How to Grow Spinach Organically 

I was literally wondering today why my spinach wasn't germinating like my other seeds! Every single one of your videos are EXTREMELY helpful in my home garden. I've utilized many of your suggestions and techniques in my garden. CHEERS and keep up the good work!

I love the bloomsdale long standing spinach. I winter sow them in large containers. My "chef" hubby ( our kiddos tell me to stop calling him that) loves cooking it in soups. By the way he isn't a chef but I gotta build him up. We will be celebrating our 40 yr anniversary in June 💕. Happy gardening Farmer Jesse .

I like bloomsdale longstanding spinach for fall sowing because it will often overwinter and then you get giant leaves almost a foot across that are sweet and mild tasting in the early spring. Unfortunately that -6* weather last December was too cold for my (unprotected) spinach. It is a savoy type. One year I saved seeds from some just to see how that worked because there are male and female plants, and the seeds I saved grow pretty well so that's cool.

I do the pick one leaf at a time harvest. I also let them get big so it's faster filling up the tote. I have trained the customers at the market to love big leaf spinach like 6-8" diameter. I prefer the crinkly leaf type so they have volume in the bag not all flat together. My favorite varieties are a Red Tabby for a Red Vein and Lizard or Sunangel for green. I do a mix or red and green.

Great vid. I always let several plants go to seed then harvest and spread the seeds in the Autumn here in Boise, ID. I have been doing this for 15+ years and I honestly don't remember what I started with. It has turned into a majority of savoyed spinach but there always is a chance for a smooth leaf plant or two. It germinates and grows as the weather warms, and I never worry about fertilizing and it is all usually harvested before pests have a chance to become a problem.

We grow butterflay variety for the shoulder season and for winter. For late spring and early fall we switch to Space because it is bit more tolerant to heat. We don't sell cut spinach just bunched. Spacing is 6 to 8 inches. For summer month we substitute bunched tatsoi and sell as Chinese spinach (Tatsoi is also known as spinach mustard). We'll easily sell 60 bunches per market day. Bunching size for both spinach and tatsoi is around 8 inch tall plants. Watering is by drip ONLY!! Insect netting is a must. It's not just for aphids but to keep sparrows from feasting on the plants. We also place around 10 mouse trap inside a down spout of a rain gutter cut to 12 inches (two traps per 12inch tube) per 100 foot rows.

Loved eating spinach even as a kid so I'll definitely be rewatching this video a few times. I'm enjoying the book and can't wait to add another hat to my ball cap collection haha. Plus it'll be great for the Tennessee heat Thank you for being a good source of knowledge. I appreciate all the work that goes into these videos that we don't even know/think about.

I have watched many of your videos twice and the snarky humor is still funny on round 2. You pack so much info into your videos and I appreciate your desire to share the knowledge. I think its time for me to buy a hat and the book, since I have been following you for a while (not stalking but we do live in Ohio). Keep up the good, hard work! And bring the cat back into the videos…

I love how cold hardy Bloomsdale Longstanding spinach is during winter in zone 6b. It tastes better after it goes through winter.

I'm not a market grower (yet), but for the home gardener I would highly recommend Malabar Spinach. Fantastic flavor and loves the summer heat. It's not as abundant as other types but most of the leaves will get to be a heart-shaped 7". They are also beautiful vining plants, so have a trellis available. I've even grown it in pots and brought it indoors over winter for fresh greens. It will seed abundantly and the late fall seeds that I didn't catch are growing new plants. I love it and will never be without it again! ThanQ for all your wonderful educational videos, Jesse! Oh, and if you use your left hand to point to other videos, you'll be right on the mark. 🤣

It eat spinach and kale with a few grapes for a flavor blast every day for lunch and that's the best meal ever. Just wanted to drop that here. 😊

So enjoy all these videos you put out and these crop break downs are amazing and full of good nerdiness! My ground is still frozen and so can’t wait to get spinach radish and arugula started.

I started soaking my seed in a peroxide/water mix on a paper towel and have gotten nearly 100% germination since I started doing it this way. Before that it was really hit or miss.

Great noble is my favorite, in summer before I plant store the seed in the refrigerator plant in ground in September for the winter into spring I harvest alot.

In New Hampshire, I sometimes seed spinach out very late in the fall, but before ground freezes. Then as soon as the soil starts warming up in the spring I will have a crop of spinach. Bonus if it snows soon after planting so the seeds don’t start to germinate in the fall. Timing is critical as too early a planting could germinate seeds in the fall just to be frozen and wasted.

I really appreciate the work and research you must do to present these great videos. I know you are monetized but you go above and beyond. All of you watching should buy the book. It absolutely is worth every penny spent. Havagudun Jesse.

I literally just throw spinach on the ground in the fall and harvest through spring. NW Texas Zone 6B

Spinach is a royal vegetable. The name Savoy comes from the House of Savoy (Savoia) The royalty of Piedmont, Sicily and Sardinia. They were even the kings of Italy from the 1860 unification until Mussolini. And you thought it was just nice in salads...🤪

A greenhouse guy told me a hint that has been full proof for me concerning aphids. He said to add vitamin B complex to your watering solution. I've tried it with one capsule dissolved in a five gallon bucket of water as well as 1/2 capsule per 5 gal water. Either has worked great. One dose is usually eno, two for a really horrendous infestation. By the way, for white fly treat the water with vitamin C. Why has no one ever done a video on that?

Sunday morning with Farmer Jesse. Looking like a good day already! (Someone say beer? 🍺)

We're older growers-at-home only to eat, freeze and share, but really appreciate your specific details as we have not had much success in growing spinach in a warmer (8a) climate. May wait and try again in the fall now that we are already warming up so much...way too quickly! When you are selling your savoy varieties at a market (I think you sell in that manner..sorry...newer to your channel so not sure), do you let folks have a little taste to entice them to buy it? Thanks again for informative and well-produced videos! For any one who didn't watch until the end clip...you missed a good one!

I'm going to be growing my garden in middle/east TN, and I am about halfway through your book! Looking forward to implementing these practices :)

Great info, appreciate you sharing the varieties you like and your humor. 🥬

Great to see you back. Spinach was a challenge for me last year definitely appreciate this video

Coincidence!! I’m starting my Spinach seeds today. I’m in zone 7b. Thanks for another very helpful and informative video! Love your detail ❤

My spinach did great last year 👍 was my first time growing it in a raised bed. I was very surprised how much I harvested in a small area. I harvested all of it with a pair of scissors and it was very hard on the back.😣 Definitely growing more this year. Watching from Dartmouth Nova Scotia 🇨🇦 also zone 6b 👍

In the mid 2000's, a successful organic farmer in my area, Dave Swett, spoke to our MG group about spinach, beets and chard. He always prepped his seed by soaking it in strongly brewed black tea (cooled), then seeded with it. It has served me well. Something about the tannins in the tea helped with germination? Food for thought.

I love your channel No tiller Growers. Learning a lot ❤

Jesse! Here in the mountains of SE BC (zone 5a) I have learned that I can plant spinach in late August for an October harvest (CDN Thanksgiving = big sales), then leave it uncovered over winter (60cm snow and -25c spells) and it will regrow in late March. early April. My first cutting is a mowing and weeding to freshen up the bed (many damaged leaves), but my second cutting happens 3 weeks after that (end of April) and it is a crazy sweet leaf! Like, you can ICE A CAKE with this spinach! I usually take 1 more cutting mid-May before it bolts and sell it for commercial juicing -however, last time I did that she said all her juice turned very brown very quickly (natural oxidization, but ugly). I don't know it was the extra sugars or oxalyc acid, or her crappy lemons or... ? But it was too bad because I can sell her 100kg a week at $7/kg (crazy cheap, but that's only 2 hour labour on an extra cutting) I usually grow Space because it is so fast and tastes great, but you taught me some things about Savoy so I might try that again.

I saved seeds from spinach last season. It germinated fast and reliably on my cold drafty windowsill. My house doesn't get really hot inside so I guess the seedlings like that lol

You are so funny 😆 The spinach info was good too

I sell bunching spinach. It sells quite well here in South Carolina. It is just so much quicker to cut by hand that I naturally gravitated to it accidently. I ordered a type of spinach one year that was bunching and it just worked. Have stuck to it ever since.

So much good info in this video. I grow only bunching spinach here in Texas. Baby leaf if too common and cheap in the store for me to compete. I freeze and can a lot too for our family and the bigger spinach works better.I will plant multiple beds at a time fall, mid winter, early spring, and late late spring by actually seed priming in the warmer temps. I will use 60% shade cloth in warm months, but I think it’s more important to have the moisture retention in hot weather rather than actual cooler temps. I only direct seed, earthway seeder with I think the beet plate???? (I paint my plates for easy identification). I go with 6 rows on 30” beds and let them fight for space. Jun, Jul, and Aug I don’t even attempt to plant. And usually September as well is too hot, but fortunately I’m in big time okra, squash and cucumbers so it doesn’t really hurt.

I am in the same state and zone so these tips are really relevant, thank you so much.

I'm having major germination problems with spinach, so this is just the information I need.

Great wisdom. I love your breakdown on price for chefs. I’m a chef from Alabama but live in Norway. My seeds are soaked and going into the green house. I need to find some of the heartier spinach you mentioned. They sell Metador spinach seeds here so I have to get seeds like Bloomsdale from back home. Keep up the good work and the comedy.

Another great episode. Just got my book in the mail, dove into it and it’s amazing. One of two books I will refer to in the future. Thanks for all the info you supply! You research same me so much time and effort. RESPECT!!

We just planted some this spring knew nothing about it. Thanks for the info. It's coming in pretty good....

My spinach survived overwinter here in uk, outdoor and uncovered

Thanks again, you’re a gem, Farmer Jesse. The Cream of the Crop.

I love spinach! This it the 1st year that I have grown it! I dont know why! I obly grow for ma nad my family but its so nice to have bulk to freeze or to dry. I love ti be able to grow as much as I can every year. It gets better and bettter each year! i love that you have so much knowledge!

My grandson always stops to dance to your music when your videos start!

Thank you for what you do! I usually start chard when I start spinach because I'll still have chard when the spinach bolts. We had those 80 degree days last week and my chickens are loving the bolted asian greens they've been eating. The Corvair spinach hasn't bolted, yet.

"Beer. Sorry. Spinach" 🤣 yes. We currently have 4 types of spinach planted at the moment. Giant noble, bloomsdale, red stem malabar,and baby leaf.

Thank you so much for your thorough instructions! I appreciate your sense of humor and I apologize I don’t have enough greens to become a patron, yet. 😁 I’m in the coastal bend of Texas…..So I have malibar … I prefer young leaves raw as I’m pottering around my haphazard garden. Thanks for the tip regarding germination…..nasturtium is the same….some did germinate for me in Jan…. Take care!! 💚🌱🍃

savoy spinach holds salad dressing better. and taste better to me. Tyee.

I see these video games having 1, 2 or 3 million subs. How does No Till have less than 200k. Learning techniques for food germination is a lot more valuable to be than learning how to dominate in asteroids.

The greens harvester totally destroys it for a second cut. We went to hand harvesting, which is pretty time consuming. We’re going to try the paperpot method this year. We used space, Lizard, and kookaburra last year. Can’t say I had a favorite yet.

I use to do Bloomsdale. Now I'm sold on Noble Giant. Huge leaves and great taste. Easier to start too.

Successfully grew this bigger kind of spinach this season. They were thriving in compost from horse manure combined with some coconut coir, maybe 1/6, and perlite; in partly shade. They got bigger leaves than usual, otherwise the same consistency and taste. Gonna try them in fall again. Spinacia oleracea 'Matador'. Large dark green leaves. With the bigger leaves it felt I got "two-for-one"!

Thanks a ton. This was helpful in understanding why I've been having so much trouble with spinach, and possibly orach as well.

Space is my favorite spinach.

I love all your vids, but especially the “How To’s” … please please keep doing them 👏🏻

Very informative Thanks again Jessie

Great content. Gonna try your favorites. Also just love ur humor. You make me laugh out loud almost every video:)

Hello from Moldova. Our favorite spinach is Matador

Wow... My best friend, Made an excellent video. I really liked it. Beauty is extraordinary. Thank you very much for the video.

thank you for sharing spinach temperature.. i grew that kind of vegetables its so great compare the other vegetables.. i well try again soon when the snow desapear..

luv the cruncyness of romaine lettuce over spinach or kale. i have grown kale 8-9 months a year.

Thanks for the information! I’m in Kentucky zone 6b and had moved from NY, so I’m relearning some things here since the growing season here is different.

I enjoy how your videos are both informative and funny.

you're so funny Jesse! thanks for the videos.I like Bloomsdale long standing spinach. its savoyed.

Thanks! Runs to unplug the heat matt on my primed spinach seeds...ughhhh.😂

The first year I grew spinach (five years ago), I grew the smooth variety (mostly) and did a medium-sized grow pot of Bloomsdale Longstanding to give a try. That was the LAST year I grew smooth spinach. I have noticed that seed quality between suppliers is super varied with Bloomsdale. Some batches germinate at 90% or better and then some basically fail. So I am still in the process of finding a supplier for Bloomsdale that has a fairly consistent germination rate.

deer got mine last fall, we had drought in Tenn and no acorns in woods. deer hungry all winter and saw herds in the fields. will have put electric fence up soon to have any garden, sowing spinach/ onions now. trying replanting romaine lettuce stalks that greened up guickly.

Bloomsdale for sure! I also remember liking Tyee but I’ve not seen it in a while. Definitely like deeply savoyed leaves and dark green color.

Zone 3b and we use Space variety. I find the first leaves are smooth but subsequent growth is savoyed. 7 rows on a 30" bed , seed spaced 4" apart gives a nice full bed. We hand harvest as the first leaves are very low to the ground, with later growth being higher up the plant stem. Very cold hardy. Seeded our greenhouse late Fall aand super curious if that spinach will be up early or is -40f a tad too cold. Great vid as always:))

I've been struggling with spinach, appreciate the info

I mean seed priming is primal right? Great video as usual! Have you introduced nemintoads to your soil to eat the aphid after you knock them off? I like to have subsurface and surface warfare!

Thanks

"Fertigation"? Is that a Jesse word? I like it! Nice haircut! I'm due for my Spring flea dip, so I'll be going in for my cover crop termination soon. Can I buy a dirty hat? I like the idea of a ready to wear version that looks like I'm a hard worker. Thanks for another great video!

I noticed spinach does like a more neutral soil, since mines acidic i like adding a tad of lime or minerals and seems to really help for me .

@1:20 Fun fact, Myron E. Scott the guy who named the Corvette was from Preble County Ohio, which is where I'm from. Love your book too BTW.

As always Jesse great video

Red Tabby Spinach sells really well, I have found.

Thks. I bought transplants last fall…..to experiment with growing spinach against my south wall . Success! I wrapped the big pots of spinach with double clear shower curtains for protection if got too cold. I think it is Savoy, crinkly. I may sow seeds next fall. Was fun to pick and eat! Last year I grew collard and kale transplants against a south wal. . Thanks for your encouragement to grow! Ahna (Atlanta ga).

I am so envious - I am in zone 3 - 3b...

Cool video as always friend 👍👍👍👍👍

Beer. I laughed out loud 😂😂

Savoy since it's preferred by customers & my own use. Tundra & Space I've had luck with (zones 3 & 4).

Seems like the Savoy style seed is what I need to order. Have you found any problems washing the non-smooth spinach to get all the 'grit' out of the leaves? How about seed saving of spinach in your system to get localized fungal and insect resistance (J Lofthouse Landrace techniques)? I'm trying that method with cucumbers to hopefully escape powdery mildew.

I love Viking spinach !

Awesome video. Thanks. So, you are seeding spinach in August indoors and transplanting in September, primarily?

Where im at in Japan they typically cut the root below the soil and have 3-5 bunches that way. In winter as soil freezes and thaws it puffs up higher, so you really gotta knife low into the soil to get down to the taproot. It looks pretty, but no second cut. Arugula/rockette/ルッコラ is similar in cut, but the root has nutritional benefit iirc (but not a winter crop, the cut just made it come to mind)

I was hoping you would follow through on details of moving the germinated soil blocks into a bed - depth and spacing. But you jumped to direct seeding baby leaf. Did I miss that?

Thank you for sharing this information with us

You didn't talk about bolting - my backyard garden spinach bolts quickly, but I guess I just need to keep it cooler...

I tried to grow beer plants many times, but I cannot get them to germinate no matter how many starts I add; there must be a trick to it... cool tunes btw! Thank you!

Tundra has been the only variety that doesn't bolt in our long summer days. Context: we are in Kodiak, AK

I love them all. Great video

Very informative video! Thank you!

I guess I'll try seed priming because I've been trying to get spinach to germinate for 2 years

Thank you!! Very informative🙏

I am trying ALL spinach garden to start now... then after harvest, will go to Chard and Kale. I have not tilled in YEARS. I do, however, remove my thick plastic sheet, and use a mega-propane flame thrower, and hand broadcast the seed, shuffle my feet all over the place, and do this the day prior to a full rain. No rows. Correct, I am not pursuing aesthetic beauty. I just want the spinach to be "happy"

I grow bloomsdale spinach. Usually have good results.

Thanks for the video! All great info that helped me have better germination than I have in years past! I started mine in soil blocks and one quick question - when you plant the 2-4 seeds per block, if several germinate, do you thin them to one per or do you plant the whole block with multiple starts and they do fine that way? I know that some plants don't mind being planted in clumps but didn't know what your experience is for Spinach in particular. Thank you!

Thank you. Awesome again!

L🌱ve the last 30 seconds 😆

Great info! I tried a fall salad planting in a new raised bed last year. Everything germinated(spinach, letting,kale) like gangbusters, got about 2-3" tall and just stopped. I had healthy looking miniature plants that stayed that way for almost two months till a very hard freeze. Seemed like the soil did stay damp, so this year I dug out the soil, mixed in perlite and added some drains in the bottom of the bed. Anybody else have any ideas?

your job is great ❤