Growing Spinach, also English spinach

Spinacia oleracea : Amaranthaceae / the amaranth family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
      P       P P      

(Best months for growing Spinach in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 50°F and 77°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 8 - 12 inches apart
  • Harvest in 5-11 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Broad beans (fava), cabbage, cauliflower, celery, eggplant (aubergine), onion, peas, strawberry, santolina
  • Baby spinach
  • Young spinach

Green leaf crop. Spinach grows best in cooler weather and quickly runs to seed in warm weather. Can be sown in Fall/Autumn and overwintered if protected by mulch. Not recommended to grow in warm areas. Alternatives suitable for warm areas are Swiss Chard (Silverbeet) or NZ spinach.

Will not grow well in acid soil.

Succession sowing will provide a supply through the winter months.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Spinach

Use young leaves in salad.
Steam and add to other vegetables.

Your comments and tips

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02 Jun 23, Pete (Australia - temperate climate)
Perpetual Spinach. This year I planted some perpetual spinach in a fairly large pot. It has grown quite well but the leaves are quite bitter. I have grown Pepetual Spinach in my Veg plot and the leaves were fine, however everything wanted to eat it. Hence planting in a pot any ideas?. Cheers Pete
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17 Apr 21, GERRIT (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
HOW BIG SHOULD SPINACH BE BEFOR TRANSPLANTED INTO GARDEN
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24 Apr 21, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
At the 4-6 true leaf stage. They need a good root system. You can plant earlier but you need to look after them a lot more. A little protection from the sun the first week helps. If possible plant late afternoon. A light watering morning and afternoon. Where I live the max and min temperatures have dropped approx 5-6 degrees over the last 3 weeks, makes it easier to plant crops.
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19 Apr 21, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Best to transplant when they have 4-6 true new leaves - about 3-4 weeks after germination.
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21 Sep 20, Krish Singh (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate)
Can Spinach be grown successfully in areas where there is only a dry and a wet season. I see Swiss Chard grown, here.
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27 Sep 20, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Go to your South African spinach page and it tells you when to plant.
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17 Feb 20, Jett hook (Australia - temperate climate)
Can spinach be grown in northern Victoria
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18 Feb 20, anon (Australia - temperate climate)
Set your climate zone to temperate then select spinach (which you already have done). Read the info provided. There is a monthly calendar there at the top to tell you when to plant.
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16 Jun 18, (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I live in cool area, I’m growing soybeans but I was not very successful, I can not produce sweet soybeans, the seeds were bitter when I try them. Tell me length of time to plant tell harvest to an edible seeds pls.
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16 Jun 18, Mike L (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Seeing they are not discussed here I suggest you try googling
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