This super-cold-hardy vegetable is a tender crop plantable in very early spring, fall, and winter. Spinach shares lettuce’s growing needs but is more versatile in nutrition and raw/cooked use. Higher in iron, calcium, vitamins than most cultivated greens; one of best sources of Vitamins A, B, C.
Planting Spinach
- Prep soil with aged manure ~1 week before planting, or prepare fall spot for early spring sowing as ground thaws.
- Mild winters: plant fall.
- Indoor seedlings not recommended—difficult transplant.
- Spring: seed as soon as soil workable. Critical: 6 weeks cool weather from seeding to harvest.
- Site: full sun to light shade, well-drained soil.
- Sow ½–1 inch deep, light soil cover. ~12 seeds/ft row, or broadcast wide row/bed.
- Soil ≤70°F for germination.
- Successive plantings every couple weeks early spring. Common spinach fails in midsummer.
- Summer types: New Zealand Spinach, Malabar Spinach.
- Mid-August for fall crop, ensure cool soil.
- Northern climates: early-spring harvest if planted just before fall cold. Protect with cold frame/thick mulch winter, remove when soil reaches 40°F.
- Water new plants well in spring.
Care
- Fertilize only if slow growth or pH inadequate. Use at ⅓ growth.
- At 2 inches, thin to 3–4 inches apart.
- No cultivation beyond thinning—shallow roots damage easily.
- Mulch for moisture.
- Water regularly.
- Survives frost, temps to 15°F.
Pests and Diseases
- Leaf Miners: Radishes attract leaf miners away from spinach. Miner damage to radish leaves doesn’t affect radish roots.
- Bolting
- Mosaic Virus/Blight
- Downy Mildew
Harvest and Storage
- Watch plants. Harvest at desired leaf size.
- Don’t wait—bitterness sets in fast after maturity.
- Whole plant at once (cut at base) or pick leaves layer by layer for inner growth.
Recommended Varieties
- ‘Giant Nobel’: plain leaf.
- ‘Winter Bloomsdale’: crinkled leaf, fall, mosaic virus tolerant.
- ‘Tyee’: spring or fall, downy mildew resistant.
Wit & Wisdom
- March 26, 1937: Popeye statue unveiled at Crystal City, TX spinach festival.
- Where lilacs grow, old farmers say plant spinach when lilacs first leaf.
- Scatter spinach/lettuce seeds around emerging bulbs to use space, cover bare spots from deadheaded spring flowers.
- Embrace leafy greens! Health benefits of going green.
Cooking Notes
- Pinch baking soda in cooking water keeps spinach greener.
- Spinach boosts brainpower; hinders iron absorption. Eat with orange slices for better iron uptake.
