Q: A friend told me he read in your vegetable book that we should cover the dirt with a board after planting spinach seeds. How long do we leave the board on?

A: Spinach seed are notorious for sporadic germination. They sprout best when surrounded constantly by moist soil at 65 degrees. A board helps shade the soil. Remove the board every day to gently but lightly water the seed row, which helps keep everything cool on warm fall days. If things are to the seeds’ liking, they will germinate in five to seven days.