How to Plant Spinach in a Fall Garden

Place the spinach seeds in the refrigerator and keep them chilled for 1 to 2 weeks before you plant them.

Till the soil to loosen it and provide aeration. Remove any plant roots and seeds from the soil to prevent them from interfering with the new seeds.

Plant the seeds about ½ inch under the soil by pressing the seeds gently into the prepared soil. The seeds should be planted in rows that are about 1 foot apart. Plant about 12 seeds for each foot in each row. This may create overcrowding in some cases, but it allows for a thinning of the seedlings that will strengthen the crop as a whole. Water the seeds lightly, using either a misting spray or by laying the hose on the ground to soak the area. Spraying the seeds too roughly can cause them to be swept away by the water.

Thin out the weaker seedlings once the plants have grown to 1 inch in height. The thinned plants should be 2 to 4 inches apart. You can add some mulch in between the plants to keep moisture in the soil if you live in a very hot climate.

Pick the spinach when it reaches maturity. This will be roughly 2 months after planting for fall spinach. It may be as long as 75 days. Spinach should be harvested before the first solid freeze of the year, which can damage the plants. Spinach can weather several light frost, however, and continue to bear leaves.

Place a thick layer of mulch around the plants before the first hard freeze to keep the ground a warmer temperature once the winter sets in. This will allow the plants to survive the winter and to start bearing leaves again in the spring.