Growing Spinach, also English spinach

Spinacia oleracea : Amaranthaceae / the amaranth family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
P P P P       P P P P P

(Best months for growing Spinach in South Africa - Semi-arid regions)

  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 10°C and 25°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 20 - 30 cm apart
  • Harvest in 5-11 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Broad beans (fava), cabbage, cauliflower, celery, eggplant (aubergine), onion, peas, strawberry, santolina
  • Baby spinach
  • Young spinach

Green leaf crop. Spinach grows best in cooler weather and quickly runs to seed in warm weather. Can be sown in Fall/Autumn and overwintered if protected by mulch. Not recommended to grow in warm areas. Alternatives suitable for warm areas are Swiss Chard (Silverbeet) or NZ spinach.

Will not grow well in acid soil.

Succession sowing will provide a supply through the winter months.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Spinach

Use young leaves in salad.
Steam and add to other vegetables.

Your comments and tips

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With sudden hot spells in Canberra in March, my spinach seed had limited germination, so I bought 5 punnets of 'Ironman' spinach and planted each punnet clump with a 6 inch spacing to the next in a row of about 2 metres. Sort of cheating, but effective. Will be eating it in four weeks right through to mid September. Wonderful stuff!

- Adrian

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