves have pointed teeth. Branches of strawberry spinach can reach 70 centimeters. The plant has an upright stem and a thick root.

Strawberries bloom with bisexual, three-membered flowers, twisted into balls. Perianth red, fleshy.

Spinach ripens in August. The taste of the berries is tasteless. Inside they contain a lot of seeds, and very little pulp. When the berries turn burgundy, they are considered ripe. Strawberry seeds are black-brown with longitudinal grooves, smooth and shiny structure.

Strawberry spinach endures cold, unpretentious when grown. It is recommended to plant it in a sunny or shaded area. The plant is grown by sowing seeds in the soil, using seedlings or self-sowing.

self sowing

If strawberry spinach has already grown on the site, it is no longer necessary to plant it specially from seeds or seedlings. It will grow by self-seeding.

If you don't want your spinach to grow haphazardly next year, carefully remove the berries, collect the seeds, and prepare them for storage.

If there is concern that spinach may clog other plants in the area, it can be pulled out along with the root.

seed cultivation

You can grow strawberry spinach by sowing seeds in the soil. The procedure is mainly carried out in spring or autumn before the onset of frost. Seeds are placed in the holes made. As soon as three leaves appear on the seedlings, too weak shoots are removed.

Spinach can be sown in rows. The sprouts are thinned out over time so that there is a distance of 10 centimeters between them. The grown plants are re-thinned out, as they begin to interfere with the development and growth of each other. Between plants there should be gaps of 40 centimeters. The plucked leaves of the plant are used in cooking.

To obtain early greens, the method of growing with seedlings is used. If there is a greenhouse, strawberries can be planted as soon as the soil warms up slightly. Growing rules:

1. Sort the seeds, place in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection.
2. In the seedling box, make indentations 1 centimeter deep.
3. Sow seeds pre-mixed with sand and sprinkle them with soil.
4. After 12 days, the first shoots will appear.
5. After 30 days, transplant the seedlings together with the ground to the intended place according to the 40x40 scheme.

Read also: Hellebore - planting and care in the open field

At the end of April, seedlings can be planted directly in open ground. When planting between the beds should be a distance of 40 centimeters.

Strawberry spinach is important to water regularly. On very hot days, watering should be done daily.

Loosen the soil from time to time and remove weeds. In moist soil, it is recommended to make wood ash as a mandatory top dressing.

Growing at home

Strawberry spinach needs nutritious soil enriched with humus. Therefore, it is important to prepare the right soil for the plant. Since when grown on a windowsill, it will not be able to find useful substances in the soil, unlike plants planted in open ground.

• The substrate is recommended to be calcined in the oven before use or kept in the freezer for two days. Such actions will help to destroy pests that may live in the ground.
• For planting spinach, seed can be purchased at a specialized store or taken from the last harvest.
• Seeds are sown in shallow grooves, moistened from a spray bottle. Covered with glass. After the appearance of the first shoots, the glass should be removed.

Strawberry spinach can be sown in early spring. After two months, the seedlings that have grown and strengthened on the windowsill can be transplanted into open soil. Spinach at home on the windowsills is not difficult to grow. It is important to carry out the procedure on a well-lit windowsill with timely watering in order to grow greens for the preparation of tasty and healthy dishes.

To collect spinach seeds for planting next year, choose the most beautiful fruits. Lightly rub them and fill with water. Put in a warm place. As soon as fermentation begins, after a few days, pour the mass into a fine strainer. Rinse the planting material with water several times to clear it of mucus.

Dry the seeds by laying out on a sheet of paper. When they are dry, pour into a paper bag or a jar with a lid, store in a cool place.

Harvesting

The berries formed after flowering have a red color. You can collect them only when they become soft to the touch and acquire a sweetish aftertaste. In appearance, the fruits resemble raspberries or mulberries. The amount of harvest directly depends on what kind of care will be carried out.

Features of plant care

Strawberry spinach needs the following care:

1. Since the plant grows best in moist soil, it should be watered in such a way that the soil is constantly moist. Make sure that the earth does not dry out.
2. With the active growth of foliage, weed the bushes periodically so that they do not interfere with each other's development.
3. Remove weeds.
4. With active development and growth, spinach must be fertilized with ammonium nitrate, ash or other suitable organic fertilizers;
5. Very rarely, but still, sometimes strawberry roots are affected by white or gray rot. To prevent such a disease, it is often necessary to weed the soil.

When caring for spinach, it is important to remember that it can withstand frosts down to -10 degrees below zero.

plant benefits

The berries and leaves of the plant contain many different minerals. Spinach is rich big amount iron, which the human body easily absorbs. Also, the plant is rich in large amounts of lipids, which are good for the blood. Thus, spinach bushes help prevent various diseases.

Read also: Chubushnik: types and varieties, description of plants and their features

The body in the spring needs vitamins, glucose, fructose. Therefore, it is recommended to cook dishes with spinach in order to replenish the reserves of vitamins lost during the winter.

Contraindications to the use of the plant

The use of strawberry spinach prevents the development of many diseases. But, despite the usefulness of the plant, it has its contraindications. The composition of the leaves includes a lot of acid, so they should be used carefully for stomach ulcers, gout or diseases of the urinary system.

The plant can provoke an allergy within a few hours after its use. Therefore, it is important to carefully monitor the reaction of the body after a meal with spinach, especially if you eat it for the first time.

Since the plant is able to completely absorb the pesticides with which it is processed, it can adversely affect the activity of the thyroid gland. To reduce the negative effect of the leaves, they are treated with heat, for example, boiled. But, if you eat spinach moderately and regularly, it will only benefit the human body.

Application features

Strawberry spinach leaves are used in various fields. Most often, it acts as an ornamental plant for decorating rooms or plots. Also, the plant is used by physicians to treat various diseases, cosmetologists for facial rejuvenation, cooks for preparing healthy and tasty food.

Spinach is used to decorate the garden. Bright and beautiful fruits of the plant can stay on the branches during June - September. Therefore, ornamental strawberries are often planted along paths as borders or unusual spots in flower beds.

Since the plant is not whimsical in care, it is often planted on alpine hills or in those places where other plants cannot grow.

Features of use in medicine

In the treatment of various diseases, doctors often advise eating strawberry spinach. For example:

• the plant is rich in carotene, which prevents damage to the walls of the arteries. Therefore, it is recommended to eat it for better work of the heart and blood vessels;
• thanks to vitamin C and beta-carotene, spinach protects the walls of the colon from the influence of harmful components, and constipation is also prevented;
• with the constant intake of the plant as food, the work of the male reproductive system improves;
• doctors advise spinach leaves to be used by people suffering from anemia, anemia or tuberculosis;
• helps the plant diabetes, high blood pressure and hemorrhoids;
• dishes with a plant remarkably strengthen the body's defenses;
• the nervous system is also strengthened.

How can the plant be eaten?

Strawberry spinach can be used in any form. Green leaves are used to create vitamin salads as well as sauces. The foliage is also covered for the winter as pickles or pickled foods.

Red berries are often used to make compotes. They are frozen to decorate confectionery or meat dishes.

Since spinach has a low calorie content, it is eaten subject to dietary intake. Strawberry Spinach Dishes:

1. Whisk the eggs and add salt and pepper to taste. Add grated cheese (200 grams), spinach (500 grams), flour (45 grams). Mix thoroughly. In oiled butter Pour the resulting dough into the mold. Bake the cake for an hour at 180 degrees.
2. Wash and dry the berries. Mix equal amounts of water and sugar. Boil the syrup. Add prepared spinach to it. Bring to a boil and cool. Jam can be varied by adding other fruits. For example, to get an unusual exotic taste with sourness, add kiwi to the preparation for the winter.
3. Pour 2 kilograms of the fruits of the plant with warm water and cover with 2 kilograms of sugar. Cover the container with a lid and place on the table. Give kvass at room temperature infuse for three days.
4. To prepare soup with a plant, boil 500 grams of spinach, chop with a blender. After boiling the beef broth separately, divide the meat into pieces. Add 500 grams of chopped potatoes to the broth. When the potatoes are cooked, chop them right in the soup. Add spinach puree to the soup, boil for two minutes after boiling. To make the soup more tasty, you can prepare a dressing for it. In sour cream (1 cup), add a little lemon juice, and various spices to taste.

Strawberry spinach (aka common zhmida or multi-leaved gauze) belongs to the amaranth family and is an annual vegetable crop. Visually, these are small dense bushes that do not exceed a height of 40-50 cm. Unlike ordinary spinach, strawberry has leaves with sharp jagged edges of a spear-shaped type.

strawberry spinach

The plant bears fruit with small berries, which are very similar in appearance to strawberries (hence the name). As they mature, they acquire a juicy orange or bright red color.

In general, common zhmida has not only healing properties, but also a beautiful aesthetic appearance. The bushes look very tempting and pretty on the beds thanks to the combination of juicy greenery and clusters of bright berries.

Description

A herbaceous plant of the Amaranth family (Marevy) reaches a height of 60 cm, rarely higher. It has a branched stem with light green leaves resembling a quinoa. In conditions middle lane Russia is more often grown as an annual. In warm snowy winters or when warming near a plant left for the winter in spring, you can see young shoots.

IN ideal conditions strawberry spinach grows as a bush with several (up to ten) shoots strewn with ruby ​​or beet-red berries.

Leaves are green and edible. They are relatively juicy, spear-shaped or wedge-shaped, long-leaved. Their edges are serrated.

Flowering begins in June. They often don’t even notice him and pay attention to the bush only when green lumps appear in the sinuses. Flowers bisexual.

Berries. In the axils of the leaves in July - August, red tangles of seedlings are formed, resembling a mulberry or raspberry in shape. When ripe, they become ruby. The fruits are edible, sweetish-leavened taste. They seem tasteless to me. They are eaten primarily because of the rich composition of useful substances needed by the body.

Spinach-raspberry contains a lot of protein, vitamins, trace elements and fatty acids. It is used for food and as a medicinal plant that cleanses the body of toxins, increases hemoglobin. Baths and compresses with steamed leaves (even dry ones) help with joint diseases.

) From North America. Multi-leaved marijuana During the period of active development, strawberry spinach must be regularly weeded and watered. You can fertilize the plant with ammonium nitrate and organic top dressing. Spinach does not tolerate hot and dry weather very well, so during such periods it should be watered more often and more abundantly.

The plant is an annual vegetable crop that forms small bushes up to half a meter in height. Spinach-raspberry grows quite actively and in a short time forms sharp spear-shaped leaves of green or light green color and medium-sized red berries, which in appearance really resemble a little strawberries or raspberries.

So, the benefits of spinach are obvious, but what can be cooked using it?

There are several varieties of spinach: "Victoria", "Virofle", "Godry", "Fatty" and "Giant". However, genetic engineering does not stand still, and a spinach variety has been bred for a long time, which, in fact, is a hybrid of spinach and strawberries. It's called strawberry spinach. Strawberry spinach, in addition to tender leaves, provides a person with juicy, but “bony” bright red or orange berries. According to the color and shape of these berries, strawberry spinach is also called raspberry spinach.

This plant does not even look like spinach and strawberries. Although you can find something in common if you wish: the leaves are used in cooking in the same way as spinach, and the red seedlings resemble a berry, but rather a raspberry than a strawberry. In the descriptions on the bags of seeds or on the Internet, you can find phrases about the similarity of the taste of fruits with strawberries.

However, numerous reviews of gardeners testify to the opposite: “no taste”, “fresh”, “strawberries and does not smell”, “reminiscent of unripe mulberry”, “like a cucumber”. And only a few manage to detect a sweet taste reminiscent of strawberries. Perhaps the reason is in different varieties, growing conditions and incorrect determination of the stage of maturity.

Strawberry spinach seeds look tempting, but few people like their taste

In fact, strawberry spinach belongs to the Amaranth family, that is, it is the closest relative of the well-known: quinoa, beets, amaranth, gomphrenas. The botanical name is strikingly different from the advertising one, sometimes they honestly write on the bags of seeds that it is zhminda or gauze. Two types are popular:

• zhminda multi-leaved;
• zhminda capitate.

Both species are not too different from each other, except perhaps their homeland. Multileaf was first discovered in southern Europe, northern Africa and the Mediterranean. It still grows wild there. And the capitate comes from North America, grows freely in Europe and New Zealand.

This plant has many names: gauze, common zhminda, strawberry or strawberry spinach, spinach-raspberry. It grows as a lush herbaceous bush 40–80 cm high. First, a dense rosette of triangular or rhombic leaves with notches is formed. Then many shoots are thrown out from the center. On them, in the axils of the leaves, red or orange flowers, they grow together into berry-like balls up to 2 cm in diameter.

In this phase of development, it can be seen that in each sinus a lot of flowers and ovaries have formed, which subsequently grow together and create one berry-fruit.

Strawberry spinach fruits ripen in 1-1.5 months after germination. They stay on the stems for a long time, they are well separated from them. Gardeners say that to know the real taste of strawberry spinach, you need to wait for full ripeness, when the berries become soft. It is difficult to collect them at this time, they are wrinkled, but you can cut them along with the shoot and feast directly from the twig.

It is a vegetable and ornamental plant. Its leaves contain a large amount of trace elements necessary for a person, so many people use it in cooking. Spinach originated in North America. In Russia, it can be found in the south and northeast of the country.

The height of the plant reaches 70 cm. The branches are sprawling, they are covered with leaves of a light green color. They are shaped like a spear. As they mature, the leaves become more rigid. At the end of July, the first bright red berries appear. Outwardly, they resemble strawberries, hence the name of strawberry spinach. They have clearly visible seeds. They have a sweet taste.

The flowers are small, have a spherical shape. During maturation, they are dominated by a green tint. But then it changes to bright red. The flowers have no petals, but there are three stamens. They surround an oval green center. At the base of the flower is a green calyx.

The benefits of strawberry spinach

The leaves of the plant are of particular value. They can be eaten in pure form, add to salads, hot dishes, juices. Strawberry spinach, whose beneficial properties are superior to all similar types of edible greens, is especially rich in protein. There is more protein in 100 g of leaflets than in the same amount of milk powder.

A wide group of vitamins, amino acids, trace elements are present in this plant. In terms of iron content, the multi-leaved gauze overtakes many fruits and vegetables, and there are more fatty acids in it than in an equal portion of wheat flour.

The benefits and harms of common zhmid

• Exhaustion of the body due to prolonged diets or unbalanced nutrition.
• At cardiovascular diseases(especially effective for cholesterol plaques).
• For diseases of the stomach, intestines and digestive system as a whole.
• For chronic constipation.
• To improve immunity and prevent frequent colds.
• In cases of prolonged inflammatory processes in the body.
• With hair loss, weakness of nails.
• With oncology and other tumors.
• To normalize pressure.
• With diseases of the thyroid gland.

Also, spinach is an excellent prophylactic for mastopathy, helps strengthen the nervous system, increases hemoglobin, has a beneficial effect on potency in men, cleanses the intestines well, and rids the body of toxins. Perhaps it is difficult to list all the useful properties of this product.

Advantages and disadvantages of strawberry spinach

Every culture has them. It is worth considering them in more detail in order to understand what to expect from this plant.

Strawberry spinach, despite all its advantages, is not without its drawbacks.

It is strongly recommended to use strawberry spinach in food for high cholesterol, problems with blood pressure, chronic constipation and frequent colds. The plant is able to strengthen the immune system without the use of drugs.

How to use strawberry spinach

As mentioned above, you can use the leaves in any form. But they are most useful, of course, when they are fresh. Heat treatment destroys some useful substances. Therefore, adding leaves to salads and juices is the best option. It is enough just to rinse the leaves under water and chop (if you bought spinach on the market, it is better to lightly pour boiling water over it).

In strawberry spinach, this application also applies to berries. They can be eaten too. Although they look like strawberries, their taste is far from it. The berries are almost tasteless, but not sour, rather grassy. They can also be put in salads, especially fruit ones. The benefits in them are no less than in the leaves.

• Greens are especially useful for pregnant women, since hemoglobin often drops in an “interesting position”, constipation begins, pressure jumps. Juice with the addition of berries and leaves helps to normalize all these processes.
• The plant is also used externally: leaves steamed with boiling water are applied to the affected areas of the skin for eczema, abscesses, and inflammations.
• Strawberry spinach has also been used in cosmetology: fresh juice can be added to face and hair masks.

About the assortment of strawberry spinach

Mary is not very common in Russia. There are no varieties in the State Register of Breeding Achievements, as well as the culture itself. In seed stores you can often find bags with names:

• Strawberry spinach, that is, without a variety name at all. The description says that this is a strongly branching herbaceous plant 50 cm high. The leaves taste like spinach, and the fruits are blackberry-raspberry hybrids and mulberries. Such seeds without a variety name are sold by agricultural companies: Aelita, Poisk, Golden Garden, Russian Garden, etc.

  
  

  Strawberry spinach seeds from Aelita

• Zhminda (strawberry spinach). We already know that this is not a variety, but the real name of a plant genus, and it is not clear whether it is multi-leaved zhminda or capitate. The description is almost the same as above, down to the height of the bush and the taste of the fruit. Produced under the brands: Flora, Helios, Seeds for You, etc.

  

  Strawberry spinach seeds under its real name - zhminda

• Strawberry Spinach This is more interesting, the name of the variety appeared. The description on the bag, depending on the company, may repeat the above or be uninformative. So, nothing is said for you about the taste of seedlings Grilyazh under the brands Sedek and Semena, but healing properties are mentioned.

  

  Seeds of strawberry spinach

• Strawberry Sticks (Chenopodium Foliosum - multi-leaved gauze) - under this name, the culture is sold abroad, you can order it on Aliexpress or in the English Suttons online store. Strawberry Sticks, translated as "strawberry sticks". This is not surprising, because the seedlings are located on the shoot as if the red berries were strung on a skewer. There is a description: the bush grows 40 cm high, the leaves are light green, arrow-shaped, the fruits are red, edible, they look like strawberries / strawberries. Seeds under the Suttons brand are sold as part of "Fun to Grow" kits for children, which include: a magnifying glass, measuring tape, stickers. playing, young naturalists learn to grow flowers and vegetables, the unpretentious and bright zhminda is ideal for this.

  
  

  Strawberry Sticks seeds are sold abroad as part of educational kits for children

The incomprehensible “variety” of varieties in Russia reminds me of the story of physalis. When it was just starting to be grown in our region, two types were sold in the store: strawberry and vegetable, without varieties. Of course, everyone wanted strawberry, because it should grow tasty and sweet. In fact, no matter what bag I bought, a vegetable grew out of the seeds - very fruitful and unpretentious, but with fruits of a disgusting taste.

Of course, no jam could be made from it, and it was impossible to eat it raw. Time has passed, and today it is already possible to buy, indeed, strawberry physalis, and even different varieties: Raisin, Pineapple, Confectioner, etc. However, gardeners still complain about regrading: vegetable still comes across, instead of strawberry.

Same with strawberry spinach. I think if you are interested: you have to dare, buy, try. Perhaps someday this crop will be clearly divided into varieties in our country, and their descriptions will appear in the State Register, but for now, buying the seeds of this plant remains a lottery. Probably, this is where the different reviews come from: some grow tall bushes with sweet berries, while others grow low bushes with tasteless ones.

Agronomists do not specifically breed decorative species of this plant, so the market is dominated by seeds of two varieties that are also found in nature:

1. Grillage is a variety that can withstand frosts down to -7 degrees. Created specifically for the northern regions of the country. Outwardly, it is a bush up to 70 cm high. The flowers are small, and the berry looks like a raspberry.
2. Strawberry Sticks got its name because the berries smell like strawberries. The variety is unpretentious and does not differ from the wild species in anything other than size. It is slightly taller, and the flowering is stronger.

It is worth noting that the external similarity of the berries does not give the same taste. However, they are quite sweet.

How to grow strawberry spinach outdoors

The culture is completely non-capricious and can feel great in any soil. The most favorable environment is well-moistened peat soil. Landing is done in the spring, immediately after the snow melts.

Seeds before sowing should be soaked in a solution of manganese and phytosporin, leaving them in this liquid for half an hour. Grooves are made in the ground with a depth of 1-2 cm. Then the wet seeds are mixed with sand and sown in the grooves, covered with earth from above.

After 10-14 days, the first shoots can be observed. It is advisable to immediately process the shoots by removing small leaves and leaving the 1st largest. If the planting was in late March - early April, the first crop can be harvested as early as July.

For the next planting, you can prepare the seeds yourself: pick the berries, slightly crush them, lay them out on paper and dry. Then you should only separate the seeds from the dried pulp.

You can grow bushes with the help of seedlings. It is necessary to make holes in the soil, add a little sand to them, cover the roots of the seedlings with soil. The plant reproduces by self-sowing. Strawberry spinach, planting and caring for which does not require special skills, takes root well in greenhouses and on the windowsills of apartments.

The agricultural technique of this culture is so simple that it is accessible even to children. Problems arise only because of the poor germination of store seeds. From several packages, 2-3 plants can grow, but this will be enough. Already in current year, and with late sowing - in the next, dozens of bushes will grow from self-sowing.

The culture is undemanding to the soil, in nature it grows on loose soils and even on sand dunes. Loves the sun, but tolerates partial shade well. Mary is resistant to drought, however, without watering, the fruits will set small and dry.

There are recommendations from experienced gardeners to sow directly into the ground without growing seedlings. I plant a new culture for myself, and even from small seeds, like strawberry spinach, I sow in boxes or pots. If the culture is cold-resistant and early ripening, like this, then I sow when the earth thaws. I keep pots outdoors. Then the seedlings will not get lost, as in the garden, among the weeds. After all, I don’t know what kind of cotyledons will be, what to weed out, what to leave. Moreover, zhminda or gauze at the beginning of the growing season is a copy of weed quinoa.

Growing on a windowsill

Sowing seeds. It is advisable to hold the seeds in a weak solution of potassium permanganate before sowing (about 30 minutes). They are small, so the seeds do not deepen more than 3 mm. Sow in the ground from the end of April to the first half of May. From above the bed can be covered with lutrasil. Seedlings appear on the 10th - 13th day.

seedling method is fraught with the fact that when planting in a permanent place, the root system of seedlings is inevitably injured, to which they react painfully. If you want to have an early harvest, the seeds are sown in individual peat pots or tablets. Seedlings grown in a common planting box are carefully removed with a clod of earth. The age of seedlings is 1 - 1.5 months. In open ground, it is placed according to the scheme 30 (35) x 40 cm.

With additional insulation and in warm regions, pre-winter sowing of seeds is possible. Strawberry spinach is often self-seeding.

Some gardeners re-sow seeds in July in order to have juicy greens of young plants longer.

Place. A sunny location is more suitable for this culture. Light shading (partial shade) is allowed, in the shade the berries are absolutely tasteless. Spinach-raspberries are planted in the garden, flower garden, in a container with other flowers, and even in a hanging basket. You can find recommendations to keep zhminda in the house as a houseplant.

The soil. Loose garden soils are more suitable for this crop, to which wood ash is added before sowing. On poor soil, it is more difficult to grow a sprawling bush with succulent leaves. On an alpine hill, it is better to prepare a hole with fertile soil in advance and grow a spinach-raspberry bush there.

Watering. Raspberry spinach loves moisture, but not waterlogging of the soil. It is watered as needed. In dry summer - daily, otherwise the berries become dryish. After each watering, it is desirable to slightly loosen the soil.

Top dressing. This culture is fed with fermented mullein infusion or horse manure. You can replace them with nettle infusion. Additionally, complex mineral fertilizers. Wood ash is buried in the soil.

Thinning of seedlings is carried out in the phase of two true leaves. Extra seedlings can be planted elsewhere if their roots can be kept intact.

Support. The fruit-studded stems of this productive crop need a garter to a support. Without it, they can bend over and lie on the ground.

Wintering. Spinach-raspberry is a relatively cold-resistant crop, therefore it calmly tolerates spring frosts. Without additional insulation, it often freezes in winter if it is grown as a perennial.

Harvesting. Ripe berries are harvested about two months after germination. You need to wait until the fruits become soft. Then they become sweet. Planting seedlings speeds up the start of picking berries.

The collection is carried out in several stages, the last time in the fall. The berries stay on the stem for a long time, do not crumble, but dry out noticeably over time.

Juicy leaves are harvested all summer. Closer to August, they become coarser. Repeated summer sowing of seeds prolongs the use of tender greens until mid-autumn.

By autumn, spinach-raspberry leaves dry up and coarsen.

My advice. It is better not to cut off the leaves, but to cut them off with scissors. This applies, first of all, to young plants with fruits that have not had time to ripen.

If you need early greens for salads, then sow the seeds in pots from March to April and grow them as seedlings or indoor flowers. The soil can be made by yourself from the soil from your site and humus or compost (1: 1). Another option is to collect land from under the turf in a forest or clearing. It is fertile and has a loose granular structure. Purchased soil is also suitable - universal for seedlings or vegetables.

Soddy land has a loose structure, it contains humus - a product of the processing of plant residues by earthworms

Purchased soil has ceased to be a panacea for me. There are a lot of companies involved in its production and sale. According to the principle “land is land in Africa, how can something not grow on it”, I bought the cheapest one for seedlings. Inside the bags, in addition to the soil, there were pieces of cuttings from a shovel and lumps of clay.

As a result, half of this "land" had to be thrown away. But the worst thing is that the seedlings did not grow in it. The seeds sprouted, 2-3 leaves appeared, and things did not go any further. Now I have a different principle: my own is best, no matter what land we have on the site, but everything grows on it. And advise everyone to buy ready soil after that I'm afraid. It is better to collect somewhere in the wild from under the weeds, but you will know for sure that the earth is alive, plants grow on it.

Zhminda prefers bright sun and fertile soils(according to the reviews of many gardeners, in principle, it also grows on rather poor soils). Reaches a size of 50-70 cm and needs support (garter).

Chenopodium foliosum

Mary (​

Strawberry spinach is an unpretentious culture, resistant to small frosts, and pests are practically not afraid of it. With due attention to itself, the plant will thank you with a decent harvest even in cool summers. Any soil is suitable for it, but it prefers limestone and rocky areas.

Strawberry spinach is grown by sowing seeds in open ground from mid-April. It is advisable to fill the bed reserved for this crop with humus. On rich soil, raspberry spinach grows more tender and juicy leaves. If the soil in your area is heavy, clayey, then the gauze must be sown in the grooves, and coarse river sand is added to each.

Strawberry spinach usually sprouts in 3-5 days. This culture does not tolerate thickening and shading, so take the necessary time to weed and thin out. Only the strongest and strongest specimens should be left: by the time of flowering, the mari bushes should be at a distance of no closer than half a meter from each other.

It is possible to grow strawberry spinach in the following ways:

• self sowing;
• seeds;
• seedlings.

It is worth considering these options in more detail.

This method is suitable if the site already has given plant. You don't need to do anything, it will rise by itself next year. If there is concern that it will take up important plots of land, then it is worth picking the berries by hand and saving them for sowing next year.

Expert opinion

Chernyaeva Tatyana Dmitrievna

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If a plant begins to interfere with crop production in a summer cottage, it can be uprooted so that it no longer grows.

To get spinach seeds, just pick its berries

To obtain seeds, you need to collect several of the largest berries. Then the testicles are kneaded with hands and filled with water. It is necessary that the mixture is in a warm place. When it ferments, you need to strain everything through a sieve several times until complete separation seeds. The resulting material is folded into a paper bag so that air enters it. May be stored in the refrigerator.

Immediately before planting, it is necessary to stratify the seeds so that they "wake up". This will increase the percentage of seedlings. To do this, you need to soak the seed in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate. It is recommended to add growth stimulants to it. Then the seeds will be cleared of possible pathogenic bacteria and receive the necessary minerals for quick germination.

Read more in our other article: All about seed germination: conditions, instructions, methods

Landing can be done after the snow melts, when the ground is still quite wet. It is recommended to choose a place where peas, tomatoes, beans or potatoes were previously grown. It is worth choosing a place where partial shade sometimes appears during the day to avoid burning the leaves.

Boarding process:

1. the earth is treated with a solution of potassium permanganate;
2. preparation of small holes with a distance of 4 cm between them;
3. watering holes;
4. placing 3-5 seeds in them.

It is worth covering the ground after planting until the first shoots appear. If you plan to additionally use fertilizers, then it is better to use organic ones. Do not use fresh manure, as it contains a large amount of ammonia. Dry rabbit droppings are best, as they contain less of this substance, which can kill the seeds or roots of the plant.

For this, specially prepared boxes with earth are used. Planting begins in mid-February, if at the end of March the snow is already melting in the region. There are no special requirements for land.

To grow strawberry spinach seedlings, prepare boxes of soil in advance

Here's how the landing happens:

1. make a furrow and put strawberry spinach seeds in it;
2. fall asleep them;
3. produce irrigation.

It is best to store boxes of earth on the windowsill. When the first shoots appear, you can feed with organic minerals. Potassium and phosphorus are best suited to increase growth rate.

When it is warm enough outside, the strongest shoots are planted in open ground without additional preparation. After transplanting, the plant must be watered.

Caring for Strawberry Spinach

Spinach is hardy and can withstand frost down to -10ºC. He loves moisture, so it must be watered so that the soil is always slightly moistened, the soil should not be allowed to dry.

When the period of active leaf growth begins, the bushes should be weeded from time to time. At the same time, plants should be fertilized. Best to apply ammonium nitrate(at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water). It will be useful to fertilize the soil with ash or other organic additives.

The plant is fairly disease resistant. Very rarely, its roots can infect white or gray rot. To avoid this, weed the soil more often.

Spinach strawberry planting care

Do you want to grow strawberry spinach in your garden?

Certainly!No

special care strawberry spinach is not required. However, it is necessary to periodically loosen the earth and remove weeds. Watering is carried out as the soil dries. It is better to add a little water, but quite often, and to loosen after watering. If in the region strong winds, then it is worth adding mulch under the shoots. When the leaves of neighboring bushes begin to touch each other, it is recommended to thin out the beds so that the plant does not grow too quickly.

To protect against pests, the soil next to the spinach should be sprinkled with a thin layer of ash. It is also an organic fertilizer. Every two weeks it is worth adding various minerals in the form of top dressing. You should constantly alternate minerals.

Expert opinion

Chernyaeva Tatyana Dmitrievna

Madly in love with gardening and grows only organic vegetables

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Top dressing is not mandatory, but it will make the flowering process more vibrant. It will also be possible to get larger berries.

Contraindications

An interesting, beautiful, useful and not capricious plant - strawberry spinach is truly one of the best gifts that nature has presented to man.

Introducing these miraculous berries and leaves into your diet will help prevent many diseases. But despite all the benefits, spinach has some contraindications. Since it contains a lot of acid, people with stomach ulcers, gout and diseases of the urinary system should use it with great care. Moderate and regular consumption of the product will only benefit.

Secrets of experienced gardeners

There are a few interesting facts about strawberry spinach, which you need to know about during its breeding.

• If you want strawberry spinach to grow on certain territory, it is necessary to pluck the seeds and plant them yourself every year.
• If you do not want to constantly collect seeds, you can place the plant in a ventilated greenhouse so that the seed material does not spread beyond its perimeter.
• The leaves and seeds of the plant contain saponins. These are toxic substances, but they are completely safe for humans in small quantities. When thermally processed in cooking, they completely disintegrate. However, health problems can arise if you eat too many raw berries.

• Oxalic acid reduces the value of products. Therefore, it is necessary to add the plant to food in moderation.
• Taste qualities strawberry spinach is not the best, flowering is also little pleasure for gardeners compared to other flowers. But the nutritional value of the berries and leaves makes many grow it.
• If the plant becomes too large, it can be disposed of by uprooting. The root system is not very developed, so you can dig it out.
• Thus, strawberry spinach may prove to be a good antioxidant and medicine when applied correctly. But when abused, it is a toxic substance. Berries can be used in preparations for the winter. Frozen leaves can be used in cooking during the cold season.

Pest control

Whiteflies and aphids can appear on any plant, both in open and protected ground. Getting rid of these insects is difficult, but possible. Due to the fact that strawberry spinach is used for food from the very beginning of the growing season, it is impossible to process its pesticides. So there are only folk remedies. The simplest is a soapy solution:

1. Dissolve 30 g laundry soap or 10 g of tar in 1 liter of water.
2. Spread a film under the bush so that the pests do not fall to the ground and, after processing, do not climb the plant again.
3. Soak a sponge in the solution and clean the leaves from insects. They live on reverse side leaf and shoots.
4. Apply a soapy solution to literally every millimeter of the plant, even if you do not see insects there.
5. Carefully remove the film from under the bush, roll up and discard.
6. Repeat this treatment every week until a complete cure, until the insects stop appearing.

Soapy water really helps to get rid of small sucking pests, but the treatment must be carried out very carefully and several times.

From the whitefly, additionally hang adhesive tapes, they are sold in gardening stores. Such labor costs are justified if you have few bushes of strawberry spinach, you value them, grow them in an apartment, want to try the leaves and berries this season. With a large number of self-seeding on the site, it is better to tear out diseased plants and take them to the trash, leaving only healthy ones.

1- Root rot 2- Aphid 3- Whitefly

Strawberry spinach is almost immune to pests.

However, the following problems are possible:

1. root rot, which appears due to high soil moisture. It is required to stop watering for a while and add quicklime to the ground at the rate of 150 grams per 1 square meter earth.
2. Aphids or whiteflies can infect the leaves. If it is not planned to use the plant for food, then modern poisons can be used. If the leaves and berries will be used in cooking, then it is required to use a soapy solution until the pests completely disappear.

Thus, if there is a desire to decorate your country cottage area a beautifully growing weed that has a number of useful properties and can be used in the preparation of various dishes, it is worth buying strawberry spinach seeds. However, this name is not always written on the seeds. It could also be raspberry spinach. And some honestly write mar, since this plant, indeed, is a relative of the quinoa.

How Strawberry Spinach Is Used

This plant of any variety has a high nutritional value, rich in vitamins A, C, E, P and group B, mono- and disaccharides, micro- and macroelements. Strawberry spinach is called the champion among vegetable crops in terms of iron content, and it contains twice as much vegetable protein as cabbage, and contains fatty acids (lipids).