“My spinach improved drastically within a week!”

My spinach did not look like spinach. It looked like brown, crispy old paper. It reminded me of the old 1900’s newspaper we found under the floor boards of  my parents fixer upper. The newspaper was so cool, but we had to unfold it and handle it with great care because it was crumbling with the slightest touch. Not something a person would ever consider eating. Poor spinach. It was totally missing it’s life calling.

I consulted a master gardener friend of mine and she gave me a few tips. I tried her suggestions and experimented a little on my own and voila, my spinach improved drastically within a week!

1. Try crumbled egg shells! Egg shells have calcium and if your soil is lacking calcium then try this trick. Put your clean, crumbled eggshells at the base of the plant. Do this until you see an improvement. I’m doing this once a week.

2. Coffee grounds have nutrients that your soil and plants will love. We always have an abundance of grounds in the house and it is one of my favorite gardening tricks. No need for fertilizer. Use what you have! I give a generous spoonful to the bottom of each sad looking plant. It works very well and you will see an improvement in the health of the plant as soon as a few days. I add coffee grounds once or twice a week.

3. If the soil around the spinach is having a hard time retaining its moisture, try using grass clippings. The grass will protect the dirt from drying out and it will  help the roots from getting too hot. It also adds extra nutrients back into the soil.

The spinach has been growing so well and I’ve been so impressed with the new growth that I will be trying this trick next on my poor Swiss chard.