Did you know that when you harvest spinach, it grows back for continuous harvests? All you need to do is pick the right leaves at the right time and the plants will keep sending up new foliage for more harvests every few days.
Harvesting spinach is super easy and there are a few different ways to do it, depending on your particular situation.
To help you make the most out of your plants, so you can prepare as many spinach recipes as possible, we’ve compiled a detailed guide on harvesting and storing fresh spinach that should teach you everything you need to know on the subject.
Spinach leaves are ready to harvest as soon as they are big enough to eat. Harvest by removing only the outer leaves and allowing the center leaves to grow larger; this will allow the plant to keep producing. Picking the outer leaves also gives the advantage of briefly delaying bolting.
How to Harvest Spinach
There are several different ways to harvest spinach. Let’s see what those are.
The first and simplest method to harvest spinach is by the leaf.
All you need is a pair of scissors and a place to store the leaves you pick up.
Depending on your needs, you can either choose to harvest baby leaves, or larger, mature leaves. You can pick and choose which leaves to take or you can simply take the outer/oldest leaves of each plant working around the center. Just find the leaves that you want to harvest, hold each leaf with one hand and cut the stem with the other one. It’s that simple.
Make sure to only harvest about 1/3 of each plant. Once you’ve harvested your spinach, all you need to do is water it and wait patiently for the next harvest. Spinach leaves will regrow in just a matter of days.
This is a great method of harvesting spinach if you want the plant to keep growing and produce new leaves, or if you just need a few leaves for a smoothie or a small dish.
Harvesting spinach by the bunch or clear cutting as it’s also called is a method of harvesting spinach in bulk. Simply gather up as much leaves from one plant that you can in one hand and use a serrated knife to cut through the stems, making sure you cut above the crown (where all the stems meet).
When you use this method, you can expect the plant to re-grow new leaves around 2 weeks after harvesting, so you can repeat the same process again.
Another method of harvesting spinach is by the plant. This method works best when you want to clear out your garden bed to plant something else, when you don’t need the re-growth or before the plant starts to flower.
If the new leaves that re-grow start to look narrow, pointy, and a thick center stem with flower buds comes up, the spinach is starting to “bolt” or set seed. At this point you can start harvesting all spinach plants one by one. Use a knife to cut the plants below the crown or pull them out by hand.
My Spinach Is Bolting! My Spinach Is Bolting!!
FAQ
Does spinach need pruning?
Does spinach come back after cutting?
How do you maintain spinach plants?
How do you prune a spinach plant?
Harvesting the leaves throughout the growing season is how you prune a spinach plant to keep it vigorous. If a plant becomes diseased or damaged, it’s often best to pull the whole plant to prevent it from affecting nearby plants.
What are the disadvantages of spinach?
Spinach is a very healthy vegetable that contains many nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, folate, and potassium. It also has a lot of fiber. The only disadvantages of spinach, is that if you eat high amounts, it can cause gas, cramping, and abdominal pain. Eating too much spinach can also interfere with the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.
Will spinach grow back after cutting leaves?
Yes, spinach will grow back after cutting leaves from the plant, and will continue to replenish until heat signals the end of its season. Why is it so hard to grow spinach?
How do you take care of a spinach plant?
Also, be sure to pick from the outside because this will allow the inner leaves to keep growing and the spinach plant to continue producing too. Once the growing season is coming to a close, and you know the plants are going to begin to bolt, pull the whole plant out of the ground. Then cut the base of the plant off and enjoy the whole thing.