How to grow spinach

Find out how to grow your own spinach for leafy, healthy pickings, in this practical Grow Guide.

Spinach is high in nutrients and is fast and easy to grow as a cut-and-come again ‘baby-leaf’ vegetable or for larger leaves.

It can be grown all year round if you choose the right varieties and works well in containers too. It tastes delicious when wilted in the pan or as young fresh leaves in a salad.

How to grow spinach

Grow spinach in moist but well-drained soil or compost in partial shade. Sow seeds in a shallow moist drill and cover lightly with soil. Sow spinach successionally every few weeks to ensure a continuous crop. Harvest baby leaves for use in salads or mature leaves to wilt for use in soups and stews.

How to sow spinach seeds

Make a shallow drill in well-prepared, fertile soil in a sunny spot and sow your spinach seeds thinly, approximately 1.5cm deep. Cover seeds with soil and water well. If sowing in rows sow 40cm apart. Cover with cloches or protection if the weather is still cool. Sow a batch every three to four weeks for a regular supply through the growing season.

How to care for spinach

Spinach thrives in fertile soil that doesn’t easily dry out. In hot weather, set up temporary shade for your spinach crop to stop the soil drying out and the crop bolting (running to seed).

After thinning your sowings to 15cm apart, the most important thing is to keep your spinach well watered. For sowings later in the year, protect your spinach seedlings with fleece or a cloche for a supply through the winter months.