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How to grow spinach at home


How to grow spinach: indoors or outdoors for healthy leaves

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It is easy to learn how to grow spinach and the tasty homegrown leaves are packed with nutrients, such as vitamins A, C, iron and calcium and 13 compounds that function as antioxidants and cancer fighting agents – making it an excellent choice to add to your vegetable garden ideas. 

Quick and easy to grow, you could be enjoying spinach leaves within six to eight weeks of planting. With many different varieties to choose from, if you plan carefully, and sow different types successionally, you could enjoy the green nutritious leaves year round. 

An ideal crop for vegetable garden container ideas, spinach can be grown as cut-and-come-again baby leaves to enjoy in salads or sandwiches, or leave the leaves to grow larger and mature to use in cooking, such as to add to pasta dishes or use as a side vegetable. It is a productive and highly versatile crop, making growing spinach a popular choice for small vegetable garden ideas, where every inch of space needs to be used to the best advantage.  

How to grow spinach

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There are a number of options for how to grow spinach. You could grow it indoors or outdoors, in pots on a terrace or courtyard along with other salad leaves such as lettuce, among other crops as part of your kitchen garden ideas, or in raised garden beds. 

'Select from one of three types of spinach. The curly leafed savoy, flat leafed or the slightly curly semi-savoy. The flat leafed types generally have the mildest flavor and their smallest leaves are sold as baby spinach,' explains gardening expert Melinda Myers .

When is the best month to plant spinach?

The best month for growing spinach will depend to a certain extent on the hardiness zone where you live. However, you want to be growing spinach during the cool weather of spring and fall, as it is a cool weather crop. 

Summer spinach cultivars: Plant summer varieties of spinach every few weeks from early until late spring.  

Winter spinach cultivars: Sow hardy winter cultivars from mid summer to early fall. 

The experts at Bonnie Plants provide the following advice for growing spinach twice a year: plant it about four to six weeks before the last frost in the spring, and again six to eight weeks before the first frost in the fall.

By sowing spinach seeds every three to four weeks as part of your planning of when to plant vegetables, you can enjoy a constant supply through the growing season.

How to grow spinach from seed

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First decide on where you want to grow your spinach crops, as some of the smaller varieties are particularly well suited to containers, for instance.  

For success in growing spinach, before sowing the seeds enrich the soil, such as by digging in homemade garden compost and a general fertilizer. This will both help the spinach to grow well, and also prevent the leaves tasting bitter.

'There is no such thing as putting too much compost in garden soil. Mix at least 2-4 inches of compost in the row before planting,' advises Simon Crawford, breeder at Burpee Europe .

'The key to success begins with getting the plants off to a good start. Plant the right varieties in a rich, organic soil. Supply lots of moisture, and don't be shy about fertilizing. Vigorous spinach is tasty spinach,' adds Simon.

Follow these steps for how to grow spinach from seed:

‘Spinach can be cut again and again and last for months and months. I sow seeds deliberately quite thickly as a cut and come again salad crop. It’s important to keep them well watered and that way you will get delicious growth,' advises Monty Don in a video for Gardeners' World .

Growing spinach in raised beds

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Choosing raised beds for growing spinach can get round the problem of your garden having poor soil or the wrong soil type for crops to grow successfully – as spinach prefers a neutral to alkaline soil.

Raised beds offer good drainage and are also easily manageable as a low maintenance garden border idea. You can fill them with rich, organic soil, working in 2-4 inches of compost prior to planting spinach seeds.

As above, sow spinach seeds in a shallow drill about 1 inch deep, each row about 14 inches apart. When seedlings are large enough to handle, thin them out to about 3 inches apart. Water and fertilize the plants regularly.

How to grow spinach in pots

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For how to grow spinach in pots, choose a wide pot or trough so that you can space out the spinach plants, and one that is about 6-8 inches deep. Spinach works well growing in pots alongside herb planter ideas.

'One of the great advantages of container growing is that it is easy to extend the growing season. Many plants will benefit from the additional warmth found close to the house,' says Aaron Bertelsen, gardener and cook at Great Dixter and author of Grow Fruit & Vegetables in Pots: Planting advice and recipes from Great Dixter .

How to grow spinach indoors

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It is easy to grow spinach indoors on a windowsill. If you are growing herbs indoors then place your spinach crops by these so you can tend to them all at the same time.

If planting in fall, place the pots on a sunnier windowsill as there are fewer hours of sunlight. Do not allow the plants to get too cold or too hot – so do not place directly above a radiator, for instance.

If planting spinach in spring, then position the pot where it will get some shade. 

Sow spinach seeds in a pot at least 6 inches deep, and plant seeds at a depth of 1/2 inch, with each plant spaced about 3 inches apart. Keep the spinach plants well watered, although do not allow the soil to get waterlogged.

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How often should you water spinach?

You should water and fertilize spinach plants regularly, but try to avoid getting the leaves wet. The is to keep the soil moist but not soggy. Regular watering is especially important in periods of warm weather to prevent the plants from 'bolting' or producing flowers – if they do so the leaves will taste bitter.

Other ways to care for spinach include:

Harvesting spinach

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You can harvest spinach between 6 to 10 weeks after sowing. If you sow successionally in spring and fall, you can have spinach to harvest throughout the year. 

Summer spinach cultivars – you can generally pick summer varieties of spinach from May to October, depending on the climate in the area where you live.

Winter spinach cultivars – these can be harvested between October and April. 

'Harvest a few leaves at a time from each plant. This will allow the plants to continue producing all season,' advises Simon Crawford. 

This makes spinach a great crop to grow when gardening with children as they can continue to enjoy the fruits of their labors. This is the same as for other cut-and-come-again salad leaves, or if you're growing basil, or other leafy herbs.

Others gardening experts advise to harvest every alternate plant for use in the kitchen, giving the rest more room to grow.

Keep an eye on spinach crops as the plants usually grow quicker in warmer weather.

There are options for how to pick the leaves for a later harvest, much in the same way as when harvesting swiss chard. 'You can cut individual outer leaves when the plants are 3 inches tall and allow the inner leaves to continue to grow for later harvests. Or cut the whole head when the plant is 6 inches tall and wait several weeks for regrowth and a second harvest,' advises Melinda Myers, 

Baby spinach leaves are great for use in salads, whereas mature leaves can be wilted into soups, stews, pasta or risotto dishes, to name but a few. 

Leaves are ideally used directly after harvesting for the best flavor, and any extras can be stored in the fridge for up to 14 days.

Is spinach easy to grow?

If you've ever wondered if spinach is easy to grow, the simple answer is, yes. Like beets, it is a cool weather crop and requires minimal fuss. 

It can be grown all year round if you choose the right spinach varieties and works well in containers, too. While the most cost effective method is to grow spinach from seed, you can buy transplants often at local nurseries, or online, too, in the main growing seasons. 'These young plants will already be well on their way to maturity when you put them in your garden,' explains the experts at Bonnie Plants . 

How long does it take to grow spinach?

Spinach takes about six weeks to grow from being sown to harvesting. 

There are both winter cultivars and summer cultivars of spinach, which are sown and harvested at different times. Choose a variety of each to sow and you can enjoy the leaves all through the year.

'A fast-growing plant, spinach yields many leaves in a short time in the mild weather of spring and fall. The main trick in how to grow spinach lies in making it last as long as possible, especially in the spring, when lengthening days shorten its life,' explain the Bonnie Plants experts.

Does spinach like full sun?

If you are growing winter cultivars of spinach in fall then these prefer full sun to grow well. Summer varieties prefer partial shade as otherwise the leaves can get scorched by hot sun in summer.

Will spinach regrow after cutting?

Spinach will regrow after cutting and if you keep harvesting the leaves, a few at a time, it will continue producing leaves through the season.

Rachel is senior content editor, and writes and commissions gardening content for homesandgardens.com, Homes & Gardens magazine, and its sister titles Period Living Magazine and Country Homes & Interiors. She has written for lifestyle magazines for many years, with a particular focus on gardening, historic houses and arts and crafts, but started out her journalism career in BBC radio, where she enjoyed reporting on and writing programme scripts for all manner of stories. Rachel then moved into regional lifestyle magazines, where the topics she wrote about, and people she interviewed, were as varied and eclectic as they were on radio. Always harboring a passion for homes and gardens, she jumped at the opportunity to work on The English Home and The English Garden magazines for a number of years, before joining the Period Living team, then the wider Homes & Gardens team, specializing in gardens.

How To Grow Spinach Indoors

Spinach is a healthy and tasty vegetable and contains many nutrients that can help treat various diseases and health conditions, such as improving cognitive functions and fatigue. 

It will also increase your choice of leafy greens in the winter months. You can use and prepare it in different ways; young fresh leaves are mostly used for salads, the older and bigger leaves are usually cooked, and the excess leaves can be blanched and frozen, and saved for later. 

And the best part is you don’t need a garden to grow this healthy vegetable. Growing spinach indoors is easy; all you need is a window ledge or balcony. 

Table of Contents

Can You Grow Spinach Indoors Year-Round? 

The best part about growing spinach indoors is that you can grow it all year round, and not only that, spinach plants grow indoors very well.  

All you will need is water, potting soil/potting mix, and seeds. Also, containers, or a small pot or two that are at least 6–12-inches deep. 

Since growing spinach indoors in pots doesn’t need much care, you can grow spinach indoors with little to no experience in gardening and enjoy its health benefits. You just have to provide the right soil or potting mix and fertilizer; also, make sure your spinach plants receive regular water. 

Here are the steps for growing spinach indoors:

Different Types of Spinach That You Can Grow Indoors

First, you should know the three types of spinach plants; you can choose depending on your taste.

When choosing between different varieties of spinach you want to grow indoors, you have to consider how much sunlight you can provide and in what type of climate you live in. 

For a tropical climate, it’s best to choose varieties that perform well in hot and humid weather, such as Catalina, Indian Summer, Bloomsdale longstanding, and Malabar. 

For a more cold climate, it’s better to choose varieties that perform well in cold and winter tolerant types of spinach. These include Winter Bloomsdale and Tyee.

Growing Spinach in Pots

Choose a pot that’s about 6 to 10 inches deep, you don’t need very deep pots, but you’ll need wide pots to give enough room for the spinach plants to continue to grow and spread. 

You should sow spinach seeds about half an inch deep. Spinach seeds will germinate in around 7–14 days. Remember to keep the soil moist and cool during germination; the recommended temperature during germination is about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. 

The key to fast-growing spinach is soil rich in organic matter with compost or fertilizer added to aid water retention. 

Seeds and Planting

If you’re planting spinach for the first time, it’s best to use seeds of different varieties. A week before planting, soak the spinach seeds in warm water for one day. This will increase the chance of seed germination. When you remove them from the water, gently dry them with a paper towel. 

After soaking the seeds in the water, place them in an airtight container and make sure they’re kept in a cool place for a week. This will retain enough moisture for the seeds to complete the first two stages of germination. When your spinach seeds are ready to plant, scatter the seeds around the pot and cover them with half an inch of soil. 

Growing Spinach Seedlings

You’ll need a seed tray or container with cells and universal soil to grow seedlings. Place a seed in each of the cells, at a depth of about half an inch into the soil. Moisten the soil and cover the crops with a film. Keep at the temperature from 65 degrees Fahrenheit to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. After 10 days, remove the film. When you see that your seeds are growing nicely and need additional space, transplant them into pots.

Spacing

You should provide enough space for spinach to grow. If you want to harvest young spinach leaves, then 3 inches will be enough. If you want to pick larger leaves, then give the plants more space, at least 5 to 6 inches.

Soil

When you’re growing spinach in pots or containers, use a loamy soil rich in organic matter. The soil pH should be neutral, and you should avoid soil that clogs the drainage holes; well-draining soil is the best choice to grow spinach indoors. 

Temperature and Light

Spinach is a cool-season crop, so optimal growing conditions should be between 50 degrees Fahrenheit to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Mature plants can even tolerate lower temperatures, down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, but young spinach will bolt when exposed to temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Generally, the best temperature for growth is from 60 degrees Fahrenheit to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you grow spinach on a window sill or balcony, you should expose the plant to direct sunlight for at least 4 to 6 hours per day, depending on the spinach type. Although direct sunlight is best for growing spinach, it will also grow in partial shade. 

If you’re growing spinach indoors without access to sunlight, then LED lights are the best choice. In the early stages, seedlings will require between 14 and 15 hours of light per day, and between 8 and 10 hours of light is recommended for adult spinach plants. 

Watering and Care

Water spinach regularly and avoid exposing it to extreme heat. Try not to wet the foliage and keep the soil moist and not too soggy. Pots with drainage holes are vital for preventing this problem.

Growing spinach indoors doesn’t require any special care; all you need to do is water it regularly and, of course, don’t forget to fertilize to make the spinach grow faster. 

Fertilizing and Mulching

Nitrogen-based fertilizers are best for growing spinach. You can also use a balanced liquid fertilizer or even manure. Fish emulsion, manure tea, or compost will also provide your plant with the needed nutrients and promote growth. Keep in mind that you should apply fertilizers when the spinach has sprouted and not after it’s almost fully grown.

You should also mulch even if you grow spinach in pots; it will help retain moisture and improve the fertility of the soil. But be careful as over mulching can bury and suffocate the plant. 

Pests and Diseases

Since you’ll be growing spinach indoors, you don’t need to worry too much about pests. Still, keep an eye on leaf-eating insects such as Aphids and Leaf miners. 

You can avoid this problem by planting basilic, chamomile, or dill beside your spinach or in between spinach. These are known to keep pests away and manage the problem organically with no need for chemical sprays. 

Harvesting

Spinach leaves are ready for harvest when the plant has grown at least 5 or 6 leaves, and they’re 3 to 4 inches long. 

You can harvest small spinach leaves simply by cutting them with scissors at the stem. It’s best to start harvesting the outer, older leaves and working your way into the center of the plant. Leave the new inner leaves so they can continue to grow, and you can harvest them later. 

If the temperature is too humid or hot, you’ll see small yellow or green flowers developing on the plant pretty fast, so it’s important to keep cool growing conditions.

The flowering and bolting of the plant thicken the foliage, and the taste of spinach becomes more bitter. So for a better taste, it’s best to harvest the spinach before it starts flowering. 

Usage and Storage of Spinach

Spinach grows very quickly, so you’ll have to cut it regularly to keep it fresh. Newly harvested spinach juice is very refreshing, and young leaves can also be used for salads. If you cannot use it immediately, it can be blanched and frozen.

For older and larger spinach leaves, remove the stalks as they contain harmful and toxic substances. This is especially important if you feed small children spinach, as they can be more sensitive to poisoning.

Since spinach is rich in nitrates, reheating will make it toxic as it releases lutein, which poses a risk of poisoning. Don’t store the spinach for the next meal and don’t reheat it; it’s best to throw the leftovers away or eat them cold. 

5 Health Benefits of Spinach

  1. Spinach contains more than 15 different vitamins and minerals that are crucial for your health.
  2. It’s a rich source of antioxidants.
  3. It strengthens the immune system and helps with constipation.
  4. There’s more potassium in spinach than in bananas, and it’s a great source of vitamin A, so it’s good for eye health.
  5.  It also contains a lot of calcium and magnesium, which reduces the risk of developing diabetes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Does Spinach Take to Grow Indoors?

Spinach is a fast-growing plant. The time of growth varies depending on the type of spinach, but usually, it takes 6–8 weeks after you plant spinach to harvest.

Will Spinach Regrow After Cutting?

The answer is yes; you can cut the plant with scissors or a knife at the base of the leaf, and spinach will sprout again. As long as the growth point is not damaged and you keep the temperature cool enough, it will most likely regrow again for two or more harvests.

What Grows Well With Spinach?

If you’re thinking of expanding your small indoor garden, it’s good to know which vegetables you can and can’t plant next to your spinach. It will grow well together with lettuce, peas, and radish. But avoid planting it with potatoes or brassicas.

What if You Live in a Tropic Climate?

Spinach is a cool-season crop and tends to bolt in warmer climates, but growing it in tropical climates isn’t as hard as you might think. As mentioned above, you can grow a variety that does well in hot and humid climates. These include Catalina, Indian Summer, and Malabar.

You’ll need to provide shade and a cool temperature for indoors growing. In this case, it’s better if you grow spinach indoors, away from the window, and not on the balcony. You’ll also need to water more often to keep the soil moist and cool.  

Can You Eat Spinach That Has Bolted?

Bolting is a process that cannot be avoided with leafy greens such as cabbage, lettuce, and spinach. Once it starts to bolt, the leaves become tasteless or bitter, so they are no longer edible. 

You can try and pinch off the flower buds once it starts bolting, but this will only stop the process for a short time. All you can do is let the flowering process reach its end and then collect the seeds for next season’s harvest.

Final Words

Growing spinach indoors is very simple, and you don’t need to be an experienced gardener to grow spinach at home. It’s a fast-growing plant that can be used for several different kinds of food and preparation. You can steam and saute the leafy greens or make a salad or healthy juice from young leaves. 

It’s also rich in vitamin C and E; contains vitamin A, B1, B2, and B6, and many minerals such as magnesium, sodium, and calcium. It strengthens the immune system, eliminates constipation, speeds up carbohydrate metabolism, cares for your beautiful skin, hair, and nails, and has many more health benefits.

So if you live in an apartment and don’t have an outdoor garden, you can easily grow spinach inside. It’s beginner-friendly, and doesn’t need much additional care.

Once you discover the joys of gardening and preparing food with your homegrown spinach, you might want to “branch out” and expand your indoor home garden.

How to plant and grow spinach on a windowsill

In winter and early spring, you especially want to please yourself with fresh herbs - lettuce, dill, spinach. Healthy crops contain vitamins, minerals, acids and oils, they improve the taste of any dish. You can plant delicious plants not only in the garden, but also at home. How to grow spinach at home?


Before planting spinach at home in a pot, you need to prepare a planting container and soil. nine0003

The culture pot will need to be low, but wide, since the root system of the plant is located near the surface. There must be drainage holes at the bottom of the container to drain excess moisture.

Spinach gives good, juicy greens only in fertile, loose, neutral soil. Heavy clays or poor sands are not suitable for him. You can make the soil mixture yourself by mixing garden soil with humus and a small amount of river sand, or use ready-made soil for vegetable seedlings. nine0003

Any soil requires preliminary disinfection in order to prevent the death of seedlings due to fungal diseases or pest larvae. The earth is calcined in the oven or frozen, abundantly watered with a fungicide solution.

Not every variety is suitable for growing spinach at home. It is better to give preference to early maturing varieties that are resistant to flowering - Matador, Giant, Krepysh, etc.

Selected seeds should first be disinfected in a fungicide solution to get rid of fungal spores located on the seed coat. A weak solution of potassium permanganate or any available fungicide will do. nine0003

After disinfection, the seed should be soaked. When sown with dry seeds, the germination of spinach is low due to the dense shell. Soak them in a solution of growth stimulants or fertilizer according to the instructions. Spinach sprouts fastest after soaking the seeds on a damp cloth or napkin for 1-2 days.

It is inconvenient to sow raw seeds, therefore, after soaking, they are slightly dried on a napkin.

Spinach sowing

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Sowing spinach will not make it difficult even for beginner gardeners. After preparing the seeds and planting containers, you can start sowing the seeds.

How to plant spinach at home:

  1. Fertile soil is poured into the pot 2-3 cm below the edge.
  2. Moisten the substrate with warm water.
  3. Spread the spinach seeds 2 cm apart.
  4. Sprinkle the spinach with a 0.5-1 cm layer of soil.
    5. nine0033 Lightly moisten the soil surface with a spray bottle. It is impossible to water the seeds from the watering can: they will be washed away with water.
  5. The container with crops is removed in a plastic bag or under glass to maintain high humidity.

At a temperature of about +20 degrees, seedlings will appear in 3-5 days. The film is removed gradually so that the sprouts do not wither from a sharp change in air humidity.

After the appearance of the first true leaf, the spinach should be carefully picked into separate cups or spacious boxes according to the 5x7 cm pattern. This will give the plants enough space to grow full-fledged greenery. In thickened plantings, spinach greens will shrink and stretch. nine0003

Spinach Care

The plant is undemanding to care: with proper sowing of spinach on the windowsill, it will quickly gain green mass. However, to obtain juicy, abundant greenery, it must be provided with appropriate care.

It is best to grow spinach on a windowsill with a window to the west or east, and if there is additional light, also to the north. The peculiarity of the culture is that in direct, abundant sunlight, the leaves acquire a characteristic bitterness. The plant will need diffused light. nine0003

In order for the plants to remain compact, not stretched, the temperature should be maintained within + 15 ... + 18 degrees. At lower temperatures, spinach develops slowly. An ideal place for growing will be a warmed loggia, balcony.

Spinach needs frequent, abundant watering, it does not tolerate drying out of the soil. The dryness of the earthy coma leads to the appearance of flower arrows. Blooming plants will not give a full-fledged harvest: they will spend all their strength on flowering and seed setting. nine0003

Since the culture is fast-growing, spinach does not require additional feeding. There will be enough nutrients in the soil.

Picking spinach on the windowsill begins a month after germination. It is convenient to cut the leaves with scissors, leaving only young foliage on the plant. Do not pull on the leaves: they will lose their appearance. In addition, the root system of the bush may suffer during sharp jerks.

To keep the greens always fresh, you can sow spinach seeds every 2 weeks. nine0003

In winter, in apartments, plants suffer from excessively dry air, especially in combination with high air temperatures. Leaf plates may dry out along the edge. To maintain the presentation of the leaves, they must be sprayed daily.


You can grow spinach all year round: in summer - in open ground, and in winter - at home. So you can always add healthy greens to fresh salads, soups, side dishes and meat. The leaves are used in cooking to color baked goods a pleasant green color. nine0003

planting and care in the apartment

As a rule, spinach is grown outdoors , but in order to get useful macro- and microelements even in the middle of winter, many sow spinach seeds at home and grow them on the windowsill. If you can follow the simple rules of sowing and maintenance (create the necessary light and temperature conditions), you will have fresh and juicy greenery all year round, even if you do not have a summer house.

How to grow spinach at home on the windowsill will be described in detail below. nine0003

By the way! Many people dislike spinach because it tastes like “grass with grass” (not sour like sorrel). Indeed, this is a tasteless plant. But the neutral taste is great, you can make such delicious dressings! For example, the Caesar salad with spinach is very unusual.

Contents

What varieties of spinach are suitable for growing on the windowsill

Before you start growing spinach on the windowsill, you should purchase quality planting material. And for this, first of all, carefully study the instructions on the package - familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the varieties in order to choose the most suitable for indoor cultivation.

As a rule, the following varieties of spinach are used for sowing, which tolerate greenhouse conditions well and give a bountiful harvest:

To determine the most suitable variety, it is worth planting several packages of seeds in different containers. Only after that you can understand which kind of spinach will suit you the most according to all criteria. nine0003

How to plant spinach on the windowsill: features, conditions and step-by-step instructions

After choosing the desired variety, you should start sowing work, namely: preparing the container, soil for growing, soaking the seeds. To do this, planting spinach at home requires approaching with skill and performing all stages of cultivation according to certain rules.

Growing container

The root system of spinach, for example, unlike sorrel, is rather shallow, so the container needs a small depth (12-15 cm). nine0003

Naturally, the pot must have drainage holes to drain excess moisture.

In addition, you can add a small layer of expanded clay or foam to the bottom of the planting container as drainage.

What soil to plant in

Spinach will grow well only in neutral soil.

In other words, spinach loves soil with an acidity level of around 6-7 pH!

You can purchase ready-made soil for growing vegetables such as cabbage, pumpkin, beans, peas. nine0003

Or make your own. To do this, take a neutral garden soil and mix it with compost or humus, as well as river sand.

Tip! It is recommended to decontaminate any soil, even purchased soil, in advance by one of the methods , for example, by steaming the oven so that all soil pests die under the influence of high temperatures. Then additionally shed with a solution of Fitosporin .

Seed preparation

It is not recommended to plant spinach with dry, unprepared seeds (unless it is pelleted, i.e. already processed seeds). The seeds have a dense external structure, so they should be pre-soaked for a day or two in water at room temperature (above 18 degrees).

And then (optional) hold for another 20-30 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate to disinfect seedlings from diseases.

Direct planting

Step-by-step instructions for sowing spinach seeds for further cultivation at home:

Please note! In the next video, the author uses the wrong soil to grow spinach (not the right acidity). In general, everything is shown very well and clearly.

Video: sowing spinach seeds for growing on the windowsill

Transplanting spinach from open ground to a pot for growing in an apartment

By the way! It is not necessary to grow spinach from seeds, it is much easier to take and transplant it from the garden.

All you need is to dig up the bushes in autumn and transplant them into a pot.

Further care and cultivation are carried out similarly to those sown with seeds (more on this later).

How to care for spinach on the windowsill at home

Spinach care is quite simple - maintain optimal light and temperature conditions, as well as water on time. nine0003

What should be the place to grow: light and temperature

Spinach is a relatively light-loving plant. For him, it is recommended to choose a well-lit southern window sill (either western or eastern, but at least southwestern or southeastern is better) .

Optimum day length is 12-14 hours.

But in order for the sun to not burn too much on especially hot days, burning tender leaves, it is recommended to shade it. nine0003

By the way! Spinach does not like direct sunlight at all and a lot of sunlight, besides, it becomes bitter ...

In late autumn, winter and early spring days, the shrub does not have enough daylight hours, especially when it is raining or just overcast outside. Therefore, for growing spinach indoors, it is recommended to additionally install phytolamps or full-spectrum LED lamps.

Spinach does not require very warm conditions. At a temperature regime of +15..+18 degrees , the leaves of the plant quickly gain strength and grow to optimal sizes.

A grown plant with 4-5 leaf blades can be grown at a lower temperature of +10..+14 degrees, but in this situation the growth of leaf blades will be somewhat slowed down.

Therefore, an insulated balcony or loggia, where the temperature is slightly lower than room temperature, is quite suitable for growing. nine0003

In too warm conditions, spinach stalks will quickly wither, so it is recommended to maintain an optimal cool temperature.

Watering

Watering should be carried out quite often and plentifully, spinach does not tolerate drying out of the soil.

It is strongly recommended to periodically spray overgrown leaf blades. This will saturate them with nutrient moisture and improve their appearance.

A low level of humidity provokes bolting, spinach throws out flower stalks, which should be promptly disposed of so that the plant does not waste extra strength. nine0003

Spinach does not require any special feeding.

Sowing and harvesting dates for domestic spinach

After sowing spinach, you can see its first shoots, even with pre-treatment (soaking), in about a week (sometimes earlier).

And the actual cutting of foliage (harvesting) will begin only when the plants have fully formed succulent leaves. There will be 5-8 pieces, 8-10 centimeters long. In early ripening varieties, this moment occurs approximately 30 days after the first shoots. nine0003

Tip! In order not to interrupt the process of constantly obtaining useful spinach foliage, you can regularly make new crops.

At harvest time, the leaves can be cut off completely, leaving only the outermost young leaves.

Harvest by carefully breaking the stem or cutting with scissors.

Do not pull or pluck the foliage as this may damage the root system.

Thus, you can grow spinach at home, on the windowsill, at any time: in spring, and in autumn, and even in winter.

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