Crops › Spinach
How to grow Spinach
in the UK
Sow March to September, harvest May to November. About 45 days from seed to plate. You can sow it this month.
Spinach, aye, it's a cracking little salad crop this, proper easy to get going on the plot. You can sow it spring or autumn, means you've nearly always got some fresh leaves ready to pick. It’s a good one for getting greens into your diet, straight from the garden.
Sowing
Right, so for spinach, you're looking at sowing from March through to April for your spring crop, then again in August and September for autumn. I always sow direct into the soil, like I say, it's pretty easy. Make a shallow drill, about 2-3 cm deep, and pop your seeds in about 10-15 cm apart. If you're doing rows, give them about 30 cm between each. You can thin them out a bit if they come up too close, though I often just let them get on with it for baby leaves. You can get plug plants too, mind, if you're wanting a head start. The GrowMore CookMore app notes say sow spring and autumn.
Growing on
Spinach doesn't really need much 'growing on' like some of your tender plants. If you've sown direct, you're pretty much set. If you've gone for plug plants, just get them in the ground once the risk of any proper hard frosts has passed, you know, around mid-May up here in the North East. Give them their space, like I mentioned, about 10-15 cm between plants. They don't need any support, just grow into a nice leafy clump. Cracking in containers too, especially the baby leaf varieties, just make sure the pot's got good drainage.
Looking after it
The main thing with spinach is keeping it moist. It's a thirsty plant, and if it dries out, especially in warm weather, it'll bolt on you. That means it shoots up to flower, and the leaves get bitter. The app notes remind you to keep it moist to prevent bolting. So, keep an eye on the watering can, especially in a dry spell. A bit of general-purpose feed when you plant out, or halfway through the season, won't go amiss, but it's not proper greedy.
What goes wrong
Slugs, bless 'em, they do love a good spinach leaf, especially when the plants are young. Keep an eye out for them and pick 'em off if you can. Leaf miner can be a bit of a nuisance too, you'll see tunnels in the leaves, little squiggly bits. The best way with them is to just pick off and dispose of any affected leaves as soon as you spot them. Keep the plot tidy, that helps.
Harvest
You're looking at about 45 days from sowing to harvest, so it's a quick turnaround. You can start picking the outer leaves as 'baby leaf' when they're small, or let them grow on for bigger, mature leaves. Just snip them off with scissors or pinch them off. It's best eaten fresh, straight from the plot, to be honest. If you do get a glut, you can blanch it quickly in hot water then freeze it down, proper handy for winter stews.
I always try to sow a small batch of spinach every few weeks in spring and autumn. That way, you get a steady supply of fresh leaves and don't end up with one massive crop that all bolts at once.
Dates for your plot
Type the first half of your postcode and the plant-out advice shifts to your area's typical frost dates.
Varieties, and whether the club would grow them again
| Variety | Club verdict |
|---|---|
| Medania This is a cracking summer spinach, bred to stand up to warmer weather. It's a good choice if you've struggled with your spinach bolting in the past. | No club votes yet |
| Palco Palco is a proper tough variety, known for its strong resistance to mildew. Grow this one if you've had issues with fungal diseases on your spinach before. | No club votes yet |
| Giant Winter This hardy variety is perfect for overwintering on the plot, giving you greens when little else is growing. Sow it in late summer for a cracking harvest through the colder months. | No club votes yet |
| Lazio Lazio is a speedy grower, getting you fresh leaves quicker than most. It’s ideal if you’re keen to get an early harvest from your plot. | No club votes yet |
| Red Cardinal This one's a bit of a looker with its distinctive red veins, adding a splash of colour to your salads. It grows well outdoors and adds a bit of visual interest to your plate. | No club votes yet |
| Trinidad Trinidad is a great choice for baby leaves and works proper well in containers or small spaces. You can keep this one on the patio for easy picking, you know what I mean. | No club votes yet |
| Emilia F1 Emilia F1 is a top performer, giving you a proper good amount of smooth, tasty leaves. If you want a big harvest from your spinach patch, this is the one to go for. | No club votes yet |
| Atlanta F1 Another cracking disease-resistant variety, Atlanta F1 stands up well to mildew. This is a reliable choice for a healthy crop on your allotment. | No club votes yet |
| Corvair F1 Corvair F1 is a robust variety with smooth leaves that's specially bred to resist bolting. It's a solid option for spring and summer growing when temperatures start to rise. | No club votes yet |
| Lungo This Italian heritage spinach produces long, elegant leaves with a proper good flavour. It's a bit different from your usual spinach and well worth a try. | No club votes yet |
| Butterflay Butterflay is a popular maincrop variety, known for its smooth leaves and lovely sweet taste. It's a reliable choice for a steady supply of greens through the season. | No club votes yet |
| Space F1 Space F1 offers compact growth and good disease resistance, making it a cracking choice for smaller plots. It’s a dependable variety that won’t take up too much room. | No club votes yet |
| Renegade F1 Renegade F1 is an upright spinach with excellent mildew resistance, making it easier to pick and less prone to damp. This variety is a strong performer in the face of common diseases. | No club votes yet |
| Bordeaux F1 Bordeaux F1 is another beautiful red-veined spinach, adding a bit of visual flair to your salads. It's a heritage variety that brings both beauty and good flavour to the plot. | No club votes yet |
| Trinidad Trinidad is a great choice for baby leaves and works proper well in containers or small spaces. You can keep this one on the patio for easy picking, you know what I mean. | No club votes yet |
Votes are members rating varieties in their Seed Tin, one vote per gardener. Tap a variety for the full page and where to buy.
Buy Spinach seeds
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Cook the harvest
A weeknight dinner that looks like you tried much harder than you did. Crispy-skinned salmon fillets sit on a generous bed of spinach that has been quickly wilted in a glossy, deeply savoury miso butter. The whole thing is ready in under 25 minutes and needs nothing else on the plate.
23 min · easyA classic French bistro salad that earns its place at any table. A warm shallot and mustard vinaigrette is poured over a heap of fresh spinach, just wilting the leaves slightly without cooking them, then topped with crispy smoked bacon lardons and a perfectly runny soft-boiled egg. Simple, fast, and quietly brilliant.
22 min · easyThis is the soup to make when spinach is at its absolute peak — vivid green, with a clean grassy sweetness that cream and a heavy hand with freshly grated nutmeg transforms into something properly elegant. It takes about 25 minutes from start to finish and tastes like you put in far more effort than you did. Serve with thick, buttered sourdough.
30 min · easyA proper, thick-set frittata built around tender waxy potatoes, wilted garden spinach and sharp Cheddar, finished under the grill until golden and puffed at the edges. It is the kind of dish that works for a leisurely weekend breakfast, a packed lunch sliced cold, or a fast midweek dinner with a simple green salad alongside.
40 min · easyWatch for, and grow alongside
Companions: peas, beans
Questions people ask
When do you sow Spinach in the UK?
Sow Spinach from March to September.
How long does Spinach take from sowing to harvest?
Roughly 45 days, with the harvest May to November.
Which Spinach varieties do gardeners grow again?
Club members rate every variety they grow. This page shows the grow-again votes for Medania, Palco, Giant Winter, Lazio and more.
Track your Spinach from packet to plate
Sowing reminders and harvest forecasts for your own frost dates, the Seed Tin, Scan Centre for any label or packet, and the Potty Mouth Garden Club. Free to start.
Allotment keeper in the North East of England, the voice behind the Tony C Smith YouTube channel, and the gardener who built GrowMore CookMore. Club numbers on this page update as members log their plots. Last updated 3 September 2026.