Spinach Growing Guide: from seed to kitchen

How to Grow Spinach

The essential guide to growing spinach (Spinacia oleracea) from seed; with notes on germination, cultivation, harvest and even kitchen uses.

Spinach types at a glance:

English/True (round-leaf) – tender leaves, mild flavour, ideal for raw salads or delicate sautéing. Prefers cool weather, bolts in heat. The classic is 'Bloomsdale'.
Arrow-leaf (Asian/Middle-Eastern lines) – pointed leaves, slightly firmer texture, holds up to stir-fries and can take warmer conditions before bolting. See 'Flamingo'.
Savoyed – heavily crinkled, deep-green leaves, robust earthy taste; great for steaming, soups and freezing. Cold-tolerant and rain-shedding.
Semi-savoy – lightly puckered compromise between savoyed toughness and English tenderness; versatile in kitchen and garden.
Perennial substitutes – New Zealand spinach (Tetragonia) and Malabar spinach (Basella) thrive in summer heat but are botanically different; treat as warm-season greens if true spinach struggles.

Ave. Seeds per Gram: ≈ 100 seeds

Germination Temperature: 4 – 25 °C (best 10–18 °C); emergence in 5 – 10 days.

Feed Requirements:

Cool-season crops: moderate.
Warm-weather sowings (spring/summer): bump to heavy with extra compost for rapid leaf growth.
Spinach favours well-limed soil (pH 6.5 – 7.5).

Growing Notes:

Climate & Timing

Temperate & cool zones: sow Feb–Apr and Aug–Oct for autumn-winter and late-spring harvests.
Sub-tropics: main sowings Apr–Jun; arrow-leaf strains can extend into Jul–Aug.
In heatwaves germination falters – pre-chill seed in the fridge 2 days or keep beds damp and shaded.
Succession-sow every 10 days for steady supply.

Sowing & Spacing

Direct-sow 8 mm deep.
For bunching/family use: thin to 25 – 35 cm apart in rows 40 – 50 cm apart.
For baby-leaf scatter sow densely, then harvest with scissors.

Site & Soil

Free-draining, humus-rich loam in full sun (or light shade in warm months).
Keep beds evenly moist – dry soil and heat trigger bolting and bitterness.

Care

Mulch lightly.
Water at soil level to deter downy mildew.
If growth slows or leaves yellow, foliar spray or side dress with fish/seaweed tea (high in nitrogen).
Promptly remove any plants that start to send up flower spikes.

Common Problems & Fixes:

Slugs & snails ravage seedlings – bait or hand-pick at dusk.
Aphids & whitefly – hose off or spray with potassium soap; encourage ladybirds.
Leaf miners tunnel leaves – remove affected foliage and use row covers.
Downy mildew/bacterial leaf spot in wet spells – maximise airflow, avoid overhead watering, grow resistant varieties.
Bolting in hot, long days – choose arrow-leaf or semi-savoy types, keep soil cool with mulch and irrigation.

Harvesting Notes:

When to Harvest

Baby leaves: 3 – 4 weeks after germination, 10 cm tall.
Mature leaves: 50 – 100 days, depending on season and variety.

How to Harvest

Pick outer leaves individually for cut-and-come-again regrowth or cut whole plants 2 cm above soil.
Harvest in the cool of morning for best crunch.

Storage & Use

Unwashed leaves store up to a week in the fridge crisper inside a perforated bag.
Blanch 2 minutes then freeze for winter quiches, curries or spanakopita.
For salads, plunge just-picked leaves into cold water, spin dry and dress immediately.

Grow your own spinach for a year-round hit of iron-rich greens – whether it’s cool-weather English leaves or arrow-leaf bunches that shrug off the Aussie sun, there’s a spinach to suit every patch and plate.