When to plant spinach in Edinburgh
Spinach is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Edinburgh's frost dates of Apr 18.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Mar 7 – Mar 28
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
Apr 16 – Apr 26
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Step 3 · Second sowing
Autumn / second sowing
Aug 20 – Sep 3
A second window for a fall crop, timed to mature before the first frost.
Step 4 · Second harvest
Autumn crop harvest
Oct 6 – Oct 16
Maturity window for the second sowing.
Window
Days to maturity
40 – 50 d
Edinburgh's 201-day season leaves this much room.
Spinach on Edinburgh'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
FROST
APR 18
OCT 30
Common questions
When can I sow spinach outdoors in Edinburgh?
Direct-sow around early March (Mar 7–Mar 28) in Edinburgh, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 89%.
When will spinach be ready to harvest in Edinburgh?
Expect to harvest from around mid April (Apr 16–Apr 26) in Edinburgh, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 80%.
Can I plant spinach in autumn in Edinburgh?
Yes — Edinburgh supports a second, autumn sowing of spinach around mid August (Aug 20–Sep 3), timed to mature before the first fall frost.
How long is the growing season in Edinburgh?
Edinburgh has roughly 201 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 Edinburgh's frost dates.
Confidence 89/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.