Photo by Darya Pino (CC BY 2.0).

Scientific Name: Spinacia oleracea

Common Names: Spinach 'Bloomsdale Long Standing', Spinach 'Bloomsdale'

Family: Amaranthaceae

Origin:

Bloomsdale Long Standing is an American open-pollinated heirloom spinach variety first sold in the 1820's by the Landreth Seed Company.

Culinary Uses:

Bloomsdale Long Standing leaves are sweet and tender with a rich flavour.  Flavour intensifies as the leaves age and get bigger.  Younger leaves great raw in salads, older leaves more suited for cooking.  

Growing Tips:

Choose a growing site that receives full sun or light shade.  Work organic fertiliser, worm juice and castings, compost or well rotted manures through the soil prior to planting to ensure quick growth.  Mulch spinach plants well and water regularly to ensure that their shallow roots are keep continuously moist.  Spinach will not grow well in soils that are too acidic, mix garden lime or dolomite through the soil to obtain a pH range between 6.2 and 6.9 for optimal results.  This variety has good bolt resistance and grows better in warmer climates than most other heirloom spinach varieties.

When To Sow:

Sow Bloomsdale Long Standing spinach seeds from April to September in cold regions of Australia.  In temperate regions of Australia sow Bloomsdale Long Standing spinach seeds from March to May.  Spinach will not grow well in the subtropics, but if you want to give it a go you can try sowing either April or early May.

How To Sow:

Sow seeds directly where they are to grow as spinach can suffer from transplant shock.  Sow spinach seeds 1cm deep spacing plants about 30cm apart to allow room for growth.  Sow a few seeds every week to ensure a continuous supply of spinach leaves.

Germination Time:

Bloomsdale Long Standing spinach seeds take between 6 and 15 days to germinate after sowing.

Time To Harvest:

You can harvest individual spinach leaves as soon as they are big enough to pick, or you can harvest the entire plant 6 to 8 weeks after sowing.