Spinach variety trial conclusions

Spinach Variety Trial Conclusions

Unable to buy our long-time favorite spinach variety, Tyee, we have tried various other varieties. This winter and spring we compared Avon, Reflect, Acadia, Escalade, and Renegade, in the hoophouse and outdoors. We are looking for a dark-leaved savoy type, with good cold tolerance and good bolt-resistance once spring arrives.

Hoophouse plantings

Sowing #1 9/7/17, all pulled up by 4/24/18, after a productive winter.

Sowing #2: 11/8 (normally 10/24, but we failed to water, and had to resow)

In November and December, Renegade had the largest leaves, so its advantage in central Virginia hoophouses is probably as a faster-growing type.

1/10/18:

• Reflect is growing bigger/faster than Avon.
• Renegade is faster/bigger but paler than Avon.
• Acadia has more leaves than Avon, Reflect, Renegade.
• Escalade is also faster and bigger than Avon, Reflect, Renegade.

4/3/18: Bolters pulled: Reflect 2, Avon 1 , other varieties zero bolters

4/10/18: The plants have not changed much in the last month, although in comparison with the February photo, you can see the leaves are starting to become pointed in shape. We are waiting to see which of the varieties bolts first. 

4/24/18: Reflect, Avon, Acadia, Escalade, Renegade. All are now growing thinner pointy leaves and starting to bolt. Renegade has large leaves, but the color is paler than the others and the texture is less exciting to us.

Counting bolted plants along the rows, I found

• Avon 10 bolters
• Acadia zero bolters
• Escalade 4 bolters
• Renegade 6 bolters.

Acadia and Escalade both had thick, well-textured leaves.

5/1/18. On My final tally date of the spinach in the hoophouse, I counted bolters:

• Avon was much more bolted than Reflect
• Acadia had 12 bolted, 18 not. 60% resistance
• Escalade had 13 bolted, 17 not. 57% resistance
• Renegade had 20 bolted, 6 not. 23% resistance
• Avon had 19 bolted, 2 not. 10% resistance
• Pity I did not directly compare Reflect and Acadia!

Sowing #3 11/9

4/25/18: Avon – all pointy

Sowing #4 1/15 (for transplanting inside the hoophouse).

4/25/18: South side Avon – pointy; North side Reflect – bigger than Avon, less texture, also pointy.

Sowing #5 1/16 (for transplanting outdoors).

4/25/18: North side Reflect – a bit pointy, smaller than Avon and Acadia; South side Renegade, Escalade, Acadia. Acadia is bigger than Escalade, darker and more textured.

We transplanted from #4 and some #5, mostly not labelled. All look good 4/25. Avon transplanted 3/14, looks great. Big textured leaves. Reflect transplanted 3/16 – also good.

2018 conclusions for hoophouse spinach:

• Renegade made fast early growth in November and December
• Acadia and Escalade win on early harvests (December and January).
• The smoother-leaved Renegade definitely has thinner leaves 4/10, and would yield lower weight (if we were weighing them).
• Acadia and Escalade win in the hoophouse on 4/24, for bolt resistance and thick leaves
• Acadia wins on bolt-resistance in the hoophouse on 5/1. Escalade is not far behind.
• Reflect wins on 4/25 over Avon in the 4^th hoophouse planting.
• Acadia wins on 4/25 in this 5^th hoophouse planting.
• No clear better variety between Reflect and Avon in the late hoophouse transplanting from the 4^th and 5^th plantings.

We don’t like smooth-leaved spinach as much, so will maybe drop Renegade – it doesn’t shine on anything else except being earliest, but then becomes less productive.     Acadia did very well, Escalade not far behind. Perhaps drop Avon for hoophouse too. Perhaps continue Reflect, Acadia and Escalade, and do comparisons of the 3 only. Or just grow Acadia in the hoophouse.

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Outdoor Plantings

Outdoors we had overwintered Avon and Reflect. Both did well.

2018 conclusions for outdoor over-winter spinach plantings: Grow Avon or Reflect. Both did equally well. For simplicity, maybe drop Avon.

Outdoors in early spring, we transplanted 4 beds with Avon, Acadia, Escalade, Renegade, Reflect:

3/21/18: Reflect looked really good. Acadia, Escalade, Renegade not so good.

4/26/18:

• Bed 15W all Avon looks good. Good size, good color.
• Bed 16W has 3 rows Avon, 1 row Renegade (north). Renegade is smaller and lighter color – a more yellowish cast.
• Bed 20W mostly Reflect, doesn’t look that good, partly because of lots of weeds. Avon the same.
• Bed 23W 2 rows Reflect (south), 1 row Acadia, 1 row Escalade (north). Escalade is smaller 4/26.

5/2/18:

• Bed 15W all Avon Good size, but all yellow, especially south edge. May have drowned. Only slightly pointy.
• Bed 16W has 3 rows Avon, 1 row Renegade (north) Both varieties are very yellow (drowned?)
• Bed 20W all Reflect, less yellow than Avon in the other beds.
• Bed 23W 2 rows Reflect (south), 1 row Acadia, 1 row Escalade (north).
• Reflect is really good where not drowned, if a little pointy.
• Acadia is even better than Reflect, also a bit pointy.
• Escalade is still smaller than Reflect and Acadia, also less pointed.
• Both Acadia and Escalade are a darker color than Reflect.

2018 conclusions for outdoor spring spinach plantings:

• Avon wins over Renegade on 4/26
• Reflect wins over Acadia, Escalade on 3/21 and 4/26.
• No winner between Avon and Renegade on 5/2
• Reflect wins over Avon on 5/2.
• Reflect and Acadia win over Escalade for current productivity on 5/2. Of the two, Acadia has better color.
• Escalade may win later as more bolt-resistant.

We don’t like smooth-leaved spinach as much, so maybe we’ll drop Renegade.

Reflect and Acadia did well for spring outdoor plantings. Maybe drop Avon. Maybe grow mostly Reflect and some Acadia for May harvests? Escalade may be more bolt-resistant, and warrant growing one bed of four. If not, drop Escalade for spring outdoor planting?

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My earlier blogposts about spinach variety trials

Oct 4, 2016: Three spinach varieties (Tyee, Avon, Chevelle)

October 2016:  Sowing Tyee, Avon, Chevelle

Feb 21, 2017 : Spinach overwintered in a coldframe; Transplanting the last Tyee, alongside Reflect and Avon this spring.

February 6, 2018: Spinach Variety Trials (Tyee, Chevelle, Avon, Reflect, Renegade, Escalade and Acadia) and Planting Plan. Details of the varieties.

April 10, 2018: Spinach Trials Update