So would the only solution at this point be to fertilize ? I just sprinkled Dr. Earth bloom/bud booster around the plants and watered thoroughly.

It sounds like you are overwatering to me.

Spinach is very finicky. It does not like acidic soil and that is probably the case with the lasagna bed.

Spinach will tolerate acid soil just fine.....as long as it is not too acidic. Its preferred pH range is 6.0-7.0.

Slow or stunted growth is almost always a nitrogen deficiency.

Agree with gardengal. A month of "cooking" is not nearly enough for a lasagna garden. You've got a lot of raw organic materials that are in the process of composting and your nitrogen is tied up in that process. Add to that the fact that you are watering daily and the result is stunted plants. In the future when you make a lasagna garden you should do so in the fall so it has months to mellow out and compost.

I don't know the NPK of the fert you used but ones meant to promote blooms are often lower in nitrogen. You will probably need something higher in nitrogen.

Rodney

Yep, classic case of nitrogen deficiency from in situ composting. That scenario is one in which soil nitrogen is rapidly used to chemically break down the organic materials. The biological processes that slowly degrade the organics and recover nitrogen from plant proteins have barely started. Fertilizing will help, but overwatering will just leach all that fertilizer into the lasagna layers.

As you say, a soil test for nitrogen would be pretty meaningless.

Give it six months.

"Slow or stunted growth is almost always a nitrogen deficiency."

The OP is talking about the plants "barely growing" since germination (cotyledons.) IMHO, that sounds a lot more like an overwatering issue to me, though surely the soil is a factor. I have never made a lasagna bed, just a general observation. There are a large number of causes for stunted growth that do not include a nitrogen deficiency. The weather (and soil temperatures) would be the first thing that pops into my mind, generally speaking.

I should have said overly acidic soil... but IME I stand by my point that spinach is very finicky. I can say that I have had stunted growth from it in very rich soil where everything else was growing fine.

Thanks for everyone's input- I'll be patient, add some nitrogen for kicks, and experiment with different watering..Hope it works!!

I made my first lasagna beds the year before then, in the spring, topped them off with some aged composted horse manure. (really good find, horse owner had mixed in kitchen scraps and kept turning the pile over winter). I'm in NH so this is about the time to plant spinach because it is finicky and easily bolts. Once I read that it is day length sensitive as well as heat sensitive. If I plant in April, I usually get a good crop.

The only time I've planted in lasagna beds that young, it's been winter squash. I make a planting hole about a foot wide for a "hill", fill with composted manure/soil and plant seeds in that. I do not think it's a good idea to plant small seeds in a fresh lasagna bed.

I think you are over watering. I think it has also been too cold for seedlings. I have some areas that are full of volunteer seedlings. Arugula is still first leaves. In a high tunnel with the south wall rolled up, kale is mostly first leaves but with a few just big enough for salads. Lettuce planted a couple of weeks ago is up but just barely. The beds in the high tunnel were not lasagna beds. Cilantro and claytonia are at harvest stage with claytonia starting to bloom.

I think the recommendation for lasagna beds is a minimum of 6 weeks but with beds that new, I would top with at least 2 inches of soil/compost/manure mix.

Thanks! I'll definitely remember to start earlier next year. It's good to know my seedlings are not thaaat behind..