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Spinach: Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Spinach Plants | The Old Farmer's Almanac

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Spinach

Photo Credit
samotrebizan/Getty Images
Botanical Name
Spinacia oleracea
Plant Type
Vegetable
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil pH
Neutral
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Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Spinach

Catherine Boeckmann
December 4, 2023
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Spinach, a super–cold-hardy leafy green, is a popular crop that thrives in fall and even winter in some areas. It can also be planted in very early spring. Learn more about planting and growing nutritious spinach in your home garden.

About Spinach

Spinach has similar cool-season growing conditions and requirements as lettuce, but it is more versatile in both its nutrition and its ability to be eaten raw or cooked. It is higher in iron, calcium, and vitamins than most cultivated greens, and is one of the best sources of vitamins A, B, and C.

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Planting

Spinach tolerates full sun to light shade; prepare soil about a week before planting by mixing in compost. Alternatively, prepare the soil in late summer or early fall, when spinach can also be sown where winters are mild.

When to Plant Spinach

  • Spinach requires 6 weeks of cool weather from seeding to harvest; this generally spring or fall, though many gardeners have better luck in the fall.
  • Although seeds can be started indoors, it is not recommended, as seedlings are difficult to transplant.
  • In the fall, sow seeds when the soil is 70°F or cooler. See our fall planting calendar.
  • Many gardeners can grow spinach throughout the winter if they protect the young plants with a cold frame or thick mulch, then remove the protection when soil temperature in your area reaches 40ºF in spring. Remove the mulch to harvest some spinach then replace the mulch.
  • If planting in the early spring, sow seeds as soon as the ground warms to 40°F. (Cover the soil with black plastic to speed its warming.)
  • To distract leaf miners, sow radish seeds in alternate rows. Leaf miner damage to radish tops does not affect their root growth.
  • Common spinach cannot grow in midsummer as it’s not cool enough. (For a summer harvest, try New Zealand Spinach or Malabar Spinach, two similar leafy greens that are more heat tolerant.)

How to Plant Spinach

  • Sow seeds 1/2 of an inch deep every 2 inches and cover with 1/2 inch of soil.
  • Plant in rows 12 to 18 inches apart or sprinkle over a wide row or bed.
  • Sow every couple of weeks during early spring for a continuous harvest.
Growing
  • Water spinach to keep soil constantly moist.
  • Use row covers to maintain cool soil and deter pests.
  • When seedlings sprout to about 2 inches, thin them to 3-4 inches apart. You can eat the thinnings.
  • Beyond thinning, no cultivation is necessary. Roots are shallow and easily damaged.
  • Water regularly and mulch to retain moisture.
  • When plants reach one-third of their growth, side-dress with a high-nitrogen fertilizer, as needed. Nutrient deficiencies may appear as yellow or pale leaves, stunted or distorted growth, a purpling or bronzing of leaves, leaves dropping early, or other symptoms.
  • In early spring and late fall: Spinach can tolerate the cold; it can survive a frost and temps down to 15ºF (-9°C). (See local frost dates) Young spinach is more tender; cover if cold temps are in the forecast.
Recommended Varieties

There are four main types of spinach suited for spring and fall plantings.

  • Baby-leaf style spinach is tender, with small-size leaves. The variety ‘Baby’s Leaf’ is good for containers; ‘Catalina’ is heat-tolerant and resistant to downy mildew.
  • Savoy spinach has curly, crinkled, dark-green leaves, e.g. ‘Bloomsdale.’ The ‘Winter Bloomsdale’ variety is a crinkled-leaf, fall variety, tolerant to mosaic viruses.
  • Semi-Savoy has slightly crinkled leaves and can be difficult to seed. ‘Melody’ is resistant to cucumber mosaic virus and downy mildew; mildew-resistant ‘Remington’ will grow in spring, summer, or fall; ‘Tyee’ can be planted in spring or fall, and is resistant to downy mildew.
  • Smooth- or flat-leaf (also called plain leaf) varieties have spade-shape leaves. ‘Giant Nobel’ is a plain leaf variety and an heirloom that is slow to bolt; ‘Nordic IV’ is bolt-resistant.
  • Malabar Spinach (Basella alba), a vine, and New Zealand Spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides), a perennial, are two heat-tolerant leafy greens that resemble common spinach; both are heat-tolerant. Grow them in the summer, when common spinach can’t take the heat.
Harvesting
  • Harvest a few outer leaves from each plant (so that inner leaves can develop) when leaves reach the desired size, or harvest the entire plant, cutting the stem at the base.
  • Don’t wait too long to harvest or wait for larger leaves. Bitterness will set in quickly after maturity. Be aware of day length and heat: Increasing daylight (about 14 hours or longer) and warmer seasonal temperatures can cause spinach to bolt (develop a large stalk with narrower leaves and buds/flowers/seeds), which turns the leaf taste bitter. 
  • If spinach starts to bolt, pull the plant and use the leaves. Or try to slow the bolting: Pinch off the flower/seed heads, keep the soil moist, and provide shade.

Spinach. Photo by Deyan Georgiev/ShutterstockHarvesting spinach. Photo by Deyan Georgiev/Shutterstock.

How to Store Spinach

Fresh spinach leaves are good for up to a week. Too much moisture hastens its demise. So store fresh spinach unwashed and don’t wash until ready to use. Pat dry with a paper towel and put in a freezer bag with the towel to absorb moisture.

Given its short shelf life, spinach is perfect for freezing. Wash, trim off ends and yellowing leaves, blanch, and pack into freezer bags. See how to freeze spinach.

Gardening Products

Wit and Wisdom
  • Phenology, the study of signs, suggests planting spinach when crocuses are blooming.
  • Similarly, in areas where lilacs grow, old-time farmers say to plant spinach when lilacs are in first leaf.
  • Scatter spinach or lettuce seeds around emerging bulb foliage to make wise use of your garden space, and have a leafy green crop at the ready to cover the bare spots left by deadheaded spring flowers.
Pests/Diseases
Spinach Pests and Diseases
Pest/DiseaseTypeSymptomsControl/Prevention
AphidsInsectMisshapen/yellow leaves; sticky “honeydew” (excrement); sooty, black moldGrow companion plants; knock off with water spray; apply insecticidal soap; put banana or orange peels around plants; wipe leaves with a 1 to 2 percent solution of dish soap (no additives) and water every 2 to 3 days for 2 weeks; add native plants to invite beneficial insects
Downy mildewFungusYellow, angular spots on upper leaf surfaces that turn brown; white/purple/gray cottony growth on leaf undersides only; distorted leaves; defoliationRemove plant debris; choose resistant varieties; ensure good air circulation; avoid overhead watering
Leaf minersInsectMeandering blisters in leaves caused by tunneling larvaeRemove infested leaves, weed diligently; use row covers; till soil early in season; rotate crops
Leaf spot (Cercospora)FungusMany small brown spots with red-purple halos on leaves that enlarge and turn gray; centers of spots eventually fall out, leaving the halosDestroy infected plants; weed; avoid overhead watering; ensure good air circulation; rotate crops
Spinach blight (mosaic virus)VirusVaries with plant, but may include stunting, mottled green/yellow/white pattern or ringed spots on leaves; distorted leaf growthDestroy infected plants; choose resistant varieties and certified virus-free seed; use row covers; disinfect tools; weed; control aphids; use mulch
White rustFungusChalk-white blisters mainly on leaf undersides; small, yellow-green spots or blisters, sometimes in circular arrangement, on upper leaf surfaces; possible distortion or galls; stems may also be infectedDestroy infected plants; choose resistant varieties; weed; destroy crop residue; rotate crops
Recipes
Pasta Salad With Spinach and Artichokes
Spinach-Stuffed Tomatoes
Chicken Spinach Salad with Oranges, Dates, and Goat Cheese
Spinach Lasagna
Spinach and Cheese–Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Cooking Notes
  • A pinch of baking soda in the cooking water keeps spinach greener.
  • Refresh wilted spinach by placing it in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes before using it.
  • Spinach boosts your brainpower, but it can hinder iron absorption. For better absorption of iron, eat spinach with orange slices.
  • Raw, young spinach is best in salads and smoothies; more mature spinach is excellent sautéed in heated olive oil.
  • Embrace your leafy greens! Learn more about the health benefits of going green!
Vegetables

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Comments

Kingsley Eyase (not verified)

1 year 6 months ago

Today i learned something new, I appreciate you

tom chase (not verified)

1 year 10 months ago

I've come across "page not found" when accessing in various vegetable articles for "health benefits of going green".
At 82, need all the health I can get. Thanks
Tom

PATTI (not verified)

2 years 3 months ago

I use some baby spinach, salads only as it has barely any flavor. I prefer full-grown old fashioned regular spinach, which has a full earthy flavor and best for cooking and soups. It is now hard to find in the markets, which is a shame. It is a true dark green leafy vegetable giving great nutrition. I have been able to get it in one supermarket chain. Please tell me where I can get this to plant in my garden.

Anne (not verified)

2 years ago

I had the same problem not finding Curly leaf green Spinach; I found some @ Stop&Shop CT; ask the produce manager; ty; :)

Hi Patti, Here is a great source for spinach. This company carries the original and heirloom spinach seeds so I think you’ll find a variety to suit you!

https://www.rareseeds.com/store/vegetables/spinach

Lora D (not verified)

3 years 4 months ago

I have harvested and enjoyed all the spinach I planted (first time grower), do I leave the empty spinach stalk in the ground for next year? Or do I pull it all out and plant new seeds next year?

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!

mike pande (not verified)

4 years 9 months ago

Hi can I use different growth media such as hydroponics, cocoapit and soil to determine the best media for growth and development of spinach?