I've never had good luck growing spinach. I've never tried to grow it indoors. I've only direct seeded it. I usually plant too late and get little mouse ears for spinach leaves. I'm sorry this isn't helping you, but at least you're not the only one that has trouble with spinach.

How old is your seed? I purchase new spinach seed every year because I always seem to have poor germination rates for any seed left over from the previous growing season.

Sounds like your broccoli sprouted very quickly. I wouldn't get too worried about the spinach yet. Give it a bit more time.

Spinach germinates well with cool soil temps. Germination falls off if soil temps get too warm. Temps much above 75F may give poor, if any germination. Temps in the 60's (or lower) work well. If you don't get germination soon, you might try again with the soil in a cool spot.

Spinach can take up to two weeks to germinate.

I've read that spinach doesn't transplant well, and that has been my experience, too.

If your bed is ready, I would sow the seeds right into the bed. Spinach likes cool temps, and can be sown as soon as you can work the soil.

Sue

I don't usually have problems getting spinach up indoors or outdoors, but sometimes old seeds go dead rather suddenly. Get a new packet of seeds and try again.

Here is a link that might be useful: my website

My broccoli and cauliflower sprouted in 3 days or less and everything else took a week or three. Hang in there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sinfonian's mistakes...

I have LOTS of experience with this question. Old spinach seed does take longer to sprout so new seed is a really good idea. It transplants extremely well. I ALWAYS start spinach seed indoors because of the germination problems (and the slug problem since the slugs will eat them before you know they have germinated). I put seed in damp, folded paper towel in a new zipper plastic bag and transfer the germinated seeds to 4/6 paks of sterilized seed starter soil(I use tweezers). If the seed doesn't germinate well, a day or two in the refrigerator might help. I'm doing this now so I will have plants to put out late March or early April. They really need cool weather to do well. Spinach likes a little lime in the soil also and they like their nitrogen. These are not theories, I've been planting spinach this way for the past 6-7 years and have learned each step by experience.

Thanks everyone!

I'm guilty of a couple of problems mentioned above.....the seed is a year or 2, or 3 old, and I used a heating pad under the seed trays. D'oh!

corapegia - do you put the sprouting seeds in the refrigerator (in the bag with the damp paper towel) or do you put the seed pack (dry) in the 'fridge for a couple of days.

Thanks again!

bart1, next fall try planting spinach outside in late Sept or early Oct and have it overwinter for an early spring harvest. It's tough and will survive ok by going dormant, can be covered lightly with straw if desired. In our mutual area I find this extends the harvest season by 2-3 weeks over regular spring planting which tend to bolt not long after first pickings.

Thanks vgkg!

I've known about this technique for a while and haven't been very successful. The first 2 years I tired it, I started my seeds too late and they never germinated. This past fall I started them early enough, but I only got a couple of plants to come up. I was using a 4'x8' bed and only had 2 or 3 plants!

How big should the plants be before it gets too cold for them to grow? Mine were only a couple inches tall. Should they be full blown spinach plants, a foot or more tall? Or should they be smaller?

Thanks,
Bart

Cora -
Your ziplock bag method did the trick! I started the seeds in bags on Feb 14 and transplanted them into soil the evening of the 18th! Wow, that was fast!

Thanks for the great tip!
Bart

Sorry for the late reply Bart, my fall planted (late Sept)spinach plants are typically smallish before the winter weather shuts them down. Each plant is about the size of a .50 cent piece by that time, and then they explode in growth by early March. I find that they are easy to thin and transplant too by late Oct before going dormant.

This is the best information I have found on the subject. Thanks to all of you. I have planted spinach for the last four years: old seed, new seed, early, late, warm, cold. I haven't seen a seedling yet. I think the slug issue may be my problem. We have oodles of them. My wife kept tell me... She is delighted with this information. Thanks! I'll try again.

Success!! I poured hot water over the spinach seeds (used my coffee maker w/out coffee), left to soak overnight. In the morning I placed them into a clean, wet coffee filter and then into a clean ziplock bag. I live in Southern California, so its typically warm. So to counter this I set the bag of seeds on a towel that was over an ice pack. I changed the ice pack about once a day. This kept the seeds around 60 degrees, which I've heard is their ideal germinating temp. I got lots of seeds sprouting in 2 to 3 days. I then took the seeds out that sprouted w tweezers and planted about a quarter inch deep, into moist seed starter mix, and lightly watered in. So far so good. Much better then my previous approaches, which was planting seeds directly in seed starter and waiting.

I just saw this post and I also have had problems getting spinach seed to germinate outdoors. The best method I have used is as follows: Create a bed of whatever size you wish, making it as flat as possible. I press down lightly with a piece of plywood. This is not to compact the soil, only to flatten it. I then make small furrows no more than 1/2 inch deep and sow the seed in the furrows. I then cover the seed with dry sand (Builder's sand or play sand; I like the finer play sand; available in 50 # bags and Lowes or Home Depot). Then keep it moist cause it takes a while, usually 7-10 days. Labor intensive but worth the effort. Oh, and whatever fertilizer you use should be mixed in the bed before planting, and added at appropriate intervals.

jimpike19 i wonder if the sand is a possible slug deterrent?

This spring I grew some spinach from a seed packet. They took a little while to germinate. But I wanted to have some very fresh seed for this fall, so I saved some seed from my plants, after they had bolted. (Very easy to do, Google it).
I planted those seeds a few weeks ago, and the germinate very quickly... no problems at all. So if you do get some to germinate, try saving the seeds. I think the key is having the freshest seed possible.

I have tried growing spinach several times and have failed.
Then I found a BETTER alternative: GROW CHARDS !

Chards have many advantages over spinach:
--- have more texture, less water.
--- you can harvest them small , like spinach, or let them grow bigger.
--- Chards would not bolt as soon as it gets warm. I have had them till july.
-- you can plant different colors, green, yellow, red.
-- They produce MORE per seed than spinach.

I will never again be bothered with spinach.

I always put my spinach seeds between two pieces of wet paper towel, then enclose it in a sealed plastic bag. Stick in fridge for a couple weeks then check. Should show signs of sprouting. Take to good ones and plant 1/2 inch deep. Water good. Takes a few days to break through in the spring because of cooler temps. In the fall, mine break through the next day due to warmer temps.

I hate I didn't see this thread sooner. I didn't plant spinach this year for this very reason. Someone needs to bump it up come late winter!

These are great ideas for difficult to sprout spinach...

jimpike19 i wonder if the sand is a possible slug deterrent?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
off the topic;
A little rough sand can help to deter slugs. Their tender belly cannot take roughness. I also mix some used coarse coffee ground with sand. plus just a little slug bait. They run bleeding.

Spinach can be direct sown now in my zone, and I intend to sow it this week. It will take a while to germinate, but it will and will do so by late winter.

here in zone 7 I've started in fall, only clipped outer leaves, then mulched with straw. they came up in february again. Also you can get those verticle planters at the everythings a dollar store and start inside. then have a spinach tree.

I think the key is your cabbage family plants all sprouted well for you. Cabbage family plants like warm temps for sprouting, spinach likes cool. From this page:

http://tomclothier.hort.net/page11.html

Cabbage family maxes at 77F, spinach at 50F.

You might do better putting the spinach in a cool place rather than on the heat mat.

I watched a youtube video and a guy did an experiment on spouting spinach seeds. The conclusion is if you put the seeds in refrigerator half day and take them out for the other half day and keeps doing this process for 4 days, the spinach seeds germinate better than other methods. I had problem germinating my spinach seeds so I followed this process. Now it's spouting after two days of doing so. You will need to put the seeds in wet towel and then put the towel in a zip bag before putting the seeds in your fridge. I hope this will work well with your spinach seeds. I don't know how old my seeds are. I also have seeded my spinach outdoors and there is only 2 or 3 seeds out of 30 looking like spouting after laying in the soil at least one week.

I wish I had seen this thread before. We have given up growing spinach after a few seasons failure. This fall I will try again, especially the wet papertower and refreg method. Thanks everyone

There is a trick to growing spinach. I had a tray of spinach that didn't sprout and I asked an old farmer friend about it and she said, "Oh, you have to know the trick to growing spinach. Place the seeds in 3 parts vinegar and 1 part water for an hour before you plant. I did this and planted it directly into a raised garden bed and within a few days they are beginning to come up. Nothing beats old time farmers. Good luck!

Zip lock back Variation --- Trick

You only need paper towel on one side and that side goes UP, Why you may ask ? well gravity will pull the roots down which will mean the roots of the sprout will not be caught in the towel.

So take a paper towel fold once ( like in other videos ) spray it once or twice then put the seeds on the towel spray again till complete moistened ( but not till its standing in water ) then put the towel with the exposed seeds in the bag as is. close the bad and flip it over so that the seed side is facing down and the towel is facing up.

the light will pass through the towel and activate the seeds to sprout and the roots will go down towards the plastic and not get caught in the paper towel. This makes it easier to transplant without damaging the roots :)

Try planting seeds directly in soil, water well, then cover planted area with black plastic sheeting (garbage bags work, but save to use again.). Check daily and remove plastic when seedlings begin to emerge. Works great.

There have been a lot of studies on spinach germination. It has been found that the "NaOCl/H2O2 method" ensures almost complete and prompt germination. Complete and prompt germination is a major marketing benefit. You can look up that method. Papers online. Seems to work in many kinds of seeds. I have not tried it, but next time I do seeds that don't like to germinate, I'll be trying it.

"NaOCl/H2O2 method" is defined as - 4 hour soak in 0.5% NaOCl, followed by water soak for 15 hours, followed by sowing in 0.3% H2O2. You need the water soak to completely get rid of the NaOCl, which interferes with seedling growth. Shake it!

Laundry bleach (e.g. Clorox) is 5% NaOCl. Topical antiseptic hydrogen peroxide is 3% H2O2. So we're talking 10:1 dilution of each.

FWIW, the NaOCl also sterilizes the seeds, so they don't carry bad bacteria. It is said that NaOCl neutralizes germination inhibitors in the seed coat. H2O2 actually helps break down the seed coat, but does not interfere with seedling growth.

I've heard that mild acid baths also help break down the seed coat.

Malabar spinach grows in hot weather