How to Grow Spinach (Palak) at Home: Weather and Care

Palak is a quick, healthy leafy green and one of the best crops to grow in a pot. You can start picking baby leaves in about a month, and a single container gives you spinach for dal, paratha and curries.

Spinach is one of those vegetables that people either grew up eating in dal, parathas and palak paneer, or learned to love later in salads and smoothies. Either way it is easy to grow at home, and a small pot gives you many more leaves than the same money would buy at the store.

Spinach is believed to have originated in ancient Persia, in the area that is now Iran. From there it travelled east to China, where it was known as the ‘Persian vegetable’, and west to Europe through Arab traders and the Moors in Spain in the Middle Ages. Today China grows most of the world’s spinach by a wide margin, followed far behind by countries like the United States, where California and Arizona are big producers, and Turkey. In India palak goes into everything from palak paneer to dal palak and saag, in the Middle East spinach is baked into pies and stews, and in America the cartoon sailor Popeye made it famous.

Spinach is a cool-season crop. In most of the Indian plains it is grown from October to February, and in cooler regions it can be grown over a longer part of the year. In countries with a real winter, like the US, UK or Canada, it is a spring and autumn crop, and under cover it can often be grown right through the cold months. Hot weather is its enemy: above about 75-80°F (24-27°C) spinach bolts.

Spinach is a cool-season vegetable. It loves mild weather and even handles a little frost, but it flowers quickly when days get warm and long. This guide shows the temperature it needs and how to keep it going.

At a glance

Best temperature: 50-70°F (10-21°C)
Germination: 5-10 days at 45-70°F (7-21°C), poor above 85°F (29°C)
Sunlight: 4-6 hours, afternoon shade in warm weather
First harvest: 3-4 weeks for baby leaves, 5-6 weeks for full size
Pot: 6-8 inch (15-20 cm) deep and wide

Benefits of spinach (palak)

Spinach is packed with nutrition for the few calories it has. It contains vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, vitamin C, magnesium, some iron and plenty of fibre. The iron in plants is not absorbed as easily as the iron in meat, but eating spinach with something rich in vitamin C, like lemon juice or tomato, helps the body use it better. That is part of why palak with a squeeze of lemon is such a sensible combination.

Fresh baby spinach can be eaten raw in salads and sandwiches, or cooked down in a minute for dal, curry, paratha dough, soups and green smoothies. Home-grown leaves are very tender, because you can pick them young.

Best weather and temperature for spinach

Ideal: 50-70°F (10-21°C) with cool nights.
Too hot: above about 75-80°F (24-27°C), together with long days, spinach bolts. Leaves turn small and bitter and the plant sends up a flower stalk.
Cold: spinach is hardy. Established plants survive light frost and short dips a little below freezing, and the leaves often taste sweeter in the cold. Seeds still sprout in cool soil, only more slowly.
Seeds struggle to germinate when the soil is hot, so don’t sow in peak summer.

When to sow spinach

India (plains): October to February.
Cooler climates: early spring as soon as the soil can be worked, and again 6-8 weeks before the first autumn frost.
In warm places grow it in winter, or choose a spot with morning sun and afternoon shade.
Sow small batches every 2 weeks.

How to grow spinach in pots

A pot of spinach is one of the quickest wins in the garden. Even a small container gives you a few harvests before the weather warms up.

Use a pot 6-8 inch (15-20 cm) deep with drainage holes. A wide pot or window box gives more leaves.
Fill with potting mix and compost. Spinach likes rich, well-drained soil that is not acidic.
Soak seeds in water overnight to speed up sprouting.
Sow 1/2 inch (1.2 cm) deep, about 2 inches (5 cm) apart, and keep the soil moist.
Thin to 3-4 inches (8-10 cm) apart for baby leaves, or 6 inches (15 cm) for bigger leaves.

Caring for spinach

Spinach is a hungry plant and it grows fast, so it likes regular water and a steady supply of food.

Water: keep soil evenly moist, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water per week. Dry spells make spinach bolt.
Feeding: spinach loves nitrogen. Mix in compost at sowing and give a liquid plant food every 2-3 weeks.
Mulch: a thin layer of dry leaves cools the soil and keeps it moist.
Light: 4-6 hours is enough. More shade is fine in warm weather.

Harvesting spinach

Pick baby leaves from 3-4 weeks. Full leaves are ready in 5-6 weeks.
Cut or pinch the outer leaves and leave the centre to keep growing. This cut-and-come-again way gives many harvests.
Harvest the whole plant if it starts to bolt. Wash well and use it right away.

Common problems

Bolting: caused by heat, long days and dry soil. Sow in cool weather and keep soil moist.
Yellow leaves: lack of nitrogen or too much water. Feed with compost and check drainage.
Tiny tunnels in leaves: leaf miners. Remove and bin affected leaves, and cover plants with a light net.
Aphids: spray with water or diluted neem oil.

Frequently asked questions

Is palak the same as spinach?

Palak is the Hindi name for spinach. Many Indian palak varieties are actually spinach beet (a relative of Swiss chard), which tolerates warmth better than true spinach. Both are grown in a similar way.

Can I grow spinach in summer?

True spinach is difficult in summer, because heat makes it bolt. In warm weather choose a shaded spot and a more heat-tolerant type such as Indian palak (spinach beet), or grow spinach in the cool season instead.

How often can I harvest spinach?

Every 1-2 weeks if you take only the outer leaves.

Use your fresh spinach in palak paneer. Also read our kitchen garden guide for beginners.