Spinach Planting Program

Johnny's SPINACH Planting Program

Spinach Succession Planting & Season Extension

Johnny's Spinach Planting Program is designed to illustrate which spinach varieties to plant, grow, and harvest in sequence, allowing you to extend your spinach harvest across the seasons. Slow-growing spinach varieties mature best under warm conditions, whereas faster-growing varieties mature best under cooler conditions.

Establish your spinach production plan by evaluating the sowing and harvesting slots indicated in the charts below. Additional key distinguishing features include leaf shape (round, oval, arrowhead), texture (smooth, semi-savoyed, savoyed), and color; days to maturity (DTM figures are for "farmer's market baby leaf size"); growth rate and tendency to bolt; and disease resistances, including strains of downy mildew and white rust.

NOTES

  • Resistances to downy mildew races are high (HR) unless otherwise noted.
  • Varieties are listed in order of increasing number of days to maturity.
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Johnny's Planting Programs

Choose Spinach Varieties by Sowing & Harvesting Periods

'Auroch' (F1)
Auroch Spinach Seeds
Sowing & Harvesting Period
Cool/
Spring
Warm/
Summer
Cool/
Fall
Cold/
Winter
Late Winter/
Early Spring
SOWING
SOWING
HARVESTING
HARVESTING
Features
Leaf Days to Maturity Color Growth Rate Bolting Downy Mildew Resistance
Upright; smooth 24 Dark green Fast Fast Races 1–12, 14–16, 19
'Tragopan' (F1)
Tragopan Spinach Seeds
Sowing & Harvesting Period
Cool/
Spring
Warm/
Summer
Cool/
Fall
Cold/
Winter
Late Winter/
Early Spring
SOWING
SOWING
HARVESTING
HARVESTING
Features
Leaf Days to Maturity Color Growth Rate Bolting Downy Mildew Resistance
Upright; smooth 24 Dark green Fast Fast Races 1–12, 14–16, 19
'Space' (F1)
Space Spinach Seeds
Sowing & Harvesting Period
Cool/
Spring
Warm/
Summer
Cool/
Fall
Cold/
Winter
Late Winter/
Early Spring
SOWING
HARVESTING
Features
Leaf Days to Maturity Color Growth Rate Bolting Downy Mildew Resistance
Upright; smooth to slightly savoyed 25 Medium dark green Fast Medium Races 1–3, 5–6, 8–9, 11–12, 14, 16, 19
'Gerenuk' (F1)
Gerenuk Spinach Seeds
Sowing & Harvesting Period
Cool/
Spring
Warm/
Summer
Cool/
Fall
Cold/
Winter
Late Winter/
Early Spring
SOWING
SOWING
HARVESTING
HARVESTING
Features
Leaf Days to Maturity Color Growth Rate Bolting Downy Mildew Resistance
Semi-savoyed 27 Medium dark green Fast Medium Races 1–7, 9–20
'Flamingo Improved' (F1)
Flamingo Improved Spinach Seeds
Sowing & Harvesting Period
Cool/
Spring
Warm/
Summer
Cool/
Fall
Cold/
Winter
Late Winter/
Early Spring
SOWING
SOWING
SOW
HARVESTING
HARVESTING
Features
Leaf Days to Maturity Color Growth Rate Bolting Downy Mildew Resistance
Arrowhead; long-stemmed; uniform, smooth 27 Medium green Fast Medium Races 1–14, 16
'Hammerhead' (F1)
Hammerhead Spinach Seeds
Sowing & Harvesting Period
Cool/
Spring
Warm/
Summer
Cool/
Fall
Cold/
Winter
Late Winter/
Early Spring
SOWING
SOWING
SOW
HARVESTING
HARVESTING
Features
Leaf Days to Maturity Color Growth Rate Bolting Disease Resistance
Fully savoyed; slightly elongate, round, cupped 27 Medium dark green Fast Fast Downy Mildew Races 1–12, 14–16, 19

IR: WR (White Rust)
'Rangitoto' (F1)
Rangitoto Spinach Seeds
Sowing & Harvesting Period
Cool/
Spring
Warm/
Summer
Cool/
Fall
Cold/
Winter
Late Winter/
Early Spring
SOWING
SOWING
HARVESTING
HARVESTING
Features
Leaf Days to Maturity Color Growth Rate Bolting Downy Mildew Resistance
Semi-savoyed 27 Medium green Fast Medium Races 1–16, 19
'Sunangel' (F1)
Sunangel Spinach Seeds
Sowing & Harvesting Period
Cool/
Spring
Warm/
Summer
Cool/
Fall
Cold/
Winter
Late Winter/
Early Spring
SOWING
SOWING
SOW
HARVESTING
HARVESTING
Features
Leaf Days to Maturity Color Growth Rate Bolting Disease Resistance
Slightly cupped; heavily savoyed, though not quite a full savoy in the winter tunnel 27 Medium dark green Fast Medium HR: Downy Mildew Races 1–9, 11–19; IR: Downy Mildew Race 10

IR: WR (White Rust)
'Tundra' (F1) • Organic
Tundra Organic Spinach Seed
Sowing & Harvesting Period
Cool/
Spring
Warm/
Summer
Cool/
Fall
Cold/
Winter
Late Winter/
Early Spring
SOWING
SOWING
SOW
HARVESTING
HARVESTING
Features
Leaf Days to Maturity Color Growth Rate Bolting Downy Mildew Resistance
Elongate-oval, upright, semi-savoy 27 Glossy dark green Slow Medium HR: Races 1–13, 15–16, 18
'Lizard' (F1)
Lizard Spinach Seeds
Sowing & Harvesting Period
Cool/
Spring
Warm/
Summer
Cool/
Fall
Cold/
Winter
Late Winter
Early Spring
SOWING
HARVESTING
Features
Leaf Days to Maturity Color Growth Rate Bolting Downy Mildew Resistance
Smooth, round, full, and thick 28 Dark green Slow Slow HR: Races 1–15, 17
'Equinox' (OP) • Organic
Equinox Spinach Seeds
Sowing & Harvesting Period
Cool/
Spring
Warm/
Summer
Cool/
Fall
Cold/
Winter
Late Winter/
Early Spring
SOWING
SOWING
HARVESTING
HARVESTING
Features
Leaf Days to Maturity Color Growth Rate Bolting Downy Mildew Resistance
Fully savoyed, on long stems 28 Medium dark green Medium Medium —
'Kolibri' (F1)
Kolibri Spinach Seeds
Sowing & Harvesting Period
Cool/
Spring
Warm/
Summer
Cool/
Fall
Cold/
Winter
Late Winter/
Early Spring
SOWING
HARVESTING
Leaf Days to Maturity Color Growth Rate Bolting Downy Mildew Resistance
Semi-savoyed 29 Medium dark green Medium Medium Races 1–9, 12–15, 17; IR: 10–11
'Bloomsdale' (OP)
Bloomsdale Spinach Seeds
Sowing & Harvesting Period
Cool/
Spring
Warm/
Summer
Cool/
Fall
Cold/
Winter
Late Winter/
Early Spring
SOWING
SOWING
SOW
HARVESTING
HARVESTING
Features
Leaf Days to Maturity Color Growth Rate Bolting Downy Mildew Resistance
Heavily savoyed 30 Medium dark green Medium to Fast Fast —
'Seaside' (F1)
Seaside Spinach Seeds
Sowing & Harvesting Period
Cool/
Spring
Warm/
Summer
Cool/
Fall
Cold/
Winter
Late Winter/
Early Spring
SOWING
HARVESTING
Features
Leaf Days to Maturity Color Growth Rate Bolting Downy Mildew Resistance
Smooth, thick, small, spade-shaped 30 Dark green Slow Slow HR: Races 1–11, 15–16, 19; IR: 12, 14
'Red Tabby' (F1)
Red Tabby Spinach Seeds
Sowing & Harvesting Period
Cool/
Spring
Warm/
Summer
Cool/
Fall
Cold/
Winter
Late Winter/
Early Spring
SOWING
SOW
HARVESTING
Features
Leaf Days to Maturity Color Growth Rate Bolting Downy Mildew Resistance
Smooth, with an angular shape and upright habit 31 Dark green, with bright-red veins Slow Slow HR: Races 1–9, 11–13; IR: 10
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Tech Tip: Winter Spinach Production

At higher latitudes, such as here in Albion, Maine, spinach can be grown in a hoophouse right through winter. The key is to have the spinach established before the day length drops below 10 hours, after which growth rate slows to a standstill but tolerance to cold temperatures remains in effect, allowing for winter harvest and overwintering for early spring harvest.

Seeding for winter production occurs during the warmest weeks of the year, when spinach traditionally performs poorly. Keep the soil moist and cool, but monitor well to prevent damping off. Irrigating the soil cools it in two ways: first, by physically cooling the soil with cold water; and second, through evapotranspiration, whereby evaporation draws heat from the soil.

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