Heirloom · Open-Pollinated · 40–50 days from direct seeding
cool-season · timing varies by zone
Grows well in
Raised Bed ✓
In-Ground ✓
Container/Pot ✓
Grow Bag ✓
Meet This Plant
Viroflay is the big one. The leaves grow up to 10 inches long, smooth and dark green, and they stay tender even as they get large. Most spinach gets tough and bitter fast, but Viroflay doesn't. It has a milder flavor than most spinach, with less of that metallic bitterness that puts people off spinach in the first place. Plant it in cool weather and let it do its thing.
When spinach taps out, Rainbow Chard keeps going →
How to Grow It
Sun
Full sun in cool weather. Partial shade in warm climates helps slow bolting and extends the harvest window.
Water
Keep soil consistently moist. Dry spells stress spinach fast and trigger bolting. Consistent moisture is the single biggest factor in keeping leaves sweet and tender.
Sowing Details
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Depth½ inch
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Spacing6–8 inches for full-size leaves, closer for baby greens
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Row Spacing12–18 inches
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Thinning6–8 inches. Eat the thinnings.
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Germination7–14 days. Germination drops once soil temps push past 80°F.
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Days to Maturity21 days for baby leaves · 40–50 days full size
When to Plant
For spring, direct sow as soon as soil can be worked and temps hit 40°F. Spinach handles frost well and tastes better after one.
For fall, sow in mid to late summer, about 6–8 weeks before your first fall frost.
Succession sow every 2 weeks in both seasons for a continuous harvest.
Your two windows are early spring and late summer. Get seeds in before soil temps climb above 80°F. Then pick back up in late summer once the heat breaks.
In zones 8–10, the fall crop is almost always the better one. In zones 10–11, spinach can be challenging outside the coolest months. Rainbow Chard handles heat better and gives you a much longer growing window.
Grow Friend Tips
Cold makes it sweeter
Spinach hit by a light frost can taste noticeably sweeter. If you're growing a fall crop, let temperatures drop before you start harvesting heavily. The leaves sweeten up and the texture improves. Same principle as kale and collards.
Harvest outer leaves first and the plant keeps going
Take the outermost, lowest leaves first and leave the center growth intact. The plant keeps producing from the center. Don't strip it. One plant harvested this way can give you something to munch on for weeks.
Watch for the bolt signal
When the center stem starts to elongate and push upward, the plant is preparing to flower. Harvest everything you can at that point. Once spinach decides to bolt, the leaves turn bitter fast. If it does bolt, cut the whole plant at the base and it may regrow a second round of leaves.
Shade cloth and timing beat trying to grow spinach in summer
Viroflay is a cool-season crop. No amount of shade cloth fully compensates for summer heat. Get it in early and get it out before the heat arrives, then start again in late summer.
It grows well in containers
A two-gallon pot minimum per plant. Light-colored containers help in warmer zones since dark pots absorb heat and stress the roots. Keep well watered since containers dry out fast.
Companion plants
Peas
Strawberries
Garlic
Chives
Nasturtium
Marigold
Harvest & What to Do With It
When it's ready
Baby leaves are ready at 3–4 inches, about 21 days. Full-size leaves are ready at 40–50 days when they're 6–10 inches long, dark green, and feel substantial. Don't wait until leaves are oversized and floppy. The flavor drops once the plant gets ready to bolt.
How to harvest
Cut outer leaves at the base of the stem, leaving the center intact. If you want the whole plant, cut just above soil level. Cut low enough and it may regrow a second round of smaller leaves.
Yield
Viroflay is a big producer. Two to three plants per person is a rough planning estimate for regular harvests. A full packet at good spacing keeps a small household in spinach through the whole cool season.
Short-term storage
Wrap unwashed in a damp paper towel and refrigerate. Keeps about a week. Spinach wilts faster than most greens once cut so use it quickly.
Long-term storage
✅
Freezing: Blanch 2 minutes, ice bath, squeeze out excess water, freeze flat then bag. Keeps up to 12 months. Perfect for soups, sautés, smoothies, and pasta.
✅
Dehydrating: Blanch first, then dehydrate at 125°F until completely crisp. Crumble into soups and sauces. Keeps 6–12 months airtight.
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Pressure canning: Spinach turns to mush and loses most of its flavor. Not worth it.
❌
Water bath canning: Low-acid vegetable. Not safe on its own.
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Pickling: Doesn't hold up. Not recommended.
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Root cellaring: Doesn't hold up outside of refrigeration.
What to cook
Raw in salads when leaves are young and tender. Sautéed with garlic and olive oil when they're full size. Viroflay wilts down beautifully in cooked dishes. It's one of the more useful greens to grow in quantity.
Seed Storage & Saving
| Variety |
Viroflay Spinach |
| Type |
Heirloom · Open-Pollinated |
| Seeds per packet |
~200 seeds |
Storing unused seeds: Keep somewhere cool, dark, and dry. Viable 3–5 years.
Seed saving: Spinach is wind-pollinated and will cross freely with other spinach varieties nearby. Isolate by at least 1 mile for reliable purity, or grow only one variety at a time. Let a few plants bolt and flower. Once seed stalks dry and turn brown, pull the plants, lay them flat in a shaded, ventilated area to finish drying, then rub the stalks by hand to release seeds. Store in a cool, dark place.
