When to plant

• Sow seeds outdoors about 6 weeks before your average last spring frost.
• It can also be grown as a fall crop, timed back from your first fall frost.
• Ready to harvest about 40 days after planting.
• Sow again every 2 weeks for a steady harvest.

Very cold hardy. Bolts as days get long.

Frost dates depend on where you live. Enter your ZIP code to get exact dates.

Dates by zone: 3a 3b 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a 9b 10a 10b

Growing basics

Sun

Shade

Spacing

3–6 in

Soil temperature

At least 40°F

Time to harvest

About 40 days

Containers

At least 1 gallons

Plant family

Beet and spinach family

Harvest per plant

About 0.1 lb

Seeds keep

About 2 years

Companions

Good neighbors: Strawberry (everbearing), Peas, Radish

Keep apart: Horseradish. Horseradish spreads aggressively. Give it its own spot.

Keep apart: Mint. Mint spreads aggressively into neighbors. Keep it in a pot.

Keep apart: Fennel (bulb). Fennel slows the growth of most garden plants. Grow it on its own.

Keep apart: Sunchoke (Jerusalem artichoke). Sunchokes spread aggressively and shade neighbors.

Varieties to try

• Space 37 days: smooth leaf, fast
• Bloomsdale 45 days: savoyed, heirloom
• Giant Winter 45 days: cold-hardy, for fall

Pests and problems

Grow it well

• Build a cold frame
• Make a low tunnel with row cover

Tips

• Tuck quick crops between slow ones. Radishes, lettuce, and spinach are ready in 4 to 8 weeks, before young tomatoes, squash, or broccoli grow big enough to need the space around them.
• Shade cool-weather crops in summer. Lettuce, spinach, and cilantro bolt (go to seed) in heat. Shade cloth over hoops keeps them growing weeks longer.
• Pick greens from the outside in. Take the outer leaves of lettuce, kale, chard, and collards, and leave the center to keep growing. One planting keeps giving for weeks.

All 4 tips for spinach →

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