diff --git a/esd/spack_manager/SpackManager.py b/esd/spack_manager/SpackManager.py
index d534b30a085ce41ed27a19908b71f47f9097b699..65a21d6e224cb7b3c0d4150de1fefa7adbe97b4f 100644
--- a/esd/spack_manager/SpackManager.py
+++ b/esd/spack_manager/SpackManager.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import os
 import re
+import subprocess
 from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
 from pathlib import Path
 from tabnanny import check
@@ -49,10 +50,6 @@ class SpackManager(ABC):
     def concretize_spack_env(self, force=True):
         pass
 
-    @abstractmethod
-    def install_spack_packages(self, jobs: 3, verbose=False, debug=False):
-        pass
-
     def create_fetch_spack_environment(self):
         if self.env.git_path:
             git_clone_repo(self.env.env_name, self.env.path / self.env.env_name, self.env.git_path, logger=self.logger)
@@ -168,18 +165,24 @@ class SpackManager(ABC):
         return None
 
     @check_spack_env
-    def install_packages(self, jobs: int, signed=True, fresh=False):
+    def install_packages(self, jobs: int, signed=True, fresh=False, debug=False):
         signed = '' if signed else '--no-check-signature'
         fresh = '--fresh' if fresh else ''
+        debug = '--debug' if debug else ''
+        install_result = run_command("bash", "-c",
+                                     f'source {self.spack_setup_script} && spack env activate -p {self.env_path} && spack {debug} install -v {signed} --j {jobs} {fresh}',
+                                     stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+                                     stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
+                                     text=True,
+                                     logger=self.logger,
+                                     debug_msg=f"Installing spack packages for {self.env.env_name}",
+                                     exception_msg=f"Error installing spack packages for {self.env.env_name}",
+                                     exception=SpackInstallPackagesException)
         with open(str(Path(os.getcwd()).resolve() / ".generate_cache.log"), "w") as log_file:
-            run_command("bash", "-c",
-                        f'source {self.spack_setup_script} && spack install --env {self.env.env_name} -v {signed} --j {jobs} {fresh}',
-                        stdout=log_file,
-                        capture_output=True, text=True, check=True,
-                        logger=self.logger,
-                        debug_msg=f"Installing spack packages for {self.env.env_name}",
-                        exception_msg=f"Error installing spack packages for {self.env.env_name}",
-                        exception=SpackInstallPackagesException)
+            log_file.write(install_result.stdout)
+            log_file.write("\n--- STDERR ---\n")
+            log_file.write(install_result.stderr)
+        return install_result
 
     def install_spack(self, spack_version="v0.22.0", spack_repo='https://github.com/spack/spack'):
         try:
diff --git a/esd/spack_manager/factory/SpackManagerBuildCache.py b/esd/spack_manager/factory/SpackManagerBuildCache.py
index 38151c6d0741d16c7a06e64f4a2ee5bc9db2e376..5b66f5c51bb6bb3377749998c1e9377fdcd70f94 100644
--- a/esd/spack_manager/factory/SpackManagerBuildCache.py
+++ b/esd/spack_manager/factory/SpackManagerBuildCache.py
@@ -14,6 +14,3 @@ class SpackManagerBuildCache(SpackManager):
 
     def concretize_spack_env(self, force=True):
         pass
-
-    def install_spack_packages(self, jobs: 3, verbose=False, debug=False):
-        pass
diff --git a/esd/spack_manager/factory/SpackManagerScratch.py b/esd/spack_manager/factory/SpackManagerScratch.py
index 2ec22705240ab549ba59229a503f00be8091b02a..3dbc25f68e4bb64204b6901a356b6feaca054c9a 100644
--- a/esd/spack_manager/factory/SpackManagerScratch.py
+++ b/esd/spack_manager/factory/SpackManagerScratch.py
@@ -23,6 +23,3 @@ class SpackManagerScratch(SpackManager):
         else:
             self.logger.debug('No spack environment defined')
             raise NoSpackEnvironmentException('No spack environment defined')
-
-    def install_spack_packages(self, jobs: 3, verbose=False, debug=False):
-        pass
diff --git a/esd/tests/spack_from_scratch_test.py b/esd/tests/spack_from_scratch_test.py
index e56274096f3e597b82bacfc3d52538d267eaaed6..782d6be8f7504ad2116b761b15504290de0663e9 100644
--- a/esd/tests/spack_from_scratch_test.py
+++ b/esd/tests/spack_from_scratch_test.py
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ test_spack_env_git = f'https://oauth2:{SPACK_ENV_ACCESS_TOKEN}@gitlab.ebrains.eu
 ebrains_spack_builds_git = 'https://gitlab.ebrains.eu/ri/tech-hub/platform/esd/ebrains-spack-builds.git'
 
 
-
 def test_spack_repo_exists_1():
     spack_manager = SpackManagerCreator.get_spack_manger(SpackManagerEnum.FROM_SCRATCH)
     assert spack_manager.spack_repo_exists('ebrains-spack-builds') == False
@@ -159,3 +158,16 @@ def test_spack_from_scratch_concretize_7(tmp_path):
     spack_manager.concretize_spack_env(force=True)
     concretization_file_path = spack_manager.env_path / 'spack.lock'
     assert file_exists_and_not_empty(concretization_file_path) == True
+
+
+def test_spack_from_scratch_install(tmp_path):
+    install_dir = tmp_path
+    env = SpackModel('test-spack-env', install_dir, test_spack_env_git)
+    repo = SpackModel('ebrains-spack-builds', install_dir, ebrains_spack_builds_git)
+    spack_manager = SpackManagerCreator.get_spack_manger(SpackManagerEnum.FROM_SCRATCH, env=env, repos=[repo])
+    spack_manager.setup_spack_env()
+    spack_manager.concretize_spack_env(force=True)
+    concretization_file_path = spack_manager.env_path / 'spack.lock'
+    assert file_exists_and_not_empty(concretization_file_path) == True
+    install_result = spack_manager.install_packages(jobs=2, signed=False, fresh=True, debug=False)
+    assert install_result.returncode == 0