Spinach — Vegetables

Spinacia oleracea

Full sun, regular watering — hardy in most of the UK.

Photograph of Spinach — iNaturalist / GBIF

Sow: Mar–Aug
Harvest: May–Jul

Sun: Full sun
Water: High
Difficulty: Demanding
Hardiness: H4
Season: spring
Height: 10–50 cm
Spacing: 50 cm
Pets: Safe around pets

Grows well with

Coriander — Coriander is listed as a good neighbour for spinach, and is said to put aphids, mites and whitefly off. Its flowers pull in beneficial insects.Beetroot — Spinach are listed as a poor neighbour for beetroot, so keep them out of the same row.Potato — Spinach are named as a good neighbour for potatoes. The thinking is that mixed planting lets different crops help each other, partly because their scent puts feeding pests off.Sweet Corn — Spinach fits neatly between rows of sweet corn. Sow it early under fleece and you can clear the crop by mid-May, well before the corn needs the room.

Growing notes

Grows to 0.1-0.5 metres. Space about 10-50cm apart. At its best in spring.