Spinach 'Matador'

Matador is a reliable all-year-round spinach variety that produces succulent dark green, oval leaves. Beloved by many a gardener, this popular open pollinated heritage variety provides a generous haul of spinach that has a mild, sweet flavour.

Matador can be sown in succession from March onwards for fresh spinach leaves throughout the season, it is also suitable for baby-leaf production. Sow successionally for a long harvest, sow inside from February to April or outside from March to July.
The plants stand well without bolting, especially through drier seasons. It is disease resistant and slow to bolt but will go to seed quicker in the hot summer months.

With its excellent taste and smooth, dark green leaves Matador Spinach is an impressive addition to salads. The leaves are also perfect for souffles, stuffings, and as cooked greens.
Matador is especially suited to Italian cuisine, mix this variety with ricotta cheese to make cannelloni and ravioli.

• Awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit
  Spinach 'Matador' was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit (AGM) in 2011.
  A key indicator that this variety is worth growing in your garden.

Sowing:
Sowings from April to September will give young and tender leaves right through the summer and into autumn. Matador can also be sown from October to December with protection.

Sowing for Baby Leaf: Sow All Year Round
The best growing technique for spring and summer crops is to sow direct into prepared seed beds in the kitchen garden or greenhouse border. Grow at closer density for baby leaf. Tip a small amount of seed into your hand, take a pinch and spread thinly along the trench. Cover with soil, label and water. If birds are a problem in your garden, spread netting to prevent them eating the seed. Sow every two weeks for a continual supply of tender young leaf.
For autumn and winter crops, seed can be sown into pots or seed trays which can be grown on the kitchen windowsill or in a heated conservatory/greenhouse. Use a free draining compost, sow thinly and cover seed lightly after sowing.
From sowing to harvest can be as little as 21 days, harvest using scissors. Although re-growth can be harvested, it is better to sow little and often for continual supply

Sowing for Mature Crops: Sow April to September or October to December.
Spinach germinates and grows well in cool weather. The optimum germination soil temperature is 21°C (70°F) and optimum growing soil temperature is 6 to 18°C (60-65°F)
For a summer crop: sow from early spring to the middle of June. For a constant supply, try sowing a new row every three weeks. For leaves to pick over winter, sow spinach in late summer and early autumn.
Spinach may be started in cells or flats indoors, three to four weeks before the last frost in spring. Or direct sow in the garden in spring as soon as the ground can be worked.

Choose a sunny or slightly shaded spot with moisture retentive soil. Dig the soil, remove big stones, weeds and incorporate plenty of garden compost or well-rotted manure. Rake to a fine finish.
Make a trench 12mm (½in) deep with a garden cane and space seeds about 8cm (20in) apart. Cover, water and label. Subsequent rows need to be about 25cm (10in) apart.
When the seedlings are 2cm tall thin out to leave the strongest seedlings plenty of space to grow – spinach needs 30cm between plants. Keep free of weeds and water plants when dry. Every two weeks, add a high nitrogen liquid fertiliser to the mix.

Harvesting:
Spring sowings should be ready to be picked in 40 to 50 days. Harvest in the morning. Take what you need by cutting leaves from the outside of the plant, taking care to avoid damage to the roots.
By picking often, plenty of new leaves will be produced.
Cropping can be prolonged by picking of any seed heads that may appear.

Health Benefits:
Extraordinarily high in vitamin C and rich in riboflavin, one portion of cooked spinach also contains a very high level of vitamin A, folate, magnesium, potassium, as well as vitamins E, B6, and thiamine.
The idea that spinach contained exceptional levels of iron originated in 1870 with Dr. E. Von Wolf whose figures remained unchallenged until 1937, when it was discovered that the content was 1/10th the claim. The oversight resulted from a misplaced decimal point!

Rotation considerations:
Benefits all succeeding crops, but should not follow legume.

Good Companions:
Cabbage family, celery, lettuce, onion, peas, radish.

Bad Companions:
Potatoes

Other Uses:
Spinach leaves give shades of green when used as a natural dye.

Health Benefits:
Extraordinarily high in vitamin C and rich in riboflavin, one portion of cooked spinach also contains a very high level of vitamin A, folate, magnesium, potassium, as well as vitamins E, B6, and thiamine.
The idea that spinach contained exceptional levels of iron originated in 1870 with Dr. E. von Wolf whose figures remained unchallenged until 1937, when it was discovered that the content was 1/10th the claim. The oversight resulted from a misplaced decimal point!

Origin:
Spinach originated as a wild plant in Persia and East Asia and has been cultivated in China for over 2,000 years.
Catherine de Médici brought spinach from her home in Florence Italy to France after marrying the king, giving birth to the term 'à la Florentine', which is used to refer to any meal prepared served with spinach.