By Hank
Cheshire,
United Kingdom 
2 quickies please :-
1. I've set 12 large spinach seeds 9 inches apart. There are 2 or 3 coming up at each one. Do I leave the best at each point, pull the others up and discard them ?
2. My basil is growing awfully slowly. About 1/2 an inch in 3 weeks. Is this normal ? ( it's in the greenhouse)
3.
4 Jul, 2013
Answers
1] no comment. there are several green plants which are grown as spinach, and all need slightly different conditions.
2] Is the greenhouse heated over night. It has been very chilly. I normally grow mine in the conservatory which benefits from the heat of the house. Also I feed mine with Chempak № 8 which is NPK 12.5 /25 /25 and they grow and grow and grow. Also, I freeze my Basil very successfully. I cut the stem toward the bottom just above a lowest leaf node [ to encourage a second growth ] and carefully detach the leaves and put them into a freezer bag without damage and when they are frozen they can then be crushed and used over the winter etc. Alternativly, make pesto. This also freezes well if it is spooned into ice cubes.
Regards SouthportSmith
4 Jul, 2013
Thanks for the Basil information.
5 Jul, 2013
Thank you both, I'll be looking for Chempak No. 8 tomorrow. And the basil in in an unheated greenhouse.
5 Jul, 2013
Let them grow. Eat the extra plants. Wash in cold water, and place in a saucepan over a very low heat with no
additional water.
Leave to overwinter
and self-seed for next year.
4 Jul, 2013