How to harvest spinach seeds [2 Easy ways]

Do you want to learn how to harvest spinach seeds? Did you know that planting and growing spinach is best done in the fall? Let’s get started talking about spinach and how to collect the seeds for your subsequent crop in this article.

The optimal growing seasons for spinach are spring or fall. As a result, if you planted a spring crop, you may already be familiar with some of the topics I’ll cover in this post. However, if you’re just getting started, that’s perfectly OK too. In order for you to gather your future seeds, I’ll show you what to expect.

Since spinach is a cool-weather crop, it will begin to bolt when the days become too hot.

Here is my spinach from April.

As shown in the above image, my spinach started bolting later in the season. It can be seen here that it is starting to get taller.

Bolting, however, need not be a disaster; in fact, it is a fantastic chance to gather seeds.

Now, it’s crucial to remember that there are male and female plants when it comes to spinach. Therefore, resist the urge to remove all of the bolting spinach and plant a fresh crop.

Please remember that for the spinach seeds to germinate, you need both a male and a female plant.

While the actual seed is present in the female plant, it is the male plant that produces the pollen required for fertilization.

This is how a female plant appears. Most likely, you have noticed the seeds forming.

And a male spinach plant appears like this. The yellow on top indicates that pollen production has already begun.

The procedure is simple if you have a male and a female plant.

All you have to do is wait for the seeds to dry up while you simply sit back and let nature take care of the rest. This means that between the wind and pollinators, the pollen will get carried to the female plant and the seeds will become viable.

2 Easy ways to harvest spinach seeds

Let me show you how. I already have one ready-to-go spinach plant. The plant produces few, dried-up seeds. It was resting in the bowl, so we didn’t lose any of it.

1. Harvest spinach seeds by gently rubbing the branch between your fingertips

They literally snap off as soon as I try to remove them; I’ll just take them off. The seeds will now simply come off if you gently rub each branch between your fingertips.

Actually, it’s simpler to harvest than cilantro or coriander because there is less debris; as a result, the seeds just fell off and we now have a large number of seeds.

2. By rubbing the spinach plant in a plastic bag

Also, I’ll demonstrate a different approach. By placing the spinach plant in a plastic bag and rubbing the two together, you may collect all the seeds and have them ready for you to use.

And these seeds are prepared to germinate. Harvesting spinach typically takes six weeks. Therefore, it’s a good idea to check online to determine the usual first frost date for your area and to plan accordingly.

For our climate, the days are still getting rather hot. I will therefore probably wait for another two to three weeks before planting my spinach.

Having said that, I did plant seeds inside to show you that the seeds I gathered are ready to sprout.

I sincerely hope you found this post to be useful. If you try this or have tried to save different seeds in the past, please let me know. I appreciate your reading. Happy gardening!

FAQs on how to harvest spinach seeds

How do you harvest and save spinach seeds?

When doing this, put on gloves. To remove seeds from the stem of female spinach plants, use your thumb; as the seeds fall, gather them in a paper bag.

How many days does it take for spinach seeds to germinate?

Enough water will have been absorbed and maintained by the seeds for the process of germination to begin. Before planting the seeds, wait no more than seven days but no less than five. Spinach seeds that have been primed will germinate more quickly and consistently: The seedlings that resemble grass will appear in about five days.

What do you do with spinach when it goes to seed?

Keep the spinach plant in the garden and let it mature entirely. Its seeds will be authentic and will produce the same variety of spinach if it is not a hybrid. When the seeds fall into the garden, you can either save them for the following year or let them grow naturally.

Why won’t my spinach seeds germinate?

If your seeds failed to germinate, the conditions were either too moist or too warm, or the seeds were old and no longer viable. For optimal results, always sow brand-new spinach seeds in cool, well-draining soil.

What to do with spinach after it bolts?

Once the summer is over in the fall, you can plant a fresh crop of spinach. The flower buds can be pinched off to try and halt the bolting process, but this is typically a losing battle. Alternatively, you may let the spinach flower, take pleasure in the blooms, and save the seeds for the following year.

Why are my spinach seedlings bolting?

The transition from vegetative to reproductive growth in spinach is triggered by long days that last more than 14 hours. This is known as bolting, and it causes new leaves to grow smaller and more pointed, as well as for the plant’s center to rise and lengthen into a stalk.

Does spinach reseed itself?

When looking for plants that self-seed, spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and several varieties of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) are ideal choices. When summer begins to set in, cool-weather greens frequently bolt.

How long does it take for spinach to produce seeds?

For the types of spinach I’ve been producing, sowing takes 50–60 days (American, Winter Giant, and Purple Passion). As soon as you notice the seed developing, just let the plant continue to grow. When the spinach eventually dries out, dies, and topples over, that’s the time to gather it up.

How long can you save spinach seeds?

Spinach seeds should stay healthy for six years when kept in cool, dry circumstances.