GIANT WINTER is an ominous name, I always think, sounding like a doom-laden long-range weather forecast. But less fancifully, it’s a cultivar of spinach which you could sow now for cropping through the winter and into early spring.

There are several others available, and most seed catalogues and online shops list at least one, but Giant Winter is possibly the best-known and surely the hardiest.

Its remarkably large leaves stand without problems through frost and snow. On a very open site strong winds can be more of a trouble, but a little protection by means of cloches or fleece covers can make a big difference.

I find winter spinach much more “spinachy” than summer spinach — a good or bad thing, I suppose, depending on personal taste. I love the full-depth, earthy, ferrous flavour, perfect for rich meals in the dark months.

But if you’re borderline on spinach, then this probably isn’t the stuff to convert you.

The seeds of summer spinach won’t grow in winter, so make sure you start with the right packet. You can either sow the seeds directly into the soil, in drills about three quarters of an inch (2cm) deep and 12” (30cm) apart, or start them in pots or modules for planting out later.

There’s only one real advantage to the latter scheme — it helps the seedlings avoid slugs and snails during early growth. Where I live the summer drought has broken quite emphatically, and I expect the garden molluscs to be making up for lost time.

While summer spinach prefers moist ground, the winter type needs above all to avoid waterlogging. In a British winter it’s unlikely to dry out, whereas if it spends time sitting in cold puddles it won’t thrive.

One thing all spinach needs is rich, deep soil to fuel its rapid and plentiful green growth.

I aim for a final gap of around 8 inches (20cm) between each plant. It seems sensible that a huddled solidarity will give each spinach protection against the wind, but at the same time this spacing allows air to move freely between the plants, so minimising the risk of mildew. And, of course, they need room to reach their full size.

When you come to pick spinach it’s important not take too many leaves at one time from any one plant. A rule of thumb often quoted is that you shouldn’t remove more than a third of the foliage.

Summer spinach is often grown for baby leaves, but with the winter type it’s best to use the large, deeply coloured outside leaves, letting the smaller ones at the centre carry on growing.

Harvest by cutting, not pulling, so as not to loosen the plant’s roots.

The final harvest from winter spinach generally comes around the beginning of March, when the plants put on a sudden spurt of new growth. The leaves taken then have the sweet, fresh flavour of spring.