PlantZoneFinder

When to plant spinach

Hardy · cool-season green

Spinach is a hardy, cool-season green that matures in about 40–50 days from sowing. Sow directly in the garden direct-sow about 4–6 weeks before the last frost. Because the right calendar date depends on your local frost dates, pick your ZIP or city on the home planner to see exact spinach planting windows for your location; the per-location pages list them city by city. Windows are extension-guide planning ranges, not guarantees.

Spinach at a glance

Planning parameters — typical ranges from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Category cool-season green
Frost tolerance Hardy
Start indoors Not usually — direct-sow
Plant out Direct-sow 4–6 wk before last frost
Days to maturity 40–50 days (from sow)
Min. soil temp 40°F
Second (fall) crop Yes — count back from first fall frost

Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.

Spinach planting windows by city

The exact dates depend on each location's average frost calendar. Here is spinach across 40 locations spanning the climate range — open one for its full printable calendar, or find your own dates with the ZIP planner.

Computed by counting from each location's NOAA 1991–2020 average frost dates.
Location Zone Start indoors Plant out First harvest
Adak, AK 8b — Apr 19 – May 3 May 29 – Jun 8
Fort Payne, AL 7b — Feb 15 – Mar 1 Mar 27 – Apr 6
Saratoga, AR 8b — Feb 12 – Feb 26 Mar 24 – Apr 3
Top-of-the-World, AZ 8a — Jan 13 – Jan 27 Feb 22 – Mar 4
Half Moon Bay, CA 10a — Jan 1 – Jan 9 Feb 10 – Feb 20
Rohnert Park, CA 9a — Jan 17 – Jan 31 Feb 26 – Mar 8
Ellicott, CO 6a — Mar 25 – Apr 8 May 4 – May 14
Millsboro, DE 7b — Feb 21 – Mar 7 Apr 2 – Apr 12
Yankeetown, FL 9b — Jan 17 – Jan 31 Feb 26 – Mar 8
Volcano, HI 11a — year-round —
Boise, ID 7a — Mar 13 – Mar 27 Apr 22 – May 2
Effingham, IL 6b — Mar 2 – Mar 16 Apr 11 – Apr 21
Indianapolis, IN 6a — Mar 10 – Mar 24 Apr 19 – Apr 29
Minneapolis, KS 6b — Mar 9 – Mar 23 Apr 18 – Apr 28
Bayou Blue, LA 9b — Jan 1 – Jan 8 Feb 10 – Feb 20
Glen Burnie, MD 8a — Feb 27 – Mar 13 Apr 8 – Apr 18
Elk Rapids, MI 6a — Mar 19 – Apr 2 Apr 28 – May 8
Dawson, MN 4b — Mar 22 – Apr 5 May 1 – May 11
Cayuga, OK 7a — Mar 4 – Mar 18 Apr 13 – Apr 23
Cleveland, MS 8b — Jan 31 – Feb 14 Mar 12 – Mar 22
Island Park, ID 4a — May 4 – May 18 Jun 13 – Jun 23
Hickory, NC 8a — Feb 17 – Mar 3 Mar 29 – Apr 8
Litchville, ND 4a — Mar 29 – Apr 12 May 8 – May 18
Plainview, NE 5b — Mar 19 – Apr 2 Apr 28 – May 8
Capulin, NM 5b — Apr 5 – Apr 19 May 15 – May 25
Gabbs, NV 6b — Mar 20 – Apr 3 Apr 29 – May 9
Madrid, NY 4b — Mar 18 – Apr 1 Apr 27 – May 7
London, OH 6a — Mar 13 – Mar 27 Apr 22 – May 2
Perkins, OK 7b — Feb 20 – Mar 6 Apr 1 – Apr 11
Shedd, OR 8b — Jan 31 – Feb 14 Mar 12 – Mar 22
Seltzer, PA 6a — Mar 5 – Mar 19 Apr 14 – Apr 24
Custer, SD 5a — Apr 11 – Apr 25 May 21 – May 31
Lynchburg, TN 7b — Feb 24 – Mar 10 Apr 5 – Apr 15
Early, TX 8a — Feb 8 – Feb 22 Mar 20 – Mar 30
Ozona, TX 8a — Feb 13 – Feb 27 Mar 25 – Apr 4
Fillmore, UT 6a — Mar 23 – Apr 6 May 2 – May 12
Hillsville, VA 7a — Mar 14 – Mar 28 Apr 23 – May 3
Green Bluff, WA 6b — Apr 10 – Apr 24 May 20 – May 30
Gordon, WI 4a — Apr 10 – Apr 24 May 20 – May 30
Elk Garden, WV 6b — Mar 19 – Apr 2 Apr 28 – May 8

How to time spinach

Spinach is a hardy cool-season green. Hardy crops tolerate hard frost, so you can plant well before the last spring frost — often as soon as the soil can be worked. Direct-sow 4–6 wk before last frost, once the soil is at least about 40°F. It matures in roughly 40–50 days from sowing. It also works as a fall crop: count back from the first fall frost by its days-to-maturity plus a short buffer.

Find your own dates on the home planner, browse all crops, or read the methodology for the offsets and citations behind these windows.

Frequently asked questions

Is spinach frost-tolerant?
Spinach is a hardy crop. Hardy crops tolerate hard frost and can be planted well before the last spring frost — often as soon as the soil can be worked.
How long does spinach take to grow?
About 40–50 days from sowing to first harvest, depending on variety and weather. Days-to-maturity ranges are typical values from U.S. Cooperative Extension planting guides.
Can I direct-sow spinach?
Yes — spinach is usually direct-sown rather than started indoors. Sow direct-sow about 4–6 weeks before the last frost, once the soil is at least about 40°F.
Can I grow spinach as a fall crop?
Yes. Spinach is commonly grown as a second, fall crop by counting back from the average first fall frost by its days-to-maturity plus a short buffer. The per-location pages show a fall planting window where the season allows one.