How to Grow Spinach: Planting, Growing & Harvesting Guide

Hi Lora,
Spinach can be harvested by cutting the outer leaves off periodically and allowing new ones to grow from the center. Spinach is an annual, so once it's done producing leaves, you'll want to pull up the stalks and toss them in the compost. Spinach can actually be planted for two crops a season in most areas--one in the spring, and one in late summer/early fall. When the days start to cool off a little, try planting new seeds for a fall harvest!

Certainly try them—and let us know how each goes.

Hi Fayez,

Unfortunately, spinach is a cool-season crop and does not tolerate hot temperatures well (especially temperatures as high as 35°C / 95°​​​​​​​F). When grown in hot weather, spinach tends to "bolt"—in other words, it will spend all of its energy quickly producing flowers and seeds, rather than the tender, edible leaves.

Heat-tolerant greens that are similar to spinach include New Zealand spinach (Tetragonia) and Malabar spinach (Basella), but you should be aware that these are NOT related to the spinach (Spinacea oleracea) that's commonly grown in temperate gardens. Perhaps your school would allow you to grow one of these warm-weather greens instead?

Basically if your spinach looks healthy, then it is probably happy. But if you suspect a problem, a good place to start is to get your soil tested. The results will tell you if your soil has any deficiencies. You might check your county's Cooperative Extension Service (see http://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-serv... ), which may offer information on this topic. In general, spinach likes quite a bit of nitrogen and moist, not soggy, soil. A soil pH of between 6.2 to 6.8 also helps. Nutrient deficiencies may appear as yellow or pale leaves, stunted or distorted growth, purpling or bronzing of leaves, leaves dropping early, or other symptoms. Hope this helps!

Please enjoy our blog on this subject: http://www.almanac.com/blog/celestes-garden/freezing-greens

Spinach likes cook conditions; too hot for too long and it will bolt. But even in the best conditions, it won't produce leaves endlessly. The harvest season, and the best conditions, also depend on the variety. Ballpark estimate of harvest season in ideal conditions: six to eight weeks. You might find more help below—there is lots of information there, including, maybe, the variety you are growing.

Kale starts best in cooler conditions, and it might appear to slow down in heat. Here, too, the harvest season, and the best conditions, also depend on the variety. You might find more help here; be sure to read the questions and answers at the bottom of the page, too—there is lots of information there, including, maybe, the variety you are growing: http://www.almanac.com/plant/kale

You can find New Zealand spinach (not a true spinach) offered by various mail-order companies, such as Burpee, Victory Seeds, etc. Search the Web for "New Zealand spinach" and it should turn up a few options for companies.

There are many methods for prepping spinach for the freezer, but we prefer to steam it. Thoroughly wash the spinach and then dry completely. Trim the stems, chop leaves if desired, then steam in batches for 2 minutes each bunch. Place the leaves in ice water for about 1 minute after steaming. Thoroughly dry (a salad spinner is good for this part) and then measure and put into freezer bags, labeling each bag with the amount of spinach.

Glad to hear that the info here is helpful.

Hope this is too: Your geography is not as important as your soil temperature. So, January or February, early-spring harvest spinach seeds shouldn't get planted until the ground is thawed and will be 40°F or warmer (but not over 70°; see above).

As for other options, most leaf greens seed packages suggest that planting is possible "when the soil can be worked" but even then you need minimum temps. Browse the seed packet displays, choose a few that appeal, and follow the instructions. (Not sure if we have guidance on every single one but you can check.) It's important that the ground not refreeze one the seeds are sown. All of this also presumes that you have ideal soil conditions and sun, of course.

Nothing stirs interest in salad greens quite like the longer days of midwinter. Good luck!

Hi! I live in Arkansas around the Clinton area. You can also plant spinach in hanging baskets or window planters if you want to save space in your garden for other veggies :). This is our first year to plant a garden (fingers crossed!) . The guy we bought plants from (who sells to every successful gardener I know) suggested to soak 1/8 teaspoon seeds in 1teaspoon sugar for 1 minute. Then sprinkle the sugar mix in the baskets and gently brush hands over dirt. Once seeds sprout good, thin to 10-12 plants in your 10-12" basket. Also for our area in NWA, when the hickory tree buds swell, plant your cabbage, squash (plant 1 dill next to squash), broccoli, oh I'm forgetting a few others. Once a squirrel can hide in the hickory tree foliage, plant your climbing veggies: cucumber, tomato, pole beans, etc & seeds to other veggies (that's all we can fit in 1 of our first small garden beds). If it's worked for decades for this guys family I'm going to try it! Thought I'd share :). I'm excited to see what our harvest will be like!

Also. I was looking to use gutters to create the rows. Is this a good idea and healthy? Just seems to make sense. TY again.

I would harvest the entire crop. If one spinach had started to bolt, it is likely because of the heat. Here in Southern California, my spinach bolted in March. If one has started to bolt, the rest will follow shortly after. If you wait, they will be too bitter to eat

Spinach does not like hot weather, so hopefully you have your plants in the shade. Harvest the leaves when they reach desired size. Don’t wait too long to harvest, or wait for larger leaves; bitterness will set in quickly after maturity. The whole plant can be harvested at once, and cut at the base, or leaves may be picked off the plants one layer at a time, giving inner layers more time to develop.

Roy, I don't think this was spinach unless it was born in a fictional land for Popeye the Sailor! The height for most varieties is 10 to 12 inches.

Perhaps what you had was Gynura Procumbus? Also known as “Longevity Spinach “ :)

Unfortunately, as I understand it, once a spinach plant starts to bolt, you can't reverse it. Spinach begins to bolt due to increasing daylight (about 14 hours or longer) as well as warmer temperatures. You can continue to harvest the leaves for now until they become too bitter; in late summer (after temperatures have cooled a bit) or early fall, you can plant some more for a fall crop.

In general, harvest the outer leaves to allow the inner ones to develop further. However, if the plant develops a large stalk with buds/flowers/seeds (called bolting), then you should pull the entire plant and use the leaves as you can. The leaves on the stalk will look narrower. When a spinach plant starts to bolt, it makes the leaves bitter. You can try to slow the bolting by pinching off the flower/seedheads as they appear, or keeping the plant moist and providing a little shade if the weather gets too warm.

Bolting can be caused by stress, warm temperatures, or daylight longer than about 14 hours (which happens in many areas of the US around May). Because of this, spinach is best planted in early spring or fall, when it is cooler and the days are shorter.

There is no limit to your harvest, Haifa. The plants might wilt in high heat and low moisture and that could signal the end. But pick leaves of any size (always leaving a few little ones on there), keep the plants well watered, and—depending on the variety—you should have many weeks of harvest. Depending on your first frost date (if indeed you live in an area that has frost), you might even squeeze in a second season. Check your frost date here (this is set for Kansas City; key in your location on the page): http://www.almanac.com/content/frost-chart-united-states/...

Then, if you are likely to get a fall frost, count the days that back into summer based on the growth-to-maturity period of your spinach, and plant that second crop.

Enjoy!

Spinach is quite hearty. You can even spread seeds over frozen ground or snow cover in late winter and it will germinate as the soil thaws. We'd plant in early spring!

Spinach is shade-tolerant as it bolts easily in full Sun. It grows best with 3 to 4 hours of Sun.

Try baby spinach and harvest the outmost leaves of each plant and it should last longer.

Hi, Chris, Thanks for consulting us from Bulgaria!

Horseradish and spinach are entirely different in the ground, in cooking, in your mouth. Horseradish is a perennial—it will come back every year, proof that it can survive just about any temp. It has a very strong flavor. Here are a bunch of recipes using it: http://www.almanac.com/search/apachesolr_search/horseradi...

Spinach is an annual: It will die with the first frost. So no, spinach will not survive the temps you cite. It can be used in salads and numerous other dishes. Put the word "Spinach" into the search box on this Web site and you will get lots of advice and ideas and recipes about it.

Hope this helps! Thanks again for reaching out from so far!

Once spinach develops pods, it's done producing but you can let the pods develop and once the plant turns yellow, collect the seeds to replant next season. Your cilantro is also done. Those white blossoms on the green beans are good; the blooms develop into the bean pods.

Spinach is a cold season crop and grows best in spring early-summer and in the fall when temps are cooler. New Zealand Spinach and Malabar Spinach do tolerate some hot weather. Plant the spinach in semi-shade or protect the plants from the hot sun with an umbrella or screen. Depending on where you live you can start some seeds now and hopefully you'll get some nice leaves before the ground freezes.