Spinach
Amaranthaceae · Direct sow · compact garden planning guide
| Bed spacing | 6 × 6 in (152.4 × 152.4 mm) |
|---|---|
| Minimum sun used | 4 hours per day |
| Root depth used | 180 mm (7.1 in) |
| Container volume used | 5 L |
| Spring preparation | -35 to -21 days from your last frost |
| Maturity estimate | 40–55 days from sowing |
Square-bed spacing, root-space and sun thresholds, spring offsets, germination check ranges, harvest occupancy and clearance days are selected planning settings. They are not universal cultivar rules or a guaranteed harvest schedule. Packet, nursery and local guidance take precedence.
Before planting
Sow in cool, workable soil; hot days and long daylight can cause bolting.
Establish
Keep the seedbed evenly moist and protect newly emerging leaves.
Tend and harvest
Look for a developing flower stalk; use leaves early if heat is approaching. Take outer leaves at usable size; replace the crop once it bolts.
Plans using this crop
Spring starts · 5+ hours sun
4×8 beginner greens
Three leafy crops with different heat tolerances and harvest habits.
Leaf lettuce · Spinach · Swiss chard
Lower sun · 4+ hours sun
4×8 four-hour leafy plan
Cool-season leafy crops for a place with only four hours of direct sun.
Leaf lettuce · Spinach
Lower sun · 4+ hours sun
Four-hour balcony greens
Three cool-season pots that avoid fruiting crops at low light.
Leaf lettuce · Spinach
Fall planting · 4+ hours sun
Fall greens from first frost
Fall sowing windows calculated backward from your first frost date.
Leaf lettuce · Spinach · Small round radishes
Continuous sowing · 6+ hours sun
One bed, three seasonal plantings
Use one space for spring radishes, summer bush beans and fall spinach.
Small round radishes · Bush snap beans · Spinach
References
- UMD Extension: Growing spinach
Cool-season spinach and final thinning distance. Six-inch cells are our selected intensive-bed method.
- UMD Extension: Growing vegetables in containers and salad tables
Sun exposure, drainage, growing media and crop-specific minimum volumes; our thresholds are conservative planning settings.
- UMN Extension: Planting the vegetable garden
Cool and warm season establishment; weather and soil readiness matter. Minnesota month dates are not used as global dates.
- UMN Extension: Planting for fall harvest
Maturity is a cultivar-dependent estimate; our extra 14-day fall buffer is an explicit planning assumption.
Updated 2026-10-13. We have not field-tested the plan in your climate.