{"id":2639,"date":"2021-02-28T00:29:28","date_gmt":"2021-02-28T00:29:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.urbangardengal.com\/?p=2639"},"modified":"2022-08-21T05:19:59","modified_gmt":"2022-08-21T05:19:59","slug":"grow-baby-spinach-plants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.urbangardengal.com\/grow-baby-spinach-plants\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Grow Baby Spinach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Baby spinach is a popular leafy green vegetable that is easy to grow at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Freshly picked baby spinach leaves straight from the garden are much more tastier than store bought leaves and you can use them in a variety of ways including salads, stir fries and smoothies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article I\u2019ll share my tips for growing baby spinach leaves in the garden and indoors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post contains affiliate links. Please read the <\/em>disclosure<\/em><\/a> for more info.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Baby spinach (Spinacia oleracea<\/em>) leaves are harvested when they\u2019re young and tender, which makes them ideal to eat raw in salads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like to grow a few spinach plants at a time and pick the leaves fresh from the garden for my salads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baby spinach growing season<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Spinach plants grow best in cool weather when planted outdoors but indoors you can grow them just about all year round as long as it\u2019s cool inside your home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plant spinach seeds directly in the garden in early spring when the soil has thawed out after winter and you can plant another crop in fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Temperatures between 50 to 77 \u2109 (10 to 25 \u2103) are ideal for growing baby spinach plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the temperature rises above 78 \u2109 (26 \u2103) the plants will bolt (go to seed) quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunlight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Spinach grows best in full sun but in warm climates the plants will need partial shade.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Best spinach varieties to harvest baby leaves<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bloomsdale<\/a> – a hardy spinach variety that grows well in partial shade<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Green malabar<\/a> – a tender stemmed variety with dark green leaves<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red malabar<\/a> – a beautiful red stemmed variety<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Zealand spinach<\/a> – fast growing with tender leaves<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giant noble<\/a> – fast growing and ready to harvest in 46 days<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing baby spinach indoors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Choose a container that is at least 12 inches (30 cm) deep and fill it with a seed raising mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s best to plant spinach seeds directly in the container rather than transplanting the seedlings because the roots can be easily damaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sow the seeds about \u00bd an inch (1 cm) deep and about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll be harvesting the leaves before the plants get to full size so they won\u2019t need too much room to spread out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cover the seeds with soil and water gently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Place the container in a spot that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight each day and take care to ensure that the soil is kept moist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should see the seedlings start to emerge in 7 to 14 days but it may take longer if the soil is cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the picture below you can see some spinach seedlings that I started indoors. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Growing baby spinach outdoors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Prepare your garden before planting by digging in some organic matter like well broken down compost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sow the seeds directly into the soil \u00bd an inch (1 cm) deep and about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cover the seeds gently with soil and water well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like to plant a couple of rows every 2 weeks so that the leaves aren\u2019t all ready to harvest at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Watering<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Spinach plants need consistently moist soil so it\u2019s important to ensure that the soil doesn\u2019t dry out too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In warm weather you may need to water the plants daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertilizer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Give your spinach plants a feed with water soluble vegetable fertilizer<\/a> when the plants have about four leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Slugs and snails will eat baby spinach plants so it\u2019s a good idea to set up a beer trap in the garden or venture out at nighttime and pick them off by hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spider mites and aphids can also be a problem and they can be controlled by spraying the plants with neem oil spray. [1<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n

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Is baby spinach frost tolerant?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Baby spinach plants can tolerate cold temperatures and light frosts but they will need protection from hard freezes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvesting baby spinach<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can start picking baby spinach leaves about 40 days after planting so you won\u2019t have to wait long to harvest your own home grown baby spinach leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the plant has about six leaves you can pick a few of the outside leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leave the inside leaves in place so the plants can keep producing more leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spinach plants keep producing new leaves for a few weeks and by succession planting you can have a continuous supply of salad greens for many weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a good idea to check your plants every few days and pick the leaves before they get too big.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Storing baby spinach<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Baby spinach leaves can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 to 5 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Place the leaves in the container straight from the garden and wash them just before using.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baby spinach leaves can also be frozen for use in soups and stir fries by placing the leaves into a freezer bag and squeezing out all the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The leaves will last for about a year in the freezer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So there are my tips for growing baby spinach plants at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baby spinach is easy to grow, even for beginner gardeners and you can harvest the leaves as you need them so you\u2019ll always have fresh salad greens at hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spinach seeds can also be used to grow nutritious microgreens or salad sprouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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