which were killed off by the extreme weather this year, still rise up from the allotment as savagely as the burnt trees in a Paul Nash war painting. So not a buttered kale leaf or a piece of purple sprouting has passed my lips this year and I may even have to resort to buying some, although the commercial crop probably met the same fate. I am firmly in the ‘hungry gap’ between winter and summer crops and this year the gap is wider than usual.

But shortly my rows of spinach will come to my rescue just as they did for Popeye. I will be “strong to the finish when I eat my spinach” and I should be able to start to pick in six weeks given warm, moist conditions. I am at the mercy of the weather, however, because spinach does best in ambient conditions. If the next few weeks are dry with high daytime temperatures, followed by much cooler nights, my stressed spinach may well bolt. It will forget about producing leaves and go straight into flower and my beetroot and chard might well follow suit because these two crops are closely related. Once crops bolt (and onions and leeks pull the same trick) they may as well be dug up. So my hungry gap will be even longer.

There are sensible ways to avoid bolting. Firstly, you could opt for a bolt-resistant variety like beetroot ‘Boltardy’, spinach ‘Tetona’ (from Dobies) and spinach ‘Spokane’ (from Thompson & Morgan). These varieties are more tolerant of drier springs. Or you could succession sow every two weeks on the basis that some of the rows are likely to get the right weather at the right stage. Also all seeds sown after Midsummer’s Day (June 21) are less likely to bolt. Or you can add a nitrogen-rich fertiliser to boost leafy growth. Use blood fish and bone, or horn and hoof, or a seaweed-based food when sowing. If you’ve enriched the soil with garden compost or well-rotted manure this will also help.

Some of you may loathe spinach. But freshly-picked, young leaves (ones that go from plot to plate in minutes) have a soft flavour when steamed. Spinach must be picked young to avoid the teeth-tingling sensation caused by too much oxalic acid, a tart substance which builds up in older leaves. Rhubarb eaten after late spring has the same effect on the palate.

Spinach is good for you, too. One helping will provide an excellent source of folic acid, potassium and magnesium, as well as vitamin K, carotenes, vitamin C and lutein: the latter is important for healthy eyes. The leaves are also rich in iron. However the more oxalic acid present the harder it is for the body to access the iron. Drinking orange juice with spinach is said to help improve iron absorption. If this doesn’t convince you, all green vegetables contain chlorophyll and this gives the body cells a boost of oxygen. The leaves are also a good source of fibre.

Spinach seeds are quite large and easy to handle and they can be sown thinly in situ in drills. In warm conditions they will germinate easily from March until July. Once they are up, thin the seedlings to 5cm (2in) when large enough to handle: these thinnings can be eaten in salads. Varieties vary in leaf shape and thickness, so once you find one you like, stick to it.