Pick Times for Spinach

Harvest Time

• Pick spinach leaves as soon as they are large enough to use. A mature plant will resemble a rosette with five to six stems. Young leaves are better tasting than if harvested very late. If there is emergence of a seedstalk, remove the entire plant as early as possible. Spinach foliage starts to deteriorate when flowers appear. Pick only the side leaves of younger plants and let the center continue growing or remove entire plant like a lettuce head. It is best to harvest the whole plant if extended hot weather is expected.

Soil

• Spinach adapts to well-drained, light or heavy, fertile soil. Plants in heavy, cooler and moist soils are less prone to bolting. Amend any type of soil with organic material like compost or a 10-10-10 commercial fertilizer prior to planting. The soil does not require amending to a greater depth since spinach plants are very shallow rooted. Spinach prefers a soil pH ranging between 6.0 and 7.0. Add lime to very acidic soil to improve pH levels.

Planting Time

• Sow spinach very early in spring as soon as the soil can be worked and continue planting for several weeks to provide extended harvest until the heat of summer. For an early winter harvest, sow seeds during late summer. Stratify seeds in the fridge for one to two weeks before sowing in summer. In areas with very cold weather preparing the ground before the soil freezes allows seed to be broadcast over the frozen ground during late winter. The plants then germinate as soon as the soil starts to thaw in spring.

Sowing Suggestions

• Plant the seeds at a depth of ½ inch and use 12 to 15 seed for every foot of row. Let plants get 1-inch-tall before thinning to 2 to 4 inches. If you prefer to harvest the entire plant rather than the side foliage, decrease spacing. Recommended row distance is about 1 foot. Use straw for mulching. Avoid acidic mulch materials like peat moss, bark or sawdust.