By Shelby Shank
Field Editor
For more than a century, the Ritchie family has been growing spinach on their farm in La Pryor. Now in its fourth generation, the family’s legacy continues with Paige Ritchie working alongside her father, Ed Ritchie III.
The Ritchies grow a variety of leafy greens, including collard greens and kale, but spinach remains their primary crop.
“Our operation is mostly all leafy green vegetables, fresh cut and spinach,” Paige said. “We do about 60% spinach and 40% of the other, like organic and leafy, collard greens and kale.”
They grow a few different varieties of spinach but prefer semi-savoy spinach for its texture and taste. This type, with its wrinkled leaves, offers a better taste than the flat-leaf variety commonly found in grocery stores.
The Winter Garden region was once known for its spinach production. In the 1950s and 60s, nearly 70 spinach growers operated in the area. But drought and disease drastically reduced the number of growers, and today, only three farms remain dedicated to growing spinach.
Despite these challenges, the Ritchies persevered, relying on the region’s sandy loam soil and mild temperatures—ideal conditions for growing spinach.
“Spinach grows so well here because of the fertile soil, ample water supply and the mild temperatures which acquitted the name, the Winter Garden,” Ed said.
They begin planting spinach at the end of September and the beginning of October, with their growing season running from November to April.
Even with the ideal soil and climate, winter freezes still pose a serious threat, potentially delaying pro-duction and damaging crops.
“The weather has been warmer and a lot drier than what it used to be, with an occasional cold snap,” Ed said. “This can be very devastating, especially if the crop hasn’t had a chance to acclimate to cold weather.”
Once the spinach is ready for harvest, the Ritchies use a specialized three-bed harvester designed specifically for spinach. This harvester has significantly increased their capacity, tripling the amount of spinach they can harvest in a single pass compared to their old one-bed harvester.
“It works great and efficiently, and it allows us to get in and out of the field quickly,” Paige said.
After harvesting, the spinach is taken to their packing shed and unloaded onto conveyors. From there, graders inspect the leaves for defects and remove any foreign objects.
The spinach then goes through a shake line and air drop to eliminate unwanted smaller leaves and dirt clods before being packed into reusable plastic containers. These are then palletized and moved to a cooling room before being loaded onto refrigerated semi-trucks for transport.
“Our spinach primarily gets shipped to the East Coast and Canada, with a small percentage staying in Texas,” Paige said.
It takes about two to three days for the spinach to reach its destination, where it is then processed, washed and bagged for consumers.
“It’s really satisfying knowing that we’re growing a crop that’s nutritious and that a lot of people enjoy eating,” Paige said.
The Ritchies’ farming legacy dates back to 1910 on the banks of the Rio Grande. In 1924, they began growing spinach and later expanded to Crystal City, once known as the spinach capital of the world due to the establishment of the largest cannery.
Despite the reduction in spinach growers over the years, the Ritchie family has remained steadfast in their commitment to growing spinach.
“Growing spinach is in our blood. It’s something we’ve always done and never wanted to quit doing,” Ed said.
The farm’s name, Tiro Tres Farms, translates to ‘third shot,’ a nickname given to Ed by his father, symbolizing the third generation to take over the farm.
Paige, the fourth generation, initially didn’t see herself returning to the farm after college.
“I saw myself settling down in the city and thought I would study something like finance or accounting,” she said.
However, she switched to agribusiness and eventually found her place back on the farm, working in the office and overseeing various aspects of the farm, including their food safety compliance program and bookkeeping, among other duties.
“I’ve really enjoyed working with my dad. I’ve learned a lot being here, and I wouldn’t trade a minute of it,” Paige said.
And as long as there’s demand for fresh, flavorful greens, their legacy will continue to grow—leaf by leaf.
Meet the Ritchies and see how spinach is harvested in this video.
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