Overwintering spinach is a great way to have an extra early and very productive spring crop. If planted at the right time and given some protection you will also have leaves to harvest in the fall and all winter long.
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This was my harvest on February 10th this year. No, I don’t live in southern California or some zone 9 meccas. We live in a cold Zone 6 almost zone 5 garden. Although we don’t have winters as cold as some, we do have tons of snow and very cold temps all winter long.
Spinach is a very hardy winter green. Even those of you that live in Zones 3 and 4 can have a successful winter crop by overwintering spinach.
Check out this video I just published on How to Grow Spinach in fall and winter:
Planting Time for Over Wintering Spinach
To be successful at overwintering spinach you need to get started in early fall or late summer.
The first key for overwintering spinach is to get your seeds planted 6 to 8 weeks before your average first frost in the fall. For us that planting date is August 1st. Your date will be different based on that average first frost date. The newly planted seeds will need some extra care if your weather at that time of year is hot. Be sure to water often (probably daily till the seeds are up and strong) and also offer extra protection from pests by covering your bed with a lightweight fabric row cover.
Adding Protection from the Cold
The second key to overwintering spinach is to have some type of protection from the cold of winter. I recommend a cold frame if you live in zones 6 or colder. Those of you in zones 7 and warmer should be able to get away with just a hoop house. Either way, you will need to think about getting that protection out around the time your first frost arrives in the fall.
If you live in zones 6 or below I would also recommend adding a second layer of protection inside your cold frame. You do this by adding a piece of heavy fabric row cover
to your cold frame once your nighttime temperatures drop to between 20 to 25 degrees. You will just leave that row cover in place until the temps warm back up and the longer days (more than 10 1\2 hours) arrive in the spring.
Harvest time Starts in Late Fall
One of the benefits of overwintering spinach is that your harvest begins in the fall and continues all winter and into the spring! You should have a decent harvest starting about 75 days after planting. That harvest will slow during the winter, but you should be able to harvest a salad’s worth of leaves every couple of weeks.
Once spring arrives the growth of the plants will really take off and you should have a fantastic harvest starting in early spring and lasting until your spinach plants finally bolt and go to seed in mid to late spring. Not only will you have an extra early harvest but that harvest will also be very heavy because the plants are so mature early in the spring.
We have found that overwintering spinach is the most productive method for growing spinach. The continual harvest of leaves for over a 6-8 month time frame is a great addition of fresh veggies to our winter and spring diet.
Remember that the keys to a great crop are planting 60 days before your first fall frost and having a cold frame or hoop house to protect the crop during the cold winter months.
Get this idea on your schedule for this fall and you will be overwintering spinach for a great spring harvest.
Want to learn more about growing a garden in the wintertime? Check out our Year-Round Gardening Course!
Can Spinach Grow in Cold Weather?
Yes! In fact, spinach thrives in the cool weather of fall, spring, and even winter! With a little protection from a cold frame or even a hoop house, you can harvest spinach all winter long!
Does Baby Spinach Grow in Winter?
Winter is the perfect time to grow baby spinach. If you want baby spinach in the winter instead of full-grown plants then you should plant a little later in the fall. Your spinach plants won’t develop as much if planted later and will give you a great harvest of “baby spinach” during the winter months.
Can spinach survive a freeze?
Yes, spinach is very hardy and can handle light freezes unprotected in the garden. As the winter weather gets colder it is a good idea to cover your spinach crop with a cold frame, hoop house, or even just a heavy fabric row cover to help it resist the really cold temperatures.
Growing Carrots for Winter Harvest
Great tips Rick! I’ve not had a good year with spinach or carrots, I hope that from now and throughout winter I have better luck!
I successfully overwintered spinach last year (zone 6a, but more like zone 5 micro climate in my garden), under a simple hoop tunnel with pvc tubes and plastic. It was so rewarding to be able to pull back the plastic when the weather would allow and harvest fresh spinach. And once spring came around the corner, that spinach really took off and provided many meals for a few more months. Can’t wait to add some other cold hardy green this fall and see what will survive the winter here.
Thank you for sharing all your experience and knowledge. Greatly appreciate it.
You are very welcome!
I saw your video of “harvesting spinach for 8 months” and wonder what happens when snow covers the cold frame. How can the spinach get any light? Some years snow can be deep and some years light to nothing. We’re in zone 5a and I’d love to try over wintering.
That time of year the plants are basically in cold storage. They will almost completely stop growing around mid-November and all you will be doing is harvesting. The snow will help insulate the cold frame and everything will be just great. Just be sure to remove the snow and let things warm up inside the cold frame before you harvest.
Thank you so much for your video. You answered the question I had about WHEN to cover the spinach.