Harvest guide

Spinach harvest guide: when to pick and how much to expect

Spinach is a quick cool-season green that you can pick as baby leaves within a month. It shrinks a lot when cooked, so it helps to know what a row really gives.

Days to harvest: 35–45 days from sowing(Mississippi State University Extension)
Harvest months: March–November(RHS)
Typical yield: 3.2 kg per 3 m row (7 lb per 10 ft)(Mississippi State University Extension)
Spacing: 15 cm (6 in) apart(RHS)
Family: Amaranthaceae (amaranth family)
Botanical name: Spinacia oleracea

Spinach planting and harvest calendar

Sow March–May, August–September. Harvest March–November.(RHS)

Spinach season timeline

Sow
Harvest

Months are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate, based on RHS (UK) guidance. Shift them earlier or later to match your own frost dates, or by about six months in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sow
Harvest

When to harvest spinach

Baby leaves can be picked about a month after sowing and full-size leaves after roughly two months.(RHS)
Pick while the leaves are still tender.(University of Minnesota Extension)

How often to pick

Take a few leaves from each plant every few weeks until the plants start to flower, or cut the whole plant just above the base and let it regrow once more.(RHS)

How many spinach to expect

A 3 m (10 ft) row typically gives about 3.2 kg (7 lb) (scaled from 70 lb per 100 ft).(Mississippi State University Extension)

Yields vary with variety, weather, soil and care. Treat these as ballpark figures, not targets.

Plan for your family

For 4 people eating spinach fresh, plan on about 6–12 m (20–40 ft) of row(University of Missouri Extension). That should give roughly 6–13 kg (14–28 lb)(Mississippi State University Extension).

To preserve or store some as well, allow 3–4.6 m (10–15 ft) of row per person.(University of Missouri Extension)

See the full planting-per-person guide →

Storing your spinach

Harvest in the cool of the day, rinse in cold water and refrigerate straight away. Handled like this, spinach can last about a week.(University of Minnesota Extension)
For a big end-of-season harvest, freezing is the best way to keep it.(University of Minnesota Extension)

Track it

Log every spinach harvest

Harvest Journal is a private garden journal for your phone. Tap to log each picking of spinach by weight or count, and see your season add up, with no account needed.

Prefer paper? Make a free harvest report PDF in your browser, with no account needed.

Spinach harvest FAQ

How long does spinach take to grow?

About 35 to 45 days from sowing, according to Mississippi State University Extension. The RHS says baby leaves can be picked after about a month.

How much spinach should I plant?

University of Missouri Extension suggests 5 to 10 ft of row per person for fresh use and 10 to 15 ft if you want to freeze some. Pick generously, as the leaves shrink a lot when cooked.