When to Plant Spinach
Sow spinach outside 2 to 6 weeks before your last frost, and again 6 to 10 weeks before your first fall frost for a fall crop.
Spinach at a glance
- Sow outside
- 2 to 6 weeks before your last frost
- Fall sowing
- 6 to 10 weeks before your first fall frost
- Time to harvest
- 40 to 50 days from sowing
- Harvest lasts
- about 5 weeks
- Spacing
- 9 per square foot
- Frost
- Takes hard frosts
Growing spinach
Spinach likes cool weather, rich soil and steady moisture. Sow the seeds half an inch deep, keep the bed weeded while the young plants get going, and start picking when each plant has five or six leaves, working from the outside in.
Dates by hardiness zone
Typical dates for each zone; your ZIP code gives your own.
| Zone | Sow | Sow for fall | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3a | Apr 16 – May 14 | Jul 6 – Aug 3 | May 26 – Jul 3 · Aug 15 – Sep 22 |
| Zone 3b | Apr 5 – May 3 | Jul 17 – Aug 14 | May 15 – Jun 22 · Aug 26 – Oct 3 |
| Zone 4a | Mar 31 – Apr 28 | Jul 20 – Aug 17 | May 10 – Jun 17 · Aug 29 – Oct 6 |
| Zone 4b | Mar 27 – Apr 24 | Jul 23 – Aug 20 | May 6 – Jun 13 · Sep 1 – Oct 9 |
| Zone 5a | Mar 22 – Apr 19 | Jul 27 – Aug 24 | May 1 – Jun 8 · Sep 5 – Oct 13 |
| Zone 5b | Mar 20 – Apr 17 | Aug 1–29 | Apr 29 – Jun 6 · Sep 10 – Oct 18 |
| Zone 6a | Mar 18 – Apr 15 | Aug 7 – Sep 4 | Apr 27 – Jun 4 · Sep 16 – Oct 24 |
| Zone 6b | Mar 12 – Apr 9 | Aug 13 – Sep 10 | Apr 21 – May 29 · Sep 22 – Oct 30 |
| Zone 7a | Mar 5 – Apr 2 | Aug 16 – Sep 13 | Apr 14 – May 22 · Sep 25 – Nov 2 |
| Zone 7b | Feb 22 – Mar 22 | Aug 23 – Sep 20 | Apr 3 – May 11 · Oct 2 – Nov 9 |
| Zone 8a | Feb 15 – Mar 15 | Aug 29 – Sep 26 | Mar 27 – May 4 · Oct 8 – Nov 15 |
| Zone 8b | Feb 3 – Mar 3 | Sep 4 – Oct 2 | Mar 15 – Apr 22 · Oct 14 – Nov 21 |
| Zone 9a | Jan 19 – Feb 16 | Sep 17 – Oct 15 | Feb 28 – Apr 7 · Oct 27 – Dec 4 |
| Zone 9b | Dec 21 – Jan 18 | Oct 6 – Nov 3 | Jan 30 – Mar 9 · Nov 15 – Dec 23 |
| Zone 10a | Dec 13 – Jan 10 | Oct 18 – Nov 15 | Jan 22 – Mar 1 · Nov 27 – Jan 4 |
| Zones 10b–11b | Frost is rare here, so grow spinach in the cooler months, from fall to early spring. | ||
Good neighbors
Questions about spinach
Why do my spinach seeds not come up?
Spinach seed sprouts poorly in warm soil. Sow it in cool soil in early spring or late summer, and keep the bed moist until the seedlings appear.
Can spinach grow through winter?
In many places, yes. Spinach sown in late summer takes frost well; under a row cover it often keeps going through much of the winter and starts again in early spring.
