Research of cold-season spinach production underway

At the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station's Woodman Horticultural Research Farm, a study is underway that might help bring more fresh, local spinach to the table in winter.

 

"A lot of growers in our region have these high tunnels for tomatoes that just lay silent in winter," says Kaitlyn Orde, a graduate student participating in the research. "Many New Hampshire growers are either interested in winter spinach production or already raise winter spinach to some extent. But there has been very little research that can help growers make decisions about planting dates and varieties of cold-season production in our region."

 

The spinach varieties UNH is studying are Gazelle, Corvair, Renegade, Emperor, Carmel, Tylee, Space and Regiment. From these varieties, researchers are collecting information on yield, sugar content, ease of harvest and average leaf size measurements.