When to Plant Spinach in Melbourne, Cool Temperate Guide
Soil temperature is modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Melbourne), not a live sensor.
What this month normally looks like in Cool Temperate
In October the Cool Temperate zone normally runs 19°C by day and 8°C overnight, with about 67 mm of rain over 9 or 10 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was -3.0°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 28 postcodes, SILO.
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This Spinach guide is written for the Cool Temperate zone, which takes in Melbourne, Hobart and Geelong. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Planting window
- Feb to Sep
- Days to harvest
- 35 days
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Regular
- Spacing
- 20 cm apart
- Soil pH
- 6.0–7.0
True spinach (English spinach) is a cool-season annual prized for its tender, dark green leaves. It is one of the most nutritious leafy greens but also one of the most temperamental to grow in Australian conditions.
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Cool Temperate
- Jan -
- Feb S/D
- Mar S/T/D
- Apr S/T/D
- May S/T/D
- Jun S/T/D
- Jul S/T/D
- Aug S/T/D
- Sep T/D (likely to bolt)
- Oct -
- Nov -
- Dec -
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
Amber = likely to bolt if sown this month, it matures into heat or long days.
Want a nudge when it is sowing time?
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How to Grow Spinach in Cool Temperate Australia
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained soil heavily enriched with compost and well-rotted manure. Spinach is a heavy feeder that demands fertile soil.
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 6.0-7.0
- Sunlight
- Full sun in cool weather. Part shade beneficial in all but the coldest zones. Shade delays bolting.
- Spacing
- 20cm apart, 30cm between rows
- Watering
- Consistent moisture essential. Light, frequent watering keeps soil evenly moist. Drought stress triggers bolting. Morning watering. Drip irrigation ideal.
- Good companions
- Dwarf Beans, Radish, Peas, Celery, Strawberry
- Keep away from
- Beetroot (same family; shared pests and diseases), Quinoa
- Grow before it
- Legumes (Beans - Dwarf, Peas, Broad Beans)
- Grow after it
- Fruiting crops (Tomato, Capsicum, Zucchini)
Give the bed 3 turns before leafy greens go back in. Leaf crops want the nitrogen the legumes left behind.
Cool Temperate Growing Tips for Spinach
Recommended Varieties
- Bloomsdale Long Standing
- Winter Giant
- Viroflay
- Matador
Key Challenges
- Slow growth in deep winter
- Downy mildew
- Some bolting risk in warm January
Pro Tips
- Melbourne is the ideal mainland city for growing true spinach
- Winter Giant lives up to its name in cool temperate conditions
- Year-round growing is nearly achievable with bolt-resistant varieties
Pests and problems for Spinach in Cool Temperate
Harvesting Spinach
When ready: Baby spinach: leaves 5-8cm (3-4 weeks). Full size: leaves 15-20cm (6-8 weeks). Leaves should be dark green, firm, and glossy. Harvest before any sign of flower stalk elongation.
How to harvest: Cut-and-come-again: cut outer leaves at base, leaving inner leaves and growing point. Or cut entire plant 3cm above ground for one large harvest (may regrow once). Harvest in cool of morning.
Storing and preserving spinach
How to keep it
- Blanching and Freezing. Wash thoroughly (spinach traps soil in crinkled leaves). Blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes. Ice bath, drain, squeeze out as much water as possible. Pack tightly into freezer bags or ice cube trays. Freeze flat for easy portioning. Keeps: 10-12 months.
- Spinach Powder (Dehydrating). Wash and blanch briefly (1 minute). Cool, drain, pat dry. Dehydrate at 52C for 6-10 hours until completely crispy. Blitz in blender to fine powder. Add to smoothies, pasta dough, baking. Keeps: 6-12 months in airtight container.
- Spinach and Feta Borek/Pastries (Freeze). Sautee spinach with garlic and onion. Mix with feta, egg, and nutmeg. Fill filo pastry. Freeze unbaked on trays, then transfer to freezer bags. Bake from frozen. Keeps: 3 months frozen.
Canning safety. Low-acid vegetables like spinach must be pressure canned, never water-bath canned.
What spinach costs in the shops right now, retailer by retailer, updated daily.
What members get
- Soil and weather from your nearest station
- An email when it's time to sow
- Your own garden plan, including planning from a photo
- Price history and price alerts
- Pest risk alerts for your area
- Full salt and canning detail
Common Questions About Spinach
When do you plant spinach in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Apr to Aug Likely to bolt if sown in June, July and August.
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Apr to Jul
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Mar to Aug
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Feb to Sep Likely to bolt if sown in September.
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Mar to Oct Likely to bolt if sown in October.
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Mar to Aug Likely to bolt if sown in July and August.
- Mediterranean (Perth): Mar to Aug
Can you grow spinach all year round in Melbourne?
No. In the Cool Temperate zone the planting months are Feb to Sep. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather. Likely to bolt if sown in September.
When should I plant Spinach in Melbourne?
English spinach does best sown from late summer to late winter. Spring sowings from October bolt quickly as days lengthen.
What soil temperature do Spinach need?
Spinach germinate best when soil temperature is between 4°C and 25°C.
How do I know when Spinach are ready to harvest?
Baby spinach: leaves 5-8cm (3-4 weeks). Full size: leaves 15-20cm (6-8 weeks). Leaves should be dark green, firm, and glossy. Harvest before any sign of flower stalk elongation.
What are the best Spinach varieties for Melbourne?
Recommended varieties for the Cool Temperate zone include: Bloomsdale Long Standing, Winter Giant, Viroflay, Matador.
What grows well with Spinach?
Good companion plants for Spinach include: Dwarf Beans, Radish, Peas, Celery, Strawberry.
Are spinach salt tolerant?
Only a little. Spinach are moderately sensitive to salt, so the harvest drops on salty bore water. Mix salty water with rainwater, and mulch the bed.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box near the top of the page and it tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Cool Temperate zone, Melbourne is its reference city.