Emperor – (F1) Spinach Seed

Dark green, semi-savoy for spring and fall.
Upright, dark green leaves with long stems that are great for bunching. A moderate growth rate makes Emperor a good choice for spring and fall plantings. High resistance to downy mildew races 1-10. Avg. 41,900 seeds/lb. Packet: 200 seeds.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Spinacia oleracea
CULTURE: Spinach grows in a wide range of soils if moist and fertile, but is sensitive to acidity; pH should be at least 6.0, preferably 6.5-7.5.
SOWING DATES: Spinach germinates best in cool soil. Begin sowing in early spring as soon as the ground can be worked. Summer sowing in soil over 85°F (30°C) risks low or erratic germination. If sowing has to be done during warmer weather, irrigating can help cool the soil and improve germination. Sow in mid to late summer for a fall harvest. Spinach can also be planted from late summer until freeze-up in protected structures for fall, winter, and spring harvest. Using floating row covers offers additional winter protection.
PLANTING AND HARVEST: For baby leaf: Sow in a 2-4″ wide band, 3/4″ apart, about 40 seeds/ft. Clip small leaves in 3-5 weeks, depending on time of year and speed of growth. Triple-rinse leaves, sort out cut and broken leaves, and package. For a continuous supply, sow every 7 days. For bunching and full size: sow 10 seeds/ft., 1/2″ deep, rows 12-18″ apart. Harvest spinach full size but before bolting, cutting just below root attachment for “rooted spinach”, or cut higher for “clipped spinach”.
STORAGE: Store at 32°F (0°C) and 95% relative humidity for 10-14 days.
AVG. DIRECT SEEDING RATE: For full-size leaves: 10M/1,000′, 290M/acre at 10 seeds/ft. in rows 12-18″ apart. For baby leaf: 1M/25′, 25M/125′, 1,200M/acre at 40 seeds/ft. in rows 18″ apart.
SIZED SEEDS: Standard except where noted.
SEED SPECS: SEEDS/LB.: 24,800-45,800 (avg. 38,800).
PACKET: 200 seeds, sows 100′.