When to plant spinach in New Orleans
Spinach is cold-hardy, so every date keys off New Orleans's frost dates of Feb 8.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Dec 28 – Jan 18
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
Feb 6 – Feb 16
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Step 3 · Second sowing
Autumn / second sowing
Sep 29 – Oct 13
A second window for a fall crop, timed to mature before the first frost.
Step 4 · Second harvest
Autumn crop harvest
Nov 15 – Nov 25
Maturity window for the second sowing.
Window
Days to maturity
40 – 50 d
New Orleans's 304-day season leaves this much room.
Spinach on New Orleans'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
FEB 8
DEC 9
Common questions
When can I sow spinach outdoors in New Orleans?
Direct-sow around late December (Dec 28–Jan 18) in New Orleans, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 81%.
When will spinach be ready to harvest in New Orleans?
Expect to harvest from around early February (Feb 6–Feb 16) in New Orleans, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 73%.
Can I plant spinach in autumn in New Orleans?
Yes — New Orleans supports a second, autumn sowing of spinach around late September (Sep 29–Oct 13), timed to mature before the first fall frost.
How long is the growing season in New Orleans?
New Orleans has roughly 304 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 New Orleans's frost dates.
Confidence 81/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.