Spinach Succession Planting Program

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.

Note: Days to Maturity (DTM) figures listed below are for "farmer's market baby leaf size."

Spinach Succession Planting & Harvesting Chart
Key		Plant		Harvest
Variety				Cool/Spring				Warm/Summer				Cool/Fall				Cold/Winter				Late Winter/Early Spring
'Auroch'
'Tragopan'
'Space'
'Gerenuk'
'Flamingo Improved'
'Hammerhead'
'Rangitoto'
'Sunangel'
'Tundra'
'Lizard'
'Equinox'
'Kolibri'
'Bloomsdale'
'Seaside'
'Red Tabby'

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Spinach Variety Comparison Chart
Variety	Days to Maturity	Leaf	Color	Growth Rate	Bolting	Downy Mildew Resistance
'Auroch'	24	Upright, smooth	Dark green	Fast	Fast	Races 1–12, 14–16, 19
'Tragopan'	24	Upright, smooth	Dark green	Fast	Fast	Races 1–12, 14–16, 19
'Space'	25	Upright; smooth to slightly savoyed	Medium dark green	Fast	Medium	Races 1–3, 5–6, 8–9, 11–12, 14, 16, 19
'Gerenuk'	27	Semi-savoyed	Medium dark green	Fast	Medium	Races 1–7, 9–20
'Flamingo Improved'	27	Arrowhead; long-stemmed; uniform, smooth	Medium green	Fast	Medium	Races 1–14, 16
'Hammerhead'	27	Fully savoyed; slightly elongate, round, cupped	Medium dark green	Fast	Fast	Downy Mildew Races 1–12, 14–16, 19 IR: WR (White Rust)
'Rangitoto'	27	Semi-savoyed	Medium green	Fast	Medium	Races 1–16, 19
'Sunangel'	27	Slightly cupped; heavily savoyed, though not quite a full savoy in the winter tunnel	Medium dark green	Fast	Medium	HR: Downy Mildew Races 1–9, 11–19; IR: Downy Mildew Race 10 IR: WR (White Rust)
'Tundra'	27	Elongate-oval, upright, semi-savoy	Glossy dark green	Slow	Medium	HR: Races 1–13, 15–16, 18
'Lizard'	28	Smooth, round, full, and thick	Dark green	Slow	Slow	HR: Races 1–15, 17
'Equinox'	28	Fully savoyed, on long stems	Medium dark green	Medium	Medium	n/a
'Kolibri'	29	Semi-savoyed	Medium dark green	Medium	Medium	Races 1–9, 12–15, 17; IR: 10–11
'Bloomsdale'	30	Heavily savoyed	Medium dark green	Medium to fast	Fast	n/a
'Seaside'	30	Smooth, thick, small, spade-shaped	Dark green	Slow	Slow	HR: Races 1–11, 15–16, 19; IR: 12, 14
'Red Tabby'	31	Smooth, with an angular shape and upright habit	Dark green, with bright-red veins	Slow	Slow	HR: Races 1–9, 11–13; IR: 10

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Spinach Variety Photo Comparison

'Auroch'

'Tragopan'

'Space'

'Gerenuk'

'Flamingo Improved'

'Hammerhead'

'Rangitoto'

'Sunangel'

'Tundra'

'Lizard'

'Equinox'

'Kolibri'

'Bloomsdale'

'Seaside'

'Red Tabby'

Tech Tip: Seeding for 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.

Learn More

• Johnny's Succession Planting Programs
• Spinach Varieties  • Planting Program Comparison Chart (PDF)
• Winter Spinach Varieties From Johnny's  • Video