Popeye, Palak Paneer and the Rest!

Nothing can beat the freshness of the harvest of crisp spinach leaves grown at home.

‘Popeye the Sailor Man’, the cartoon and comic strip character, has captured the imagination of the masses for several decades. In the cartoon, Popeye routinely goes toe-to-toe with the evil brute Bluto, both of whom are vying for the affections of the lanky lady Olive Oyl. However, as soon as Bluto is about to best his competitor in a fight, Popeye miraculously gets hold of his secret weapon – a can full of spinach. Once he consumes the spinach, Bluto is no match for Popeye’s sudden surge of energy and power. Episode after episode, the idea of spinach as a power food is being sold to the viewers, especially children, in order to inculcate healthy eating habits among them.

In Pakistan, spinach is used in the preparation of a number of dishes and snacks. While many consume it raw, and sometimes in the form of baby spinach in salads, others opt for spinach fritters, especially during the holy month of Ramzan. Curries like aaloo palak, palak gosht and palak paneer are some of the famous uses of spinach in South Asia. Spinach is highly rich in vitamins, fibres and minerals, including iron, folic acid and calcium, making it a very healthy meal option.

Type of Plants

Spinach is a green, leafy vegetable. The spinach plant, which mainly comprises the leaf, is hardly a few inches to less than two feet in height. There are a few varieties available here in Karachi. Sindhi spinach is the perennial type, which means it is grown, produced and available for consumption throughout the year. On the other hand, the Punjabi spinach variety is seasonal and is available mostly in winter months.

How to Sow and Grow

The best thing about green, leafy vegetables like spinach is that they can grow in almost any available space – from pots to beds, from grow bags to around other plants in pots, or in any empty space around trees. The spinach plant also has smaller roots, which is why it easily adjusts in pots of other plants as well. However, it is recommended to grow the vegetable in a larger dedicated space just for spinach. The reason for this is that a larger quantity of spinach would be required if you intend to make a full meal for your family.

The seeds of spinach are usually dry, light weight, faded brown in colour and somewhat spider shaped. They are spread over soil and another layer of soil is lightly placed over them. The best month to sow spinach seeds is October. From one seed of spinach, two to four plants of spinach can easily be grown.

Watering and Sunlight Requirements

The spinach plant thrives in moist soil, but it should not be over-watered. Avoid showering the plant and do not water directly on the base of the plant. The plant should be exposed to direct sunlight for at least 3 to 4 hours each day.

Fertilisers for Plant Nourishment

Since this is a leafy plant, there will be a need for the constant supply of nitrogen-rich fertilisers. Nitrogen is commonly available as an organic option in compost tea, decomposed chicken and cow manure, while organic options available in the market also include bone meal and fish meal. In chemical versions available in the market one can opt for the NPK fertiliser with zero Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K). This is because there is no flowering and fruiting in Spinach, therefore, there is no need for phosphorus and potassium in the NPK being used. This fertiliser is to be used on a monthly basis because excess usage can burn the plant. Rain water also acts as a fertilizer and increases the leaf size, making it beneficial for plant growth.

Pest Attacks

Spinach is a favourite among sparrows and to prevent them from eating the vegetable, it is advisable to cover the plants with a green net, or to hang a flipped CD in between the plants. The reflection of the sunlight from the CD prevents the birds from feasting on the vegetable. To maintain the balance of the eco-system, a bowl each of water and millets should be placed for the birds to consume.

There are hardly any pest attacks on the spinach plants. Rarely though, aphids and bugs may attack the leaves. A very common organic pesticide that can be used here would be the Organic Neem Oil pesticide. You may spray the pesticide on the leaves. This procedure can be repeated every 10 to 15 days depending upon the severity of the pest attack.

Fruiting and Harvest

The spinach will be almost ready for harvest in the second week after the germination of the seeds. After that you can easily harvest the spinach leaves every month. It is important to know that the leaves of spinach are usually harvested when their tops are still rounder in shape. Once the top of the leaves start to turn pointy or arrow-like, the plant is likely to taste comparatively bitter and will produce flowers bearing the seeds since it is now in a ‘stress phase’, also known as bolting. The seeds produced by these flowers will be large in quantity, keeping the gardener occupied with the spinach seeds for many seasons to come.

Other than the shape of the leaf, one important factor to consider while harvesting spinach is to ensure that the leaves are harvested in such a manner that no new leaves are harvested in the middle of the plant. This way the plant will continue to grow, and an ample quantity of spinach harvest will be supplied throughout the life of the plant. Absolutely nothing can beat the freshness of the harvest of a crisp spinach leaf as compared to the half-dead, water-drenched bunch that you may get from a vegetable seller.

It is always important to remember that these gardening endeavours can be done with limited resources and expenditure. Even requirements like the organic fertilisers, pesticides and cheap growing alternatives can all be prepared easily at home.