Planting Spinach
Spinach is a cool season vegetable in the Amaranthaceae family. Getting the timing right is the difference between a strong stand and a disappointing one, so the windows below are given relative to your own last spring frost and first fall frost rather than a generic calendar date. Look up your local frost dates and count back or forward from there.
You can sow Spinach directly into the garden 4–6 weeks before your last frost.
For a fall crop, sow 6–8 weeks before your first fall frost so plants mature as the weather cools.
Spacing and Planting Depth
Give Spinach room to mature. The figures below come from verified extension and seed-supplier data for typical varieties.
| Spacing in row | 3 inches |
|---|---|
| Row spacing | 12 inches |
| Plants per sq ft | 4 |
| Planting depth | 0.5 inches |
| Sun requirement | Partial sun |
Plan a square-foot bed with Spinach →
Calculate plants in a bed for Spinach →
Days to Maturity
Spinach reaches maturity in 40–50 days from sowing. Once ready, plants continue producing for approximately 21 days.
For a continuous harvest, sow a new batch every 14 days. Use the succession planting scheduler →
Spinach is ready to harvest after about 45 days. Picking regularly over the roughly 21-day harvest window keeps plants productive and encourages a longer pick. Harvest before summer heat or, for fall crops, before a hard freeze, to keep quality high.
Conditions and Care
As a cool-season vegetable, Spinach does its best growing in the cooler weather of spring and fall and tends to bolt or turn bitter in summer heat. It is frost hardy and can shrug off light freezes, so it can stay in the ground later into the season than tender crops.
Spinach grows well in partial sun and tolerates some afternoon shade, which can help slow bolting in warm weather. Sow seed about 0.5 inches deep, then keep the soil evenly moist until seedlings establish.
Spinach belongs to the Amaranthaceae family; rotating where you grow members of this family each year helps limit the build-up of soil-borne pests and disease. Because it matures relatively quickly, Spinach rewards succession sowing: small, repeated plantings keep a steady supply coming rather than one short glut.
See Spinach in the full planting calendar for your ZIP →
Plan crop rotation for Amaranthaceae →
Companion Plants
Pairing Spinach with the right neighbors can improve growth and deter pests; a few combinations are best avoided.
Grows well with: Strawberry, Shelling Peas, Radish
Check Spinach with other crops in your garden →
Related Crops
Other crops you might grow alongside or instead of Spinach.
In the same family
Spinach is in the Amaranthaceae family. Other Amaranthaceae crops in the Gardenable database:
Documented companions
These crops are listed as good growing partners for Spinach:
Similar growing requirements
Crops with similar season and time to maturity — useful if you want a diverse garden on a similar schedule: