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Gardening 101: All Things Spinach

Spinach, like lettuce, is a vegetable that likes cooler weather. Spinach is also very nutritious, providing fiber, potassium, iron, protein, and calcium. It grows well in early spring and late summer. With the right weather, some types of spinach can be ready to harvest in just 40 days.

Growing

  • Plant seeds in early May for a spring harvest or in late July for a fall harvest. Space seeds 12-18 inches apart and cover with ½ of soil.
  • In the heat of summer, spinach tends to bolt, or go to seed, then stop growing. Replanting in late summer for a fall harvest may be a good idea, if this happens.
  • Try spacing out the time between planting seeds to produce spinach over a longer period.
  • Thin plants to 4 to 6 inches apart.
  • If your garden space is limited, spinach grows well in container gardens.

Harvesting

  • When spinach plants reach 4-6 inches in diameter, cut the whole plant at soil level.
  • You can also pick just the outer leaves of the plant when they are several inches long, giving the inside leaves more time to grow.
  • Spinach can become bitter the bigger the plant becomes.
  • Harvest in the cooler part of the day to make the harvested spinach last longer. It is best to use spinach the day you harvest it.

Suggested varieties: Avon, Bloomsdale Long Standing, Teton, Tyee

Happy gardening!

Information summarized from UW Extension publications by Katie Shockley, Writer/Editor, University of Wyoming Extension Communications & Technology.

Spinach, like lettuce, is a vegetable that likes cooler weather. Spinach is also very nutritious, providing fiber, potassium, iron, protein, and calcium. It grows well in early spring and late summer. With the right weather, some types of spinach can be ready to harvest in just 40 days.

Growing

  • Plant seeds in early May for a spring harvest or in late July for a fall harvest. Space seeds 12-18 inches apart and cover with ½ of soil.
  • In the heat of summer, spinach tends to bolt, or go to seed, then stop growing. Replanting in late summer for a fall harvest may be a good idea, if this happens.
  • Try spacing out the time between planting seeds to produce spinach over a longer period.
  • Thin plants to 4 to 6 inches apart.
  • If your garden space is limited, spinach grows well in container gardens.

Harvesting

  • When spinach plants reach 4-6 inches in diameter, cut the whole plant at soil level.
  • You can also pick just the outer leaves of the plant when they are several inches long, giving the inside leaves more time to grow.
  • Spinach can become bitter the bigger the plant becomes.
  • Harvest in the cooler part of the day to make the harvested spinach last longer. It is best to use spinach the day you harvest it.

Suggested varieties: Avon, Bloomsdale Long Standing, Teton, Tyee

Happy gardening!

Information summarized from UW Extension publications by Katie Shockley, Writer/Editor, University of Wyoming Extension Communications & Technology.

Sweet, savory, tangy, and crunchy, this salad provides it all! Summer Strawberry Salad combines spinach and strawberries with a homemade dressing that wakes up your taste buds and bring a burst of flavor to your day. Yum!

Additional Resources

Learn more about growing and harvesting spinach with these resources from the University of Wyoming Extension:

Next up: Herbs [Coming August 14]

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* The Cent$ible Nutrition Program is funded by USDA SNAP-Ed and EFNEP. SNAP-Ed assists individuals and families who receive, or are eligible to receive, benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). EFNEP assists families and youth with limited resources  in acquiring the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and changed behaviors necessary for nutritionally sound diets and contributes to their personal development and the improvement of total family diet and nutritional welfare. Visit our income-qualification page to learn more. 

This material was funded by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – SNAP. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. This material was funded by USDA’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program-EFNEP. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Issued in furtherance of extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Kelly Crane, Director, University of Wyoming Extension, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming Extension, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071.

The University of Wyoming is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.

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