The Optimal Time to Pick Spinach

Here is how the harvest date for spinach changes depending on which of the three planting times you choose.

1. Planting spinach seeds or transplants 8 to 10 weeks before the last expected spring frost (early March in Pennsylvania) will result in a late spring harvest.
2. Spinach is a cool-season crop that benefits from a late-fall planting and a late-fall harvest. Also, you'll find out how to overwinter this crop later on in this article, so you can harvest it in the dead of winter or the first days of spring.
3. Spinach seeds planted late in the fall to midwinter (from a couple of weeks before the first frost to a couple of weeks after) will overwinter as dormant soil organisms and germinate very early in the spring. The harvest should occur somewhere between now and mid-spring.

So, those of us who live in a temperate climate with four distinct seasons can actually harvest spinach almost constantly throughout the year.

When spinach is ready for harvest depends on when it was planted. It won't be long until you can harvest this spinach grown in the fall.

How well does spinach fare in the summer?

What a perplexing query. Even though spinach doesn't like the heat of summer, it can be harvested from plants sown in the spring if they are covered with a shade cloth or a lightweight row cover. However, spinach bolts (goes to flower) as the days get longer and the temperature rises, so the harvest must be halted at that point. By shading the plants, you can add weeks to the harvest. Spinach can be harvested in the summer if you plant Palco, Seaside Hybrid, Olympia, and Corvair, which are resistant to bolting and/or heat.

Lightweight row cover or a shade cloth can be used to protect spinach from the sun during the warmer months.

If you live in a warm climate, here's when to plant and when to pick your spinach.

Grow your spinach in the winter if you live in a warm region with mild seasonal changes and warm winters. Spinach is harvested between four and six weeks after the seeds are planted, in the late fall. Growers in hot, tropical climates all year round need to diversify their crops. Spinach, which thrives in cool temperatures, won't grow in places where it's always warm.

When does spinach become ready for harvesting?

When fresh spinach is ready to be picked, look for these signs. Each variety of leafy green has a slightly different harvest time. Harvest baby spinach when the leaves are about the size of the letter U. S to a golf ball's diameter, give or take a quarter About 20-30 days after planting, this will happen. Fresh baby spinach has tender, round leaves.

Harvest mature spinach leaves when they are thick, broad, and often crinkled (though not all varieties produce crinkled leaves). Crinkled-leaf varieties, or savoy-types, are ready to be picked anywhere from 38 to 50 days. The time needed for maturity for smooth-leaved varieties is the same as for those with rough leaves.

Both the baby and mature spinach leaves can be used in cooking. The greens here are still quite young.

This year's crop of "baby leaves"

Just a few weeks after planting, the baby leaf harvest occurs, as I mentioned before. Knowing when to start harvesting baby spinach leaves implies that you also know when to stop. Leave the plant's crown alone when harvesting; the plant will continue to thrive and produce new leaves. If you've already harvested baby spinach leaves twice, stop. The plant should be allowed to reach full maturity before being picked for a third time.

Baby greens are harvested leaf by leaf, with the growing tip left intact.

When to Pick Mature Spinach Leaves

It's best to wait until the plants are fully mature before harvesting their leaves, but not so long that the plants bolt. Refer to the calendar and the days-to-maturity information provided on the seed packet. Or, you could just roll with the punches and pick it whenever you like. It's easy to grow spinach, so it's a great crop to experiment with. Until the weather becomes too warm, the plant will continue to produce leaves as long as the growing point is not removed. In terms of fully developed leaves, I find that Tyee, Avalon, and Bloomsdale Long Standing are some of the best.

Pinch off mature leaves with your thumb and forefinger, or cut them with scissors or a knife.

When should spinach that was planted in the spring be picked?

To review what was covered in the first section, an early spring planting of seeds or transplants will yield a harvest sometime between mid- and late-spring. Midway through spring, you can expect to see the first of the baby greens, and by late spring, the fully mature greens.

When should spinach that was planted in the late summer or fall be picked?

Crops planted in the late summer are reaped in the middle to late fall or early winter. Midway through the fall, or around the month of October in my garden, is when you can start seeing baby greens. However, mature leaves probably won't appear until early the following spring. Because it's simple to overwinter this crop (instructions coming soon!) and harvest it in the winter or early spring.

Under a row cover, these spinach seedlings survived the winter in my garden. When growth resumed in the spring, when this picture was taken,

How and when to pick spinach that was planted in the fall or winter

Spinach seeds can be planted for an extremely early spring harvest from a couple of weeks before the first frost to a couple of weeks after. This method of planting spinach consistently yields the first crop of the season for me. Over the colder months, the seeds overwinter in the soil, and then sprout very early in the spring. As a result, tender young greens can be harvested in early spring and grown into substantial, flavorful leaves. It's the best method I've found for growing spinach in my own garden.

Mulch, a cold frame, or a hoop tunnel are all suitable locations for overwintering spinach plants.

Learn how to overwinter spinach for an early crop this spring.

Sowing seeds in late summer or early fall allows you to easily overwinter the young plants in one of two ways.

1. Heavy mulching Shredded leaves or straw should be spread over spinach plants to a depth of 3 to 4 inches as a first step in preparing them for the winter. Position it directly over the plant tops just before the first hard freeze to prevent plant rot. Keep them warm all winter by burying them in mulch. Before the last spring frost is expected, remove the mulch. When is the best time to pick this type of spinach? Of course, it's springtime!
2. Utilizing a hoop tunnel or cold frame Spinach can also be overwintered by placing it in a cold frame or hoop tunnel and covering it with thick plastic or row cover. Wintertime temperatures don't bother the plants because of the insulation. Even in the dead of winter, you can pick a few leaves of greens (carefully avoiding the growing tips) to eat. As soon as a few warm spring days arrive, the plants will start to re-sprout. Plants in a cold frame or hoop tunnel that gets direct sunlight will mature faster.

The spinach here is planted in succession. In order to ensure continuous harvests, mature rows are interspersed with newly planted seedlings.

Increasing spinach yields through successive planting.

Multiple harvests can be achieved by sowing a new row of spinach seeds every week from early spring through late summer and into fall. Succession planting is the most efficient method for increasing crop yields. Make sure to space out your plantings. Space out the planting by a few weeks. Your harvest will be more uniform if you do this.

Spinach can be cut with a knife or scissors either leaf by leaf or as a whole plant. Leave the growing point alone, please.

Additional Suggestions for Spinach Gathering

• Not only is knowing when to harvest spinach important, but also knowing how to harvest it (i.e., pinch or cut). You can remove individual stalks by pinching them between your thumb and forefinger, or you can use a pair of sharp scissors or a knife. Some green thumbs use a sharp knife or pair of shears to cut down the entire plant. That method works too (and it's much quicker than going leaf by leaf). When the growing point is still there, new leaves will appear.
• For example, in the spring, many gardeners like to use manure such as that from a horse, cow, or chicken to improve the soil. Keep manure away from spinach and other leafy greens if you overwinter them. Otherwise, you might endanger E contamination from E. coli, even if you believe the manure has been on the compost pile for a long enough amount of time. Please don't take any chances.
• Toss the slugs! Slugs love eating baby spinach in the spring. Pests like these can really ruin your spinach crop. To prevent slugs from ruining your crop, use an iron phosphate-based organic slug bait.

Knowing when to harvest spinach and when to plant will result in a bountiful crop of this nutritious green. Try out a few different varieties of spinach in your garden to see which one does the best. Indeed, the outcomes justify the effort.

Please refer to the following articles for further information on cultivating greens:

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