For some time now we have had spinach leaves as well as other small plants for the diet of both my dad and sister to improve their health

Since we eat a lot of spinach at home, and it's hard to find, my parents know someone who has some plants. They had given her some leaves, but after a while, they asked if she could get them some plants and seeds so we could grow them here. She gave them three small plants and some seeds, which she planted in a pot. Right now, we have these plants in what would be a seed tray, ready to be transplanted once they've grown a bit more.

Speaking of the three plants that were given to us earlier, they've been planted and have had mixed results. Two of them are growing very well; we've even harvested some leaves for making tortillas, salads, and smoothies. But there's a catch, or rather, since we've never had one at home before and we're always learning about gardening, I'd like your help with two things I need to know: is it better for them to grow at ground level, or could they benefit from other plants? Also, as you can see in the photos, some insects are eating their leaves, so if anyone knows of a natural remedy to prevent insects from getting to the plants, please leave it in the comments section.

There's also one that's just now starting to grow well, but compared to the others, it's definitely far behind. So, friends of the #hivegarden community, remember to give me your advice in the comments section so I can harvest bigger leaves and help both my dad and my sister recover from their respective health problems.