Description
Matador spinach is the perfect choice for gardeners seeking a cold-hardy, versatile spinach variety. With dark green, smooth, oval-shaped leaves, this spinach is known for its sweet flavor and ability to thrive in cooler weather. Whether enjoyed as tender baby greens in salad mixes or harvested as a mature plant for cooked dishes like risotto, Matador's leaves provide a pleasant texture. Its slow bolting in warm weather and ability to overwinter in sub-zero temperatures make it an excellent option for fall harvests, ensuring a consistent yield of easy-to-clean, productive plants.
Botanical Name: Spinacia oleracea
Days to Maturity: 28–48 days
Family: Amaranthaceae
Native: Southwest Asia
Hardiness: Frost-tolerant annual. Very cold hardy; fall-sown plants may overwinter even in climates with sub-zero temperatures.
Plant Dimensions: 6″–8″ tall
Variety Information: Dark green, oval-shaped leaves. 'Matador' is cold hardy with sweet flavor; and slow to bolt in warm weather.
Attributes: Good for Containers, Heat Tolerant
When to Sow Outside: RECOMMENDED. 4 to 6 weeks before your average last frost date, and when soil temperature is above 40°F; ideally 50°–75°F. Successive Sowings: Every 3 weeks until 4 weeks before your average first fall frost date. If mulched, spinach can overwinter in sub–zero temperatures. Soil temperatures above 85°F halt germination.
When to Start Inside: Not recommended; roots sensitive to disturbance.
Days to Emerge: 5–10 days
Seed Depth: ½”
Seed Spacing: A group of 3 seeds 6″
Row Spacing: 12″
Thinning: When 2″ tall thin to 1 every 6″
Harvesting: Pick individual leaves from outer edges of plant as they become big enough to use or cut the whole plant 1″ above the ground; new leaves will be produced. When picking individual leaves, also removing the leaf stem at the same time is best; this reduces vulnerability to disease during die-back and conserves plant energy. Harvest before the plant sends up a flower stalk (bolting). Just prior to bolting, leaves take on an “arrowhead” shape, adding small keel shapes to the base of the leaf.
This packet sows up to 36 feet. 220 seeds in packet.
