How Many Spinach Seeds per Hole Should You Put?

No matter where you live, and no matter what you are growing in your garden you will have to master the requirements of all of your fruits and vegetables if you want to ensure a big and healthy harvest.

three spinach seeds in hole in the ground
three spinach seeds in hole in the ground

No matter what you’re growing, the journey to that rich payoff begins with a seed most of the time. This is always an exciting but perilous time for any planting, so you’ve got to get it right.

Today we are looking at growing spinach, more exactly on how many spinach seeds should you plant in every hole.

You can plant up to three spinach seeds in a single hole – as insurance against a failure to germinate, particularly with older seeds. If a multiple plants germinate and begin to grow, you can carefully pinch out the unwanted plants.

Spinach is one of the most popular and also most versatile of the leafy vegetables, and also has a major advantage and that it is very easy to grow, outdoors or in containers.

But aside from the number of seeds you should plant there is a lot more to learn if you want a bountiful harvest, so I’ll be telling you a lot more about it below.

How Deep Should You Plant Spinach Seeds?

You only want to plant your spinach seeds between 1/2 and 1 inch deep (between 1.3 and 2.5 centimeters). Any deeper than that will impair and might prevent growth.

How Wide Should the Hole for Spinach Seeds Be?

Not very wide at all, typically no wider than 1 inch (2.5 centimeters). It is entirely acceptable to make the hole only as wide as needed to fit the seed at the required depth before covering it back up again.

When Should You Plant Spinach Seeds?

Spinach is a cool-weather vegetable, although it matures quite quickly. In most zones, you can get two crops out of it in a single year.

In the spring, you should plant when it soil temperatures are going to consistently be above 40 °F (4 °C), but below 70° Fahrenheit (21 °Celsius). Outside of that range, seeds will not germinate.

Similarly, you could also plant in the late summer or early fall as long as that soil temperature range is maintained.

Air temperature is also a factor in both cases, and spinach will do best between 50 and 60° Fahrenheit. Sustained hot temperatures will lead to bolting.

Does Each Spinach Seed Grow 1 Spinach?

Yes, one seed will lead to one spinach plant. If you plant multiple seeds in one whole and several of them germinate, don’t assume that they will grow together as one large, super plant. Seedlings will compete with each other for resources and this can stunt growth.

As mentioned above, you should carefully pinch out redundant plants when it can be done safely, and take care not to harm the one you want to keep while you’re doing it!

What Happens if You Plant Too Many Spinach Seeds Together?

Planting too many seeds to ensure germination is just wasteful. As a rule of thumb, with all but the oldest and most battered seeds one out of every three will germinate.

However, if multiple germinate redundant plants should be carefully removed as described above.

Letting multiple seedlings grow and compete in the same hole will lead to significant retardation of growth and also depletion of soil nutrients. Spinach grows fast but to do that it uses lots of resources!

Is Spinach Easy to Grow?

Yes, spinach is generally very easy to grow, and it is another highly recommended plant for beginners. But even for expert gardeners spinach has a lot to recommend it.

It grows well in the ground, it can grow wonderfully in containers, and it is generally easy to care for so long as its temperature needs, soil and air, are being met.

Spinach is also one of those leafy vegetables that you can use at any point during growth once its true leaves start to come in.

Remember this when you start to pinch out or remove surplus seedlings; you can use those little plants as baby spinach!

Soil and Climate Factors to Consider When Planting Spinach Seeds

We already talked about the soil temperature requirements of spinach above, 40° to 70° Fahrenheit, and also air temperatures of between 50° and 60°.

But there is more to it than that if you want a bumper crop of spinach. Spinach should be planted in neutral pH soil that is organically rich, highly fertilized and well-draining.

Spinach grows quickly, but to do that it gobbles up nutrients out of the soil so you must make sure it is started and it rich soil.

You should endeavor to keep the soil damp, but never soaking wet and do everything you can to prevent it from becoming waterlogged.

Spinach is a vegetable that requires regular watering, especially during warm weather, to prevent bolting.

Frequent watering with less water each time is a prescription for success. Aim for between one to one and a half inches of water in total per week.

Also, your planting location or wherever you park your containers should be partial shade to full sun.

Spinach can do fine with as little as 3 hours of direct sun daily, so don’t be too afraid of shade but you should also take care of to protect it from intense late afternoon sun, particularly if the temperature is warming up.

How Long Until You Can Harvest Spinach When Planting from Seed?

Spinach matures reasonably quickly to its full size in around 5 weeks for most cultivars, though some are fully formed in four and others might take as long as six or even a little bit longer than that.

But, it is also possible to harvest spinach on an as needed basis my trimming off only the outer leaves. This will leave the younger, inner leaves to continue growing.

Keep in mind, once the plant hits maturity according to the timeline above its flavor and texture will be affected the longer you wait.

Can You Plant Spinach Seed Indoors?

Yes, you can. Spinach is a vegetable that is a highly suited to container gardening. This makes it easy to hit all of its growth requirements, and also protects it from pests, of which spinach has many.

Choose a container that is around a foot deep and as wide as needed to accommodate the root system, as this will depend on your cultivar.

Make sure that all containers have plenty of drain holes and are actually well-draining. Water accumulation in soil will quickly rot your spinach. Consider using unglazed clay or other earthware containers to promote evaporation of moisture.

Also, whatever container you choose try to make that the permanent home of your spinach.

Spinach can be transplanted, but if its root system is disturbed this will severely shock the plant and lead to losses. Transplanting it without disturbing the roots is, obviously, pretty difficult.

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