How to grow spinach

Spinacia oleracea · amaranthaceae family · annual crop

Spinacia oleracea — hero (chairman regenerate) — AI-generated reference image. Have a photo of this plant? Suggest one below.

Growing basics

Spinach is a cool-season crop, usually direct-sown in the garden.

Seeds germinate once soil reaches about 32°F.

Varieties in the library run 39 to 48 days to maturity.

Grows best in full sun.

Frost-hardy: keeps going through freezes.

Space plants 4 to 6 inches apart.

Sources

New England Vegetable Management Guide, Spinach (UMass Extension / nevegetable.org)
Spinach, HGIC 1320, Clemson Cooperative Extension (corroborating Tier-1; states optimum 70°F, inhibition above 85°F, but does not give a minimum, noted as partial conflict on upper optimum)

4 varieties of spinach in the library

Space · Bloomsdale Long Standing · Olympia · Tyee

Each has a full cited page in the library.

Pests and diseases we cover

Spinach/beet leafminer

Identification and treatment for each, with photos, in the library.

Row & Bed covers 4 spinach varieties, each with a cited care timeline and fertilization schedule, identification and treatment for the pest that reaches them, and planting windows worked out for your ZIP.

Set up your garden

See something that does not match your garden? Write to andy@rowandbed.com.