WHEN TO PLANT SPINACH

• Spring plantings can be made as soon as the soil can be properly worked. In order to give spinach the required six weeks of cool weather from seeding to harvest, it’s important to seed as soon as you can.
• For proper germination, soil should not be warmer than 70ºF (21°C).
• Successive plantings should be made every two weeks during early spring.
• Gardeners in northern climates can harvest early-spring spinach if it’s planted just before the cold weather arrives in fall. Protect the young plants with a cold frame or thick mulch through the winter, then remove the protection when soil temperature in your area reaches 40ºF (5°F).
• Common spinach cannot grow in midsummer. (For a summer harvest, try New Zealand Spinach or Malabar Spinach, two similar leafy greens that are more heat tolerant.)
• If you live in a place with mild winters, you can also plant in the fall. Wait to plant until soil temps are cool enough.

PREPARING THE PLANTING SITE

• Select a planting site with full sun (or partial sun, at least) and well-drained soil.
• Prepare the garden soil with aged manure about a week before planting, or, you may wish to prepare your spot in the fall so that you can sow the seeds outdoors in early spring as soon as the ground thaws. (Learn more about preparing soil for planting.)

HOW TO PLANT SPINACH

• Although seeds can be started indoors, it is not recommended, as seedlings are difficult to transplant.
• Sow seeds ½-inch to 1-inch deep, covering lightly with soil. Sow about 12 seeds per foot of row, or sprinkle over a wide row or bed.
• Water the new seedlings well in the spring.