Crop type: Spinach
Spinacia oleracea ‘Lazio’ AGM
Common name: Spinach ‘Lazio’
Crop slug: spinach
This Allotment Pro editorial draft summarises the cited RHS cultivar profile and its linked crop guidance. Check the sources and adjust cultivation decisions for local conditions.RHS cultivar profile
1 - Overview
‘Lazio’ is a high-yielding and reliable spinach harvested for leaves during its first year. Its rounded, smooth, dark-green leaves have a medium texture and good flavour. These clear harvest traits distinguish it from more deeply crinkled or sharply pointed spinach types and make it useful for dependable main-season cropping.
The plant is an annual or biennial, forms a compact clump and has accepted name status. Regular sowings and prompt picking help convert its vigorous production into a steady supply of fresh leaves.
2 - Size
- Ultimate height
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- Ultimate spread
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- Time to ultimate height
- 1 year
- Habit
- Clump-forming
Allow enough space for the rounded foliage to dry after rain. Use the parent guide’s wider final spacing for mature plants, or harvest closer sowings as baby leaves before they become congested.
3 - Growing conditions
- Suitable soils
- Chalk, clay, loam or sand
- Moisture
- Moist but well drained
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline or neutral
Grow in fertile soil rich in organic matter and maintain a steady moisture supply. Compost improves both moisture retention and drainage, while watering before plants wilt protects leaf quality and yield. Avoid saturated ground.
4 - Position and hardiness
- Light
- Full sun or partial shade
- Aspect
- South-, east- or west-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- Hardiness
- H2 — tolerant of low temperatures but not surviving being frozen
Give winter crops a sunny position and summer crops a little shade. Although the profile describes both summer and winter spinach sowing patterns, ‘Lazio’s’ H2 rating means exposed plants need protection from hard frost. A sheltered site also reduces moisture loss and leaf damage.
5 - Colour and seasonal interest
| Season | Foliage |
|---|---|
| Spring | Dark green |
| Summer | Dark green |
| Autumn | Dark green |
| Winter | Green where protected |
Rounded, smooth, medium-textured leaves are the key identifying features. The crop is valued for edible foliage and reliable yield rather than flowers or fruit.
6 - Botanical details
- Family
- Amaranthaceae
- Native to Great Britain and Ireland
- No
- Lifecycle
- Annual or biennial
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Clump-forming
- Name status
- Accepted
- Award
- RHS Award of Garden Merit
Genus
Spinacia contains annual or biennial herbaceous plants with upright stems and smooth ovate or triangular leaves. Edible forms are cultivated as spinach and are normally harvested before flowering.
7 - How to grow
Cultivation
For summer crops, sow small batches every few weeks from February under biodegradable fleece or cloches through to the end of May. Sow winter spinach in August and September and protect it during cold spells. Follow the parent guide for sowing depth, rows, thinning and final spacing.
Keep soil evenly moist, especially in dry or warm weather. Harvest outer leaves cleanly or cut young crops as required. Frequent picking helps make full use of ‘Lazio’s’ high yield, while succession sowing prevents a single large glut.
Propagation
Propagate by seed. Sow into a prepared seedbed or modules, keep seedlings moist and thin promptly to preserve airflow.
Suggested locations
- Allotment or kitchen garden
- Patio container
- Raised bed
- Sheltered edible border
Pruning
No pruning is required. Harvest usable leaves and remove bolting plants or damaged foliage when necessary.
Pests
Pigeons may damage the leaves. Protect vulnerable crops with properly secured fine netting that cannot trap wildlife.
Diseases
Spinach downy mildew may occur. Avoid crowding and prolonged leaf wetness, rotate crops and remove badly affected leaves or plants.