When to plant spinach in Canberra
Spinach is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Canberra's frost dates of Oct 10.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Aug 29 – Sep 19
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
Oct 8 – Oct 18
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Step 3 · Second sowing
Autumn / second sowing
Feb 16 – Mar 2
A second window for a fall crop, timed to mature before the first frost.
Step 4 · Second harvest
Autumn crop harvest
Apr 4 – Apr 14
Maturity window for the second sowing.
Window
Days to maturity
40 – 50 d
Canberra's 204-day season leaves this much room.
Spinach on Canberra's growing year
Frost-bounded season with crops mapped onto the 12-month axis.
Frost risk Growing Harvest
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
FROST
OCT 10
APR 28
Common questions
When can I sow spinach outdoors in Canberra?
Direct-sow around late August (Aug 29–Sep 19) in Canberra, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 83%.
When will spinach be ready to harvest in Canberra?
Expect to harvest from around early October (Oct 8–Oct 18) in Canberra, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 75%.
Can I plant spinach in autumn in Canberra?
Yes — Canberra supports a second, autumn sowing of spinach around mid February (Feb 16–Mar 2), timed to mature before the first fall frost.
How long is the growing season in Canberra?
Canberra has roughly 204 frost-free days, which is enough time to grow spinach to maturity outdoors.
The rule of thumb
Sow spinach as soon as the soil is workable — it tolerates cool weather and light frost. Every date on this page is derived from that rule and Canberra's frost dates.
Confidence 83/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.