Spinacia oleracea
Heirloom among the best winter spinach varieties.
One of the delightful surprises for new gardeners is that there are crops, like spinach, that not only survive cold northern winters but actually thrive in them. Sown in late fall, spinach sprouts and grows a bit before resting during deepest winter, then emerges powerfully in the cool of early spring, like a chicken squawking at the first hint of dawn. Spinach is just as happy sown in early spring or late summer, but there is no competing with the delicacy and sweetness of an overwintered crop.
David Landreth was born at Haggerston, Northumberland, England in 1752. He established one of the first American commercial seed companies. Bloomsdale spinach was originally released by D. Landreth & Company in the 19th century. In 1925, "Long Standing Bloomsdale" was released after being developed for bolt resistance by Zwaan and Van der Molen, Voorburg, Netherlands.--HUDSON VALLEY SEED CO