Spinach has rolled itself into the favorite winter plants category in my garden. When picked fresh it is so good! Spinach is a cold crop, which means it falls into the family of plants that love the cold weather! This makes growing spinach in my zone 7b garden a must!!
One of my favorite spinach's to grow is Gurneys Seed Goliath Spinach. I grow this Spinacia oleracea for its amazingly large buttery leaves that can reach up to 8 inches across while maintaining its sweet tender texture. Spinach can be a bit picky; so, here are some tips for growing this beautiful vegetable in your backyard, kitchen or plot garden.
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- Sow seeds in cool weather when the ground is workable.
- Spinach is super cold-hearted and loves the cold sun! Find a bright spot! Plan for morning shade and afternoon sun in the winter, In spring find a spot with morning sun and afternoon shade as it extends the growing period into hotter weather.
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- Spinach likes well draining rich composted soil. They use lot's of food creating their thick vitamin rich leaves.
- Use a consistent water schedule. Let the ground get semi-dry between watering. They will for sure cry and wilt if you've waited too long.
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- Mulch your babies with fresh leaves or hay in colder weather to allow for a bit of a blanket if needed.
- Once seedlings reach around 2 inches tall thin or transplant leaving 6 to 12 inches between each plant.
- Feed monthly with coffee grinds and Epsom salt. Use a good organic microbes spray. My favorites are shared below!
- Harvest from the outside in. Leave the center of the plant to continue producing more leaves. Or, cut the entire plant at the base leaving the roots to reproduce as long as possible into spring.
Companion planting with Spinach
Beans and Peas add nitrogen to the soil helping with feeding spinach. They are also taller plants and are wonderful to use as companions in spring gardens. Planting spinach below these taller plants in spring can extend the life of spinach with shade as heat arrives.
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- Cabbage, kale, Brussels anything in the Brassicas family.
- Lettuces
- Radishes can act as sacrificial plants near spinach drawing leaf mining insects to them.
- Marigolds on a boarder offer pest protection as well.
- Do NOT grow spinach with plants that need dry soil, they will cancel each other out
- Do NOT grow spinach near potatoes. Well, perhaps be wary. Spinach is a shallow root plant so it can easily be grown with spinach and not impact the potatoes. Potatoes however have a larger pest issue with flea beetles who also love spinach leaves. Therefore, planting spinach with potatoes could very well create a flea beetle issue with your spinach. And spinach is all about the leaves.
Oma's Favorites
From raised beds to garden boots, hats and everything in between below are some of the wonderful companies I'm happy to support. Each of these products can be found actively used in my everyday gardens. If you have any questions about how I use them just reach out. They have also graciously provided me a code in many cases that provides a discount if you choose to try them. In some cases I do make a small percentage for purchases you may make. In turn I'm able to offer these discounts and continue sharing tips for your own home gardens.
