Planting
Spinach loves cool weather. It may tolerate a light frost and winter temperatures as low as 15ºF (-9°C), but it does best in the spring and fall. You can begin planting up to seven or eight weeks before your last spring frost date. In the fall, plant spinach six to eight weeks before your first frost. Check your specific variety but most spinach is ready to harvest six weeks from planting.
Always start with quality potting soil. FoxFarm Happy Frog is one of our favorites, but you can use whatever brand or mix you prefer. For a spring crop, your potting soil should be at least 40°F (4°C) for seeds to germinate. Sow seeds ½ inch deep and sow three per pocket – one in the back and two towards the front of the pocket. Water well after planting and make sure the soil doesn’t dry out until the seeds have germinated.
Growing & Harvesting
The shallow root system of spinach is perfect for the smaller tiers of the GreenStalk Leaf Vertical Planter, but you could also tuck some spinach plants in with flowers or herbs in a GreenStalk Original. If you fill an entire 7 Tier Leaf with spinach, at three plants per pocket, that's over 125 spinach plants! However much you grow, ensure all of your spinach is getting four to six hours of sun.Be sure to check on your plants frequently to see if they need water. The soil should always remain slightly moist. If your plants start to yellow, they may need a dose of nitrogen fertilizer. Our favorite is FoxFarm Grow Big.
Aphids like spinach almost as much as we do so keep an eye out for these tiny pests. Occasionally you may need to spray some neem oil, or you could try companion planting herbs like chives and cilantro. They have similar watering and temperature needs as spinach, but the chives will deter pests and the cilantro will attract beneficial insects.
Spinach leaves have the best texture and flavor when harvested young. If you take a few outer leaves at a time, you will have a continuous harvest of tender leaves and it keeps the plants from getting crowded in the pockets. You could also cut the whole plant back to about two inches above soil level and harvest again when it regrows.
In the kitchen
Store spinach leaves unwashed in a freezer bag in the refrigerator for up to one week. Wash the leaves just before you use them. Try a crisp spinach and strawberry salad with feta cheese and poppy seed dressing, or saute your greens with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Throw fresh, tender spinach leaves on pizza or layer it in wraps. There are so many possibilities!If you’ve grown and harvested more than you can eat in a week, blanch and freeze the leaves for up to a year. Use your frozen greens in a variety of soups, pasta sauces, creamy dips, or quiches.
We hope you’ll try growing spinach in your GreenStalk Vertical Planter and if you do, let us know how it goes! For more information about growing in your specific climate, check out your local extension office. We’re here to help you grow — just email us at support@greenstalkgarden.com.
Happy gardening!
