Time To Begin Planting Spinach Indoors

Spinach is always the first plant of the season to be grown indoors prior to spring. Since I live in zone 6 it wouldn’t be smart to plant them outside because it is still too cold even for spinach. I like to start them inside because this will allow them to develop quickly and healthy before placing them in the garden.

Since they will be inside I needed to make sure that I start them in a slightly cooler place then any other plants. I happened to place them in the basement because it usually remains around 50 degrees Fahrenheit through the entire winter.

I use a simple flourescent light that will give them a very good head start. I have discovered that giving them a head start before placing them outside gives you a much more larger and plentiful harvest. If you like this leafy plant I would recommend doing the same.

I used 22 plastic coffee cup containers for them and used worm compost for the soil. Here are the two different cups that I used

I placed about four holes on the bottom of each cup to allow for air circulation and drainage.  A hole the width of a pencil will do just fine.

Once I got all the containers fitted with the appropriate amount of holes I then added the worm compost to them.  This compost I had made over the winter from worms I purchased from http://unclejimswormfarm.com/

If you are using this same method you need to use the soil that is below the surface.  This is where you will find the nutrient rich soil perfect for any type of plant including spinach.  I then filled each container all the way up to the very top.

Note: I try to remove as many worms as possible and place them back in the tote.  It can be time consuming, but in the end it is worth it.

Once I filled all 22 containers it is time to place the seeds in each one.  I like to use about two to three seeds in each container.  This allows for a much better sprouting rate and you should get at least one seed sprouting from each container.

What I like to do is place my finger down about 1-2 inches into the soil making a small hole.  I then place the seeds into this indent and cover it with soil.

Now I gave them a good soaking with a simple spray bottle and I placed the florescent light over them and now it is time to wait.