Oregon · Washington · Idaho
When to plant spinach
Plant in the garden: Portland and Seattle Mar 1 – Apr 5; Spokane Apr 1 – May 6; Boise Mar 20 – Apr 24; Bend Apr 28 – Jun 2.
Your dates in
Spinach is a fast leafy green in the amaranth family, related to beets and chard rather than lettuce, eaten raw in salads or wilted into cooked dishes. Varieties are either smooth-leaved, which wash easily, or savoyed, with crinkled, thicker leaves that hold up better to cold. Washington's Skagit Valley is one of the world's main areas for growing spinach seed.
Puts spinach on your free plan, with dates for your town and a spot in your beds.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Spacing
- 3 inches apart
- Planting depth
- ½ inch deep
- Frost
- Handles light frost
- First harvest
- About 45 days after planting
Bolts when days get long and warm, so spring sowings should go in early.
Spinach planting dates
| Towns | Plant in the garden | Plant again for fall |
|---|---|---|
| Portland, OR, Seattle and Tacoma, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 5 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
| Spokane, WA | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 17 – Sep 7 |
| Boise and Meridian, ID | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
| Bend and Redmond, OR | Apr 28 – Jun 2 | Jul 20 – Aug 10 |
| Astoria, OR | Mar 25 – Apr 29 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
Dates for six main cities. For any of the other 80 towns, type it in the box at the top of the page or browse all towns.
| Gresham, OR, Oregon City and West Linn, OR, Portland, OR, St. Helens and Scappoose, OR, Wilsonville and Canby, OR | Mar 1 – Apr 5 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Hillsboro and Beaverton, OR | Mar 5 – Apr 9 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
| Corvallis and Albany, OR, Eugene, OR, Salem, OR | Mar 1 – Apr 5 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Cottage Grove, OR | Mar 13 – Apr 17 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
| McMinnville and Newberg, OR | Mar 4 – Apr 8 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
| Ashland and Talent, OR | Mar 25 – Apr 29 | Aug 13 – Sep 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Grants Pass, OR, Medford, OR, Roseburg, OR | Mar 1 – Apr 5 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
| Astoria, OR, Brookings and Gold Beach, OR, Coos Bay and North Bend, OR, Newport and Lincoln City, OR, Tillamook, OR | Mar 25 – Apr 29 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
|---|
| Bend and Redmond, OR | Apr 28 – Jun 2 | Jul 20 – Aug 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Burns, OR | Apr 30 – Jun 4 | Jul 12 – Aug 2 |
| Klamath Falls, OR | Apr 28 – Jun 2 | Jul 24 – Aug 14 |
| Lakeview, OR | Apr 23 – May 28 | Jul 23 – Aug 13 |
| Madras, OR | Apr 20 – May 25 | Aug 9–30 |
| Prineville, OR | Apr 20 – May 25 | Jul 28 – Aug 18 |
| Baker City, OR | Apr 20 – May 25 | Jul 21 – Aug 11 |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise and Joseph, OR | Apr 20 – May 25 | Aug 6–27 |
| Hermiston, OR | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 15 – Sep 5 |
| Hood River, OR | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 18 – Sep 8 |
| John Day, OR | Apr 20 – May 25 | Jul 24 – Aug 14 |
| La Grande, OR | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 6–27 |
| Ontario, OR | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 19 – Sep 9 |
| Pendleton, OR, The Dalles, OR | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
| Bremerton and Port Orchard, WA, Everett, WA, Kent, Renton and Auburn, WA, Seattle and Tacoma, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 5 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Olympia, WA | Mar 18 – Apr 22 | Aug 19 – Sep 9 |
| Shelton, WA | Mar 16 – Apr 20 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
| Anacortes, WA, Bellingham, WA, Friday Harbor and the San Juans, WA, Mount Vernon and Burlington, WA, Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 5 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
|---|
| Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WA, Forks, WA, Long Beach and Ilwaco, WA | Mar 25 – Apr 29 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Port Angeles, WA, Port Townsend, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 5 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
| Sequim, WA | Mar 10 – Apr 14 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
| Centralia and Chehalis, WA | Mar 11 – Apr 15 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Longview and Kelso, WA, Vancouver, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 5 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
| Chelan, WA, Wenatchee, WA | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Leavenworth, WA | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 5–26 |
| Omak and Okanogan, WA | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 12 – Sep 2 |
| Winthrop and Twisp, WA | Apr 3 – May 8 | Jul 28 – Aug 18 |
| Ellensburg, WA | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 12 – Sep 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ephrata and Quincy, WA, Walla Walla, WA | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
| Goldendale, WA | Apr 7 – May 12 | Jul 31 – Aug 21 |
| Moses Lake, WA | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 13 – Sep 3 |
| Sunnyside, Grandview and Prosser, WA | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 11 – Sep 1 |
| Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 16 – Sep 6 |
| Yakima, WA | Mar 27 – May 1 | Aug 9–30 |
| Colville, WA, Pullman, WA | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 7–28 |
|---|---|---|
| Spokane, WA | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 17 – Sep 7 |
| Bonners Ferry, ID | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 9–30 |
|---|---|---|
| Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls, ID | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
| Sandpoint, ID | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 3–24 |
| Lewiston, ID | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Moscow, ID | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 7–28 |
| Boise and Meridian, ID, Emmett, ID | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 20 – Sep 10 |
|---|---|---|
| McCall, ID | May 11 – Jun 15 | Jul 8–29 |
| Nampa and Caldwell, ID | Mar 20 – Apr 24 | Aug 18 – Sep 8 |
| Burley and Rupert, ID, Twin Falls, ID | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 9–30 |
|---|---|---|
| Idaho Falls, ID | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 6–27 |
| Pocatello, ID | Apr 1 – May 6 | Aug 16 – Sep 6 |
| Rexburg, ID | Apr 1 – May 6 | Jul 30 – Aug 20 |
| Salmon, ID | Apr 20 – May 25 | Jul 30 – Aug 20 |
Spinach year at a glance
| Task | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant | Mar | Apr | Aug | Sep | ||||||||
| Harvest | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Around Portland. Colder towns, especially east of the Cascades, run a few weeks later; the table above has your town's planting dates.
How to grow spinach
- Prepare the bed: loosen the soil and mix in an inch or two of compost.
- Plant seeds on your city's dates, ½ inch deep, 3 inches apart.
- Keep the soil evenly moist until sprouts appear, which can take one to three weeks in cool soil.
- Plant again on your city's dates for a fall harvest.
- Harvest: Cut outer leaves once plants have five or six, or cut the whole plant before it sends up a flower stalk.
Growing spinach in your part of the Northwest
The same plant behaves differently on the wet west side, the foggy coast and the dry, colder east side.
West-side valleys
Willamette Valley, Puget Sound, southern Oregon
Spinach sown in late August or September often keeps going through a mild winter, especially under row cover, and gives the best harvests of the year in early spring. Downy mildew shows up in long cool, wet spells; give plants room for air.
Coast
Oregon and Washington coast
Mild summers stretch the spring harvest a bit longer than inland, but long days in June still trigger bolting. Fall sowings do especially well.
East of the Cascades
Columbia Basin, Yakima, Boise, Spokane, north Idaho
Spring is short before heat and long days make spinach bolt, so sow as soon as the ground can be worked. A late-summer sowing for fall, kept under cover, is often more productive.
High desert and mountain towns
Central Oregon, high eastern Oregon valleys, McCall, Salmon
Spinach is cold hardy enough for early spring sowing here. Sow again in late summer; plants under cover can sometimes be overwintered for a very early spring crop.
More spinach varieties
More widely sold picks that do well somewhere in the Northwest. The tag says which part of the Northwest suits each one best.
Bloomsdale Long Standing
A heavily crinkled, dark green heirloom with rich flavor. It is slower to bolt than many old varieties, though spring sowings should still go in early.
Both sides
Space
Smooth, upright leaves that are easy to wash, a real plus in muddy Northwest springs. Fast growing, slow to bolt and resistant to several races of downy mildew.
Both sides
Giant Winter
Large, thick leaves on a very cold-hardy plant. Sow it in late summer or early fall west of the Cascades for harvests through fall and again in early spring.
Coast and west side
Tyee
A dark green savoy spinach known for strong bolt resistance and good downy mildew tolerance. It works for spring, fall and overwintered sowings.
Both sides
Melody
A vigorous, widely sold semi-savoy with large dark leaves. It is fast and productive and has some disease resistance, a good all-purpose spinach for home beds.
Both sides
How much to grow
How many to plant
For a family of four, a 10-foot row every three weeks in early spring, and a wider sowing in late summer for fall and winter.
What to expect
About 1 pound per 2 feet of row, over several pickings.
Storing the harvest
Unwashed leaves keep about a week in a bag lined with a paper towel in the fridge. Blanch and freeze extras.
What to plant after spinach
Around Portland, the spinach harvest wraps up around June. These crops can still go into the same bed, and they come from a different plant family, which helps with rotation.
- Bush beans May 10 – Jun 21
- Sweet corn May 10 – Jun 14
- Pole beans May 10 – Jun 14
- Cucumbers May 15 – Jun 12
- Zucchini and summer squash May 15 – Jun 12
- Tomatoes May 15 – Jun 12
- Tomatillos May 15 – Jun 12
- Celery May 15 – Jun 19
Bush beans 
Sweet corn 
Pole beans 
Cucumbers 
Zucchini and summer squash 
Tomatoes 
Tomatillos 
Celery Portland dates. Pick your town at the top of the page for yours.
Key numbers
- 14 hours (late April)Bolts when days pass
- 35–75°F; poor above 85°FSoil to sprout
- 6.5–7.5Soil pH
- The teens °F, with coverHardy to
- Fall and overwinteredBest crop
- 10–14 days coldKeeps
Top care tip: Pick outer leaves often and keep the soil moist, which slows bolting as days lengthen.
The plant science
The plant biology behind the advice above, in plain language.
Why spinach bolts
Spinach is a long-day plant: once the days get longer than about 14 hours, it starts making flowers instead of leaves. In Portland and Seattle that happens around late April, and warm weather speeds it up. That's why spring spinach has a short window, and why fall and overwintered crops are often the best ones here.
Sow as early in spring as the soil can be worked, choose slow-bolting varieties, and harvest whole plants once they start to stretch upward.
Germination and temperature
Spinach sprouts in soil as cool as 35 to 45°F, best around 70°F, and very poorly above about 85°F. For a fall crop, sow in late summer once the soil has cooled, or water and shade the seedbed to keep it cool. Established plants are very cold hardy, surviving temperatures into the teens with some cover, and fall-sown spinach often grows again in February west of the Cascades.
Soil pH matters more than for most greens
Spinach is unusually sensitive to acidic soil. Below a pH of about 6.0, seedlings tend to grow slowly and turn yellow. It grows best at a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Many west-side soils are acidic, so if spinach has struggled before, test the soil and add lime as needed. It also likes plenty of nitrogen and steady moisture.
Pests and diseases
Downy mildew causes yellow patches on top of leaves with grayish-purple fuzz underneath, especially in cool, damp weather. Many newer varieties are bred to resist it. Leaf miners tunnel through leaves; row cover keeps the flies out. And slugs love young spinach.
Harvest and storage
Pick outer leaves once plants have five or six, or cut the whole plant an inch above the soil and let it regrow. Spinach keeps best near freezing with high humidity, bagged in the fridge, where it lasts about 10 to 14 days.
Good neighbors and crop rotation
Good neighbors
- Peas. Plant spinach on the shady side of the pea trellis to slow bolting as days lengthen.
- Radishes and lettuce. Same cool-season timing and shallow roots.
Beet family: Beets, chard and spinach are close relatives and share leaf miners, whose pupae overwinter in the soil. Rotate them on a two- to three-year cycle.
Pests and problems
What most often goes wrong with spinach in Northwest gardens, how to spot it and what to do.
Leaf miners
Signs: Pale, winding tunnels or blotches in the leaves.
What to do: Pick off spotted leaves and cover the bed with row cover in spring.
Downy mildew
Signs: Yellow patches on top of the leaves with gray-purple fuzz underneath, in cool, wet weather.
What to do: Space plants for airflow and choose resistant varieties.
Bolting
Signs: A tall flower stalk forms and the leaves turn small and bitter.
What to do: Sow in early spring and late summer; long June days trigger it.
Common questions about growing spinach
When should I plant spinach in Oregon, Washington and Idaho?
Plant in the garden: Mar 1 – Apr 5 in Portland and Seattle, Apr 1 – May 6 in Spokane, Mar 20 – Apr 24 in Boise and Apr 28 – Jun 2 in Bend. Pick your town at the top of the page for your own dates.
Why does my spinach bolt so quickly?
Spinach starts flowering once days get longer than about 14 hours, which happens in late April in Portland and Seattle, and warm weather speeds it up. Sow very early in spring, choose slow-bolting varieties, and grow your main crop in fall.
Can spinach grow through the winter?
Yes, west of the Cascades. Spinach sown in late summer or early fall survives temperatures into the teens with a little cover, slows down in midwinter, and grows again in late winter.
Why are my spinach seedlings yellow?
Acidic soil is a common cause. Spinach grows best at a pH of 6.5 to 7.5, and many Northwest soils are lower. Test your soil and lime if needed. Waterlogged soil and a lack of nitrogen can also cause it.
See what else to plant in March, April, August or September.
Lettuce
Arugula
Swiss chard
Mâche
Radicchio