Spinach: when to sow, plant out and harvest
Sowing, planting and harvest dates for your climate, good and bad companions, growing tips.
When to sow in your region
Average dates, computed from the frost dates of each climate. For your exact dates, choose your town.
| Climate | Sow under cover | Sow outdoors | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern France | 4 March – 24 March | 18 March – 31 March; 22 September – 19 October | 25 March – 7 April | 1 April – 30 June; 1 October – 30 April |
| Atlantic coast | 22 February – 14 March | 8 March – 21 March; 26 September – 23 October | 15 March – 28 March | 22 March – 20 June; 5 October – 20 April |
| Eastern France | 24 February – 16 March | 10 March – 23 March; 20 September – 17 October | 17 March – 30 March | 24 March – 22 June; 29 September – 22 April |
| Mediterranean | 21 January – 10 February | 4 February – 17 February; 12 October – 8 November | 11 February – 24 February | 21 October – 19 May |
| Mountains (around 1,000 m) | 29 March – 18 April | 12 April – 25 April; 21 August – 17 September | 19 April – 2 May | 26 April – 25 July; 30 August – 25 May |
Growing
- Family
- Amaranthaceae
- Latin name
- Spinacia oleracea
- Cold tolerance
- Hardy (withstands frost)
- Soil temperature to germinate
- 2 °C minimum
- Emergence
- 6–14 days
- Between rows
- 25–30 cm
- In the row
- 10–15 cm
- To harvest
- 40 days
Companion planting
The level of evidence is shown for each pairing: many rest on tradition rather than on studies.
Good neighbours
- French bean (bush or climbing)Tradition
- CabbageTradition
- CeleryTradition
- Coriander (cilantro)Tradition
- Eggplant (aubergine)Tradition
- OnionTradition
- PeaTradition
- RadishTradition
- StrawberryTradition
- TurnipTradition
Keep apart
- BeetrootTradition
- Florence fennelTradition
- GarlicTradition
- SunflowerTradition
- Swiss chardTradition
Sources
- Aujardin.info — Le calendrier du potager (reference: Île-de-France)
- Jardiner Malin — Calendrier de semis et récolte au potager
- La Bonne Graine (seed company) — Le calendrier des semis et des plants
- The Old Farmer's Almanac — Planting Calendar (New York City, last frost Apr 3; cross-checked with Minneapolis, last frost Apr 30)
- Colorado State University Extension — Vegetable Planting Guide
- Oregon State University Extension — Soil temperature conditions for vegetable seed germination (from the UC Davis/Harrington data)
- Tous au potager — Distance de plantation des légumes : tableau des espacements
- Utah State University Extension — Lettuce in the Garden; Spinach in the Garden
- University of Maryland Extension — When to Plant Vegetables (central Maryland calendar, first frost Oct 25)
- RHS — Grow your own vegetable guides (broad beans, peas, onions, garlic, cabbages, spinach, rhubarb)
- The Old Farmer's Almanac — Vegetable growing guides (garlic, shallots, onions, spinach, peas, lettuce, kale, radishes, carrots, beets, swiss chard, kohlrabi, bok choy, fennel, cabbage, mustard greens, rutabagas, rhubarb, mint, cilantro)