key growing information

Growing Spinach From Seed

How to grow spinach: soil and pH, cool-soil germination, seasonal and winter sowing, transplanting option, spacing, seeding rates, succession, harvest and storage.

By Hensley’s Seed Co. September 3, 2026

Spinach - Key Growing Information

Spinach growing in trials; each year we evaluate for best performance, flavor, and disease resistances.

SCIENTIFIC NAME:

Spinacia oleracea

CULTURE:

Spinach grows in many soils as long as they're moist and fertile, but it doesn't like acidity: keep the pH at 6.0 or higher, ideally 6.5–7.5. It germinates best in cool soil, so start sowing in early spring as soon as the ground can be worked. Summer sowings in soil warmer than 85°F (29°C) may come up poorly or unevenly; if you have to sow in warm weather, watering helps cool the soil and improves germination. Sow in mid to late summer for fall harvests. You can also sow from late summer through winter in protected structures for fall, winter and spring cutting, though growth is much slower. Floating row covers add extra winter protection.DAYS TO MATURITY: Counted from direct sowing. TRANSPLANTING: Direct sowing is standard, but some growers transplant spinach, especially with the Paperpot Transplanter. Transplanting helps secure a full stand when germination has been a problem, whether from warm soil or diseases such as damping off.

DIRECT SEEDING:

For baby leaf, sow 3–5 seeds per inch in rows 2" or more apart. For bunching and full-size plants, sow ½" deep at 10 seeds per foot in rows 12–18" apart.

AVG. DIRECT SEEDING RATE:

Baby leaf at 40 seeds per foot in rows at least 2" apart: 1,000 seeds sow about 25', 5,000 about 125', and roughly 1.2 million seeds per acre. Full size at 10 seeds per foot in 12–18" rows: about 10,000 seeds per 1,000', or 290,000 per acre.

SUCCESSION PLANTING:

For a steady supply, sow every 7–10 days.

HARVEST:

Baby leaf: cut once leaves reach the size you want, usually in 3–5 weeks depending on season and growth rate, cutting above the basal plate so plants regrow. With the right varieties for each season, you can get a second cut. Triple-rinse, sort out torn or broken leaves, and pack. Full size: cut the long stems just above the basal plate, or just below it to harvest the whole plant. With winter spinach, pick the biggest leaves and let the smaller ones size up for later. Full-size spinach sells as loose leaves or in bunches.

STORAGE:

Keeps 10–14 days at 32°F (0°C) and 95% relative humidity.

SIZED SEEDS:

Standard seed unless noted.

SEEDS/LB.:

From 24,800 to 45,800, averaging 38,800.

PACKET:

1,000 seeds per packet, enough for about 25' of baby leaf or 100' of full-size plants.