Fast forward: first harvest and first infestation

Spinach came in fast and furious starting in April.  It's in the rows on the left side.

This was one of the easiest plants to grow.  Clipping leaves from one or two squares per day provided our salad for weeks.  

This bountiful harvest began just as days began getting warm, and occasionally hot.  One day, Roger mentioned he thought the sun was "burning" the leaves.  That's strange.  It definitely looked like something was amiss.

Credit: Shoura Group (did not remember to take pictures of the infected spinach)

Turns out, this is actually a type of fungal infestation.  Unfortunately it spreads easily when spores travel through the air due to rain or watering.  So, we decided to pick all the undamaged leaves and then remove the rest of the crop.  Next year we will look for spinach seeds that are resistant to the fungus.  Also keeping the leaves dry helps avoid the problem, so things like wider spacing between plants and planting in full sun help on that front.