Of all the leafy greens you can grow in your home garden, one of the most rewarding is baby spinach. Growing spinach from seed is a simple process and perfect for small spaces.
For more information on growing spinach, here is a basic guide to help:
Supplies needed
To grow spinach, you’ll need the following:
- Spinach seeds.
- While most varieties of spinach have the same growing process, the best choices for baby spinach are Catalina, Renegade or Bloomsdale.
- Nitrogen rich potting soil.
- Several pots or containers at least 12 inches deep by 12 inches in diameter.
- Spinach plants need at least 6 inches of space between them, so you can grow two full plants in a single container of this size.
How to grow baby spinach from seed
- Loosely fill your container with soil.
- Using fingers, a pencil or other small tool, poke four, ½ inch holes into the soil.
- Plant spinach seeds in each hole and cover gently with soil.
- Place the spinach container somewhere it will remain between 50 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit and get at least six hours of sun per day. Supplement with LED grow lamps if you don’t have a sunny spot.
- Water the seeds thoroughly, keeping the soil evenly moist but not soggy. To prevent overwatering the seedlings, wait to water again until the top inch of soil is dry.
- After 10-14 days, you should have visible leaf sprouts. Once the seedlings have four leaves, they’re ready to be transplanted into their individual containers.
- Harvest spinach approximately 40 days after planting. To encourage new leaf growth, only harvest leaves from the outside of the plant, always leaving at least one.
- Once your spinach plants are fully grown, you can continue to harvest leaves several more times as it regrows. The key is to never take more than ⅓ of the leaves at one time, as taking more will shock the plant and may prevent the growth of new baby spinach leaves.
If you use this simple method for growing spinach plants, you’ll have an excellent source of nutrient-rich leafy greens for salads, smoothies and any other dish you prefer.
About the Author
Judy Szablak
With over 30 years in the industry, Realtor Judy Szablak has been on national television for her real estate expertise on the HGTV Network, featured on Martha Stewart Living Radio "Morning Living” , NPR radio as an expert real estate panelist, It’s Relevant News channel, and quoted in the Wall Street Journal for her in depth knowledge of Fairfield County Connecticut real estate.
She was also on the local NPR radio station (WSHU) as a Fairfield County CT real estate expert. Judy has provided multiple online respected news sources with her real estate expertise including The Daily Easton, The Daily Weston, The Daily Fairfield, The Daily Stamford and The Daily Greenwich, as well as in print in the New York Post. She is a weekly Real Estate Columnist for WestportNow.com, another real estate column "Real Estate With Judy” is syndicated through Hearst CT Media Online and seen in The Connecticut Post, The Danbury News-Times, The Stamford Advocate, The Greenwich Time, The Hour, Fairfield Citizen, Westport News, Darien News, New Canaan News and the Wilton Villager.
Judy is also the author of the book, The Art of Buying or Selling a Home, available at all major book retailers. Additionally, Judy has been nationally recognized in a number of national real estate trade magazines, some with distribution to over 1 million members. She was featured in Real Estate Today as early as 1994 for her commitment to, and implementation of technology in real estate. Judy appeared in the Certified Residential Specialist Magazine, as she provided advice on marketing strategies and ethics in the article titled "Marketing Makeovers.”
Judy was also featured in REALTOR® Magazine, regarding image enhancement for Realtors. She was again featured in REALTOR® Magazine, in an article on "Achieving Flow” and operating at optimal peak performance. In another article in the same publication, Judy offered guidance to fellow real estate professionals as she explored the topic of implementing and maintaining personal websites. She has appeared in The Council of Residential Specialists Magazine, which featured her ideas regarding technology. Additionally, Judy authored an article on marketing and technology for the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Online Magazine. On two occasions, in 2015 and 2017, she appeared as a featured agent in Top Agent Magazine. I have a few other websites- www.TheCtrealtyBlog.com www.CtHomesAndRealEstate.com www.BestWestportHomes.com www.ThePetitePowerhouse.com www,SzablakConsulting.com
