How to Grow Spinach | Best Sowing Times, Varieties & No Dig Growing

Spinach is one of the most rewarding leafy greens to grow, especially in late winter, spring and autumn. In this video, I share the best sowing times, how to raise strong plants, and which spinach varieties crop longest using simple no dig methods. Medania grows well here, see what you think.

You’ll learn when to sow spinach in spring and late summer, how to avoid bolting (flowering), why multi-sowing in modules works so well, and how spinach performs through cold, frost and winter damp.

True spinach (not leaf beet) is so delicious, in winter and spring above all. First for salad, and as a cooked green simply allow leaves to grow larger, with perhaps a few slug holes appearing in the process, but conveniently disappearing again in cooking!

Keep plants easy to pick by removing yellowing leaves to compost, also that affords less habitat for slugs under ground-level foliage. Slugs make it difficult to grow spinach from direct sowing. Therefore I mostly raise plants indoors, three seeds per 3 cm/1 in module. One tray of 30 or even 60 module plants will yield substantial pickings.

Best sowing dates are late February to March, then from late July for overwintered spinach, and until the third week in August. For seeds to sow, leave plants unpicked through spring and that helps seed to develop and be more viable. Sometime from late July you should be able to start rubbing out some dry seed and when you can do quite a bit of that from one plant, cut just below ground level to have stems for hanging initially under cover.

🎥 Filmed 14th February to September 2025
Filmed by Carly Dutton-Edwards
In Homeacres No Dig Garden, Somerset, UK
🎵 Music: Rory Dunwoodie, @rorydinwoodiemusic IG: rorydinwoodiemusic

#spinach #growyourown #nodig #charlesdowding #vegetablegardening #growyourownfood #wintervegetables

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00:00 Introduction - sowing timing
02:07 Multisowing seeds in module trays
03:38 Compost mix for sowing
05:02 Sowing a different variety - Bloomsdale, first was Medania
05:45 Covering seeds with compost, amount
06:38 14th March, four weeks later - growth results for both varieties
08:18 Plan for transplanting, and root development
09:23 Preparing for transplanting in small bed, either side of garlic
09:43 Spacing and dibbing holes; pre-wetting compost
11:42 Transplanting
13:30 Covering with fleece for stronger growth, watering first
16:11 12th May - comparison of growth between the two varieties, one starting to flower
17:55 30th May - final pick of flowering plants
19:26 Saving seed
19:56 Clearing the plants by twisting
20:56 24th October - growth from August sowing, comparison between two batches of Medania
22:40 A third type of leaf, Acadia variety, F1 hybrid
24:42 Spacing