Whatever type, fresh spinach should be crisp, succulent and dark green, with a minimum of stems. During the past ten years, a major change has occurred in the type of spinach grown, primarily due to advances in breeding mildew resistance into types adapted to North America. The hybrid varieties show superior vigor, uniformity, bolting resistance and disease resistance compared to the older varieties. The more upright growth habit makes harvesting easier and keeps the leaves cleaner. Seven R is a standard, semi-savoyed cultivar that is best for early spring and fall plantings.
Plants are large and quick-growing.
The erect leaves are good for mechanical harvesting. It is resistant to both race 1 and race 2 of downy mildew. Marathon has a savoy leaf. The leaves are large, dark green, semi-erect and long standing. It is used for both fresh market and processing from late winter and spring plantings.