When to plant spinach in Portland
Spinach is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Portland's frost dates of Mar 1.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Dec 26 – Jan 16
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
Feb 4 – Feb 14
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Step 3 · Second sowing
Autumn / second sowing
Sep 12 – Sep 26
A second window for a fall crop, timed to mature before the first frost.
Step 4 · Second harvest
Autumn crop harvest
Oct 29 – Nov 8
Maturity window for the second sowing.
Window
Days to maturity
40 – 50 d
Portland's 266-day season leaves this much room.
Spinach on Portland'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
MAR 1
NOV 22
Common questions
When can I sow spinach outdoors in Portland?
Direct-sow around late December (Dec 26–Jan 16) in Portland, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 85%.
When will spinach be ready to harvest in Portland?
Expect to harvest from around early February (Feb 4–Feb 14) in Portland, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 79%.
Can I plant spinach in autumn in Portland?
Yes — Portland supports a second, autumn sowing of spinach around mid September (Sep 12–Sep 26), timed to mature before the first fall frost.
How long is the growing season in Portland?
Portland has roughly 266 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 Portland's frost dates.
Confidence 88/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.