Spring planting doesn’t start when the air feels warm, It...Read More
Viroflay Spinach is a gourmet French heirloom variety that dates back to 1866. This variety has large, pointed, triangular leaves that can grow up to 10 inches long. Viroflay Spinach grows quickly and can get as large as 18 inches wide if given enough space, sunlight, water and nutrients. This Spinach variety is well known for its tolerance to cold weather and their dark green colored leaves which have low acidic foliage that stays tender at any stage of development. Eat Viroflay Spinach raw or cooked, it’s earth-green flavor goes great sauteed with other greens like Red Russian Kale or Ruby Red Swiss Chard.
Viroflay Spinach is an easy to grow vegetable that doesn’t mind being grown in containers or in the ground. It does not like hot weather seasons/climates and does best in cooler temperatures of the Spring and Fall. Plant it once in early spring and once at the end of summer for two harvests. This seed can also be used to grow microgreens!
NAME: Spinach (Spinacia oleracea)
VARIETY: Viroflay
DAYS TO MATURITY: 45 – 55
POLLINATION: Open Pollinated
TYPE: Annual
HARDINESS ZONE: Zones 2 – 10
SUNLIGHT: Full sunlight or partial shade
SOIL: Rich, loose, fertile soil with a pH between 6.0 – 7.0
PLANT HEIGHT: 8 – 14 inches
SPACING: 5 – 9 inches apart
TEMP: 45 – 80 °F
These seeds do not required stratification.
To learn more about Stratification, click here!
Start seeds indoors 2 weeks before your last local frost date, in cell trays with 1 to 2 seeds per cell.
Keep the soil moist and germination will occur in 8 to 12 days.
Once the first set of true leaves show, thin them to one seedling per cell.
When they are 3 inches tall, transplant the seedlings into the garden beds or large pots, buried in soil to the base of the stem, spacing the plants 5 to 8 inches apart.
If direct seeding spinach outdoors, plant seed 1/2 inch deep and 2 inches apart.
Once they get to be a few inches tall and show their true leaves, thin them out so they are spaced 5 to 8 inches apart.
If you plant spinach in successive plantings, with 12 to 18 days in between, you will have an extended overlapping harvest without the wait for the plants to mature.
You can start spinach seeds in large pots if you plan to grow them entirely in pots.
If you want to grow spinach during the hottest weeks of summer, partial shaded areas or additional shade cloth can, to an extent, help prevent bolting cause by hot weather.
Spinach grows best in loose, fertile soil with good drainage and a pH between 6.5 – 7.0; adding compost to the soil prior to planting will help provide essential nutrients and improve drainage.
To prevent summer bolting, stop planting one month before the hottest summer temperatures start.
Plant fall-harvested spinach towards the end of summer so it reaches maturity by late fall, when the air is cool, but not yet below 40°F.
Begin harvesting spinach leaves when they reach the desired size, typically around 4-6 inches long, or by harvesting the entire plant at full maturity between 40 and 50 days
Use scissors or a sharp knife to cut the outer leaves, leaving the inner leaves to continue growing.
Harvest spinach regularly to encourage continuous production throughout the growing season. Avoid letting the plants bolt, as the leaves become bitter once the plant starts to flower.
