# Spinach (Spinacia oleracea)

Canonical: https://plantguide.ae/plants/spinach · Updated: 2026-10-29
Source: Plant Guide (https://plantguide.ae/plants/spinach)

Spinach · سبانخ  
vegetable · exotic · family Amaranthaceae · grows 0.15–0.3 m tall, 0.15–0.3 m wide · fast growth  
sun to part shade · moderate water need  
Ratings for Dubai (1–5, 5 is best): heat 1 · salt 2 · drought 1 · shade 3 · ease of care 4  
Sow or plant: Oct–Dec  
Uses: edible, container

## Also known as

- **Arabic (العربية):** سبانخ
- **Hindi (हिन्दी):** पालक (Palak)
- **Urdu (اردو):** پالک (Palak)
- **Malayalam (മലയാളം):** പാലക്ക് (Palakku)
- **Tamil (தமிழ்):** பசளி (Pasali)
- **Tagalog:** Espinaka
- **Bengali (বাংলা):** পালং শাক (Palong shak)
- **Persian (فارسی):** اسفناج (Esfenaj)

A cool-weather leaf crop: sow from October to December in a shaded, moist bed, snip outer leaves from December to March, and finish before the heat makes it bolt.

## About

Meet spinach, the leaf that loves a cool morning. Seed sown in a shaded bed in late October comes up as a patch of small, dark rosettes, and by December it is thick enough for the first cut.

Its character is quick, thirsty and easily bolted. It likes even moisture, some afternoon shade and weather under about 27°C, and it will run up a flower stem once the days warm in March, so the picking window is a short, sweet one.

What it brings is the freshest handful of greens you can grow in Dubai, cut and cooked within the hour. Snip the outer leaves, leave the centre, and the plant keeps giving for weeks.

Spinach is a crop for the coolest months. The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment's calendar lists it with sowing in October to December and 50 to 60 days to harvest, and BBC Good Food Middle East's UAE guide gives October to March. Gulf News' winter guide lists spinach among the leafy greens that do well with some shade, and The Arabian Post (from The National) names spinach as an easy starter. Sown from late October, it is ready to cut from December, and the picking carries on through winter.

Temperature sets the season. Penn State Extension gives the optimum growing temperature as 50 to 60°F (10 to 16°C), says seed germinates best in soil at 45 to 68°F (7 to 20°C), and says that once the temperature reaches 80°F (27°C), spinach will want to bolt. Dubai's mean high is 35.9°C in October, 30.7°C in November, 24 to 27°C from December to February and 28.9°C in March. So sow a short row every two weeks from late October to December, keep the seed bed shaded and damp until it sprouts, and plan to finish by March. Penn State also says spinach will bolt if the soil dries out, so keep the moisture even.

Sow seed half an inch (1.3 cm) deep and 2 inches (5 cm) apart in rows 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) apart, then thin to 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm), says Penn State, which recommends rich compost or aged manure in the bed. Snip the outer leaves at the base, leaving the rosette to keep growing. Water the soil, not the leaves, because moisture on the leaves encourages fungal diseases. FAO rates spinach as moderately sensitive to salt, with a threshold of 2.0 dS/m, so use mains water and a low-salinity soil mix. Aphids and leafminers are the typical pests.

## Through the year

Spinach has a short winter season in Dubai. Seed is sown in a shaded, damp bed from late October to December, a short row every two weeks, as the average high eases from 36°C to 27°C. The Ministry gives 50 to 60 days to harvest, so cutting runs from December to March, snipping the outer leaves. Aphids and leafminers need watching from November to March. By March, with the average high near 29°C and rising, plants bolt, and the bed is cleared for the next crop or the summer rest.

| When | What | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Oct–Dec | Sow: Sow seed in a shaded bed | Ministry calendar: October–December; BBC Good Food Middle East: October–March. Penn State: seed germinates best at 7–20°C soil temperature, so shade and dampen the bed in October and sow a short row every two weeks. |
| Nov–Mar | Pest watch: Aphids and leafminers | Penn State: aphids and leafminers are typical pests. Arizona desert data show aphids arriving each November and peaking in winter, and leafminers rank among the top UAE vegetable pests. |
| Dec–Mar | Harvest: Snip outer leaves | Ministry calendar: 50–60 days to harvest. Penn State: snip the outer leaves at the base and leave the rosette for further growth. |
| Mar–May | Heat stress: Bolting as the weather warms | Penn State: at 80°F (27°C) spinach will want to bolt. Dubai's mean high is 28.9°C in March and 33.7°C in April. |

## Care in Dubai

- **Watering in summer:** Not grown in summer; the Ministry's window ends in December.
- **Watering in winter:** Water the soil, not the leaves, from a drip line finishing before 8 am (DEWA). Penn State says spinach will bolt if the soil dries out and that wet leaves encourage fungal disease.
- **While establishing:** Keep the seed bed shaded and evenly damp until the seedlings are up, using mains water.
- **Soil:** A raised bed of sweet soil enriched with rich compost or aged manure (Penn State), free-draining, with part shade. Do not use the garden's salty sand on its own.
- **Feeding:** Penn State recommends enriching the bed with rich compost or aged manure and gives no further feeding schedule.
- **Pruning:** Snip the outer leaves at their base and leave the main rosette to keep growing (Penn State). Thin to 10 to 15 cm apart.
- **Planting:** Sow seed 1.3 cm deep and 5 cm apart in rows 30 to 45 cm apart (Penn State), from late October to December, a short row every two weeks. Give afternoon shade as the weather warms.
- **Pests and problems:** Aphids; Leafminers; Fungal leaf diseases
- **Toxicity:** Spinach is a normal food for people. The ASPCA's plant list for dogs has no entry for garden spinach, so we make no claim about pets chewing the plant; keep dogs and cats out of the bed.

## Good and bad

**Pros**
- Ministry window October–December, with picking in 50–60 days
- Cut-and-come-again: snip outer leaves and the rosette keeps growing (Penn State)
- Does well with some shade (Gulf News)
- Small and shallow: suits troughs, pots and raised beds
- Easy to start from seed in cool weather (The National)

**Cons**
- Bolts as the temperature approaches 27°C, so it ends by March (Penn State)
- Seed germinates best at 7–20°C soil, so October's heat slows it (Penn State)
- Moderately salt-sensitive: FAO threshold 2.0 dS/m
- Bolts if the soil dries out (Penn State)
- Aphids and leafminers are the typical pests (Penn State)

## Common mistakes

- Sowing in warm soil without shade. Penn State says seed germinates best at 7 to 20°C, and Dubai's October average high is 35.9°C.
- Letting the soil dry out. Penn State says spinach will bolt if it dries out.
- Wetting the leaves. Penn State says moisture on the leaves can encourage fungal diseases, so water the soil.
- Leaving it in after March. Penn State says spinach wants to bolt at 80°F (27°C), and Dubai's March average high is 28.9°C.
- Using salty water. FAO puts spinach's yield-loss threshold at 2.0 dS/m.

## Good to know

- Penn State: spinach is day-length sensitive and will bolt in June even if temperatures are cool.
- Penn State: the optimum growing temperature is 50 to 60°F (10 to 16°C), and seedlings can handle much colder conditions.
- Malabar spinach and some other leafy greens are also called "spinach" but are different plants; this page is about true spinach (Spinacia oleracea).
- The Ministry's table prints the October–December window under nursery sowing, with no separate field-planting date.

## Using it in a garden

Roles: Raised-bed leaf crop, Trough or pot crop, Cut-and-come-again salad, Cool-season filler

Plant spinach where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade, which Gulf News says leafy greens enjoy, near the kitchen so the leaves are cut young and often. A trough or raised bed with a drip line works well. In March, a trellis or taller crop can shade it for a few extra weeks.

- [Lettuce](https://plantguide.ae/plants/lettuce.md): Another cool-season leaf crop with an October start, so the two share a bed, shade and drip line and make a mixed salad.
- [Coriander](https://plantguide.ae/plants/coriander.md): A quick, cool-season herb with the same October–November window, which fits the same bed and the same watering.

## FAQ

**When should I sow spinach in Dubai?**  
The Ministry's calendar gives October to December, and BBC Good Food Middle East gives October to March. Sow from late October in a shaded, damp bed, and aim to finish cutting by March.

**How long does spinach take to grow?**  
The Ministry gives 50 to 60 days to harvest. You can snip outer leaves earlier from young plants.

**Why has my spinach gone to seed?**  
Bolting. Penn State says spinach wants to bolt at 80°F (27°C) and when the soil dries out, and that it is day-length sensitive. In Dubai it usually happens from March, as the average high passes 28°C.

**Can spinach grow in shade?**  
Yes. Gulf News lists spinach, lettuce and kale among the greens that do well with some shade, and afternoon shade helps through March.

**Can I grow spinach in a pot or on a balcony?**  
Yes. Use a shallow trough or pot of sweet soil and compost with morning sun, keep it evenly moist with mains water, and snip outer leaves as they grow.

**What pests attack spinach?**  
Penn State says aphids and leafminers are the typical pests, and that wet leaves encourage fungal disease. Remove weeds and water the soil.

## Related plants

[Lettuce](https://plantguide.ae/plants/lettuce.md) · [Kale](https://plantguide.ae/plants/kale.md) · [Rocket](https://plantguide.ae/plants/rocket.md) · [Carrot](https://plantguide.ae/plants/carrot.md) · [Beetroot](https://plantguide.ae/plants/beetroot.md) · [Coriander](https://plantguide.ae/plants/coriander.md)

## Photos

![Palak (spinach) plants in pots at a flower show in Lalbagh, Bangalore](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Palak_-_spinach_plant_from_lalbagh_2348.JPG)  
Photo: Rameshng / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palak_-_spinach_plant_from_lalbagh_2348.JPG))

![Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) growing in a field in Italy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Spinacia_oleracea_%28Breedblad_scherpzaad%29_in_Italy.jpg)  
Photo: Peter Forster / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spinacia_oleracea_(Breedblad_scherpzaad)_in_Italy.jpg))

![Young spinach plants (Spinacia oleracea) growing in a greenhouse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Spinach_in_greenhouse.jpg)  
Photo: Lars Mogren (SLU) / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spinach_in_greenhouse.jpg))

## Sources

- [UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment: Dates for Planting Vegetables and Fruits in the UAE](https://moccae.gov.ae/assets/download/56f7a89b/agriculture_calender_page_en.pdf.aspx)
- [Wikipedia: Climate of Dubai (Dubai International Airport, 1991 to 2020 normals)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Dubai)
- [BBC Good Food Middle East: A guide to growing fruits and vegetables in the UAE](https://www.bbcgoodfoodme.com/how-to/a-guide-to-growing-fruits-and-vegetables-in-the-uae/)
- [Penn State Extension: Growing spinach, a cool-season vegetable](https://extension.psu.edu/growing-spinach-a-cool-season-vegetable)
- [Gulf News: Winter gardening in the UAE, a budget-friendly guide to growing your own vegetables](https://gulfnews.com/amp/friday/home/winter-gardening-in-the-uae-a-budget-friendly-guide-to-growing-your-own-vegetables-1.1733397053629)
- [The Arabian Post (from The National): From seed to harvest, advice for gardeners in the UAE](https://thearabianpost.com/from-seed-to-harvest-some-essential-advice-for-gardeners-in-the-uae/)
- [FAO: Crop salt tolerance data (Annex 1)](https://www.fao.org/4/y4263e/y4263e0e.htm)
- [DEWA: Irrigation advice](https://www.dewa.gov.ae/en/consumer/sustainability/sustainability-and-conservation/irrigation)
- [University of Arizona Vegetable IPM Updates: Weather influence on desert insect pests (J. Palumbo)](https://www.vegetableipmupdates.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/2023-11/Weather%20Influence%20Desert%20Insect%20Pests-2020.pdf)
- [Kaakeh et al. (2007): Assessment of pest and pesticide trends in vegetable crops in the UAE and Sultanate of Oman](https://research.uaeu.ac.ae/en/publications/assessment-of-pest-and-pesticide-trends-in-vegetable-crops-in-the/)
- [POWO (Kew Plants of the World Online): Spinacia oleracea](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:167384-1)
- [Wikipedia: Spinach](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinach)
- [Arabic Wikipedia: سبانخ](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AE)
- [Hindi Wikipedia: पालक](https://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%95)
- [Urdu Wikipedia: پالک](https://ur.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%BE%D8%A7%D9%84%DA%A9)
- [Malayalam Wikipedia: പാലക്ക്](https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B4%AA%E0%B4%BE%E0%B4%B2%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%8D)
- [Tamil Wikipedia: பசளி](https://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%9A%E0%AE%B3%E0%AE%BF)
- [Tagalog Wikipedia: Espinaka](https://tl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espinaka)
- [Bengali Wikipedia: পালং শাক](https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%82_%E0%A6%B6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%95)
- [Persian Wikipedia: اسفناج](https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%81%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AC)