VegetableSpinach
Matador Viking Spinach
Leafy Green
Matador Viking Spinach is a 1933 heirloom that brings reliability and robust flavor to any garden. With smooth, dark green leaves and impressive bolt tolerance, this open-pollinated variety reaches harvest in 40 to 49 days, making it ideal for succession planting from early spring through fall. Whether grown in containers, raised beds, or garden rows, Matador Viking produces tender leaves perfect for fresh eating or preserving.
Photo © True Leaf Market(https://www.trueleafmarket.com/products/spinach-seeds-matador-viking)
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
3-10
Sunlight
Full Sun
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam, High Organic Matter
Preferred Temp50-75°F
Growth Stats
12 in
Height
PeriodAnnual
TypeBush
Spacing
6 inches apart
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
—
Zones
3-10
Size
12in H x ?in W
Growth
Annual
Care
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
This heirloom earns its reputation for bolt resistance, a genuine advantage when spring warmth arrives sooner than expected. The dark green leaves are smooth and tender, excellent for both baby leaf harvests and mature bunching. At just 8 to 12 inches tall with a compact upright habit, it adapts beautifully to containers and tight garden spaces while delivering full spinach flavor without the fussiness of more temperamental varieties.
Common Uses
Matador Viking shines in the kitchen for boiling, canning, and freezing, traditional preparations that make the most of its tender leaves and reliable production. It excels as a baby leaf variety for fresh salads and microgreen harvests, offering flexibility in timing from first tender shoots to full-size bunches. The smooth leaf texture makes it particularly suited to cooked applications where chewier varieties might disappoint.
Growing Timeline
First Bloom
Does Not Bloom (Harvested For Foliage)
First Harvest
30-45 Days After Planting
Last Harvest
60-75 Days After Planting
Care Instructions
Direct Sow
Direct sow as soon as the soil is workable in spring. Plant seeds 1/4 inch deep in rows spaced 18 inches apart. Thin seedlings to 4 inches apart. Succession plant every 2 to 3 weeks for continuous harvest through the season.
Harvesting
Begin harvesting Matador Viking at 40 to 49 days after direct sowing. For baby leaf spinach, pick tender young leaves as soon as they reach usable size, typically 3 to 4 weeks in. For bunching harvest, wait until plants reach full maturity with leaves 6 to 8 inches long, then cut or pull the entire plant at soil level. Pinch or harvest outer leaves regularly to encourage continued leaf production. Morning harvest, when leaves are crisp with moisture, yields the best quality and flavor.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Soil pH Range
6 – 7
Scientific Classification
Spinacia oleracea L.
Family
Chenopodiaceae
Genus
Spinacia
Duration
Annual
Growth Habit
Forb/herb
Native Status
L48 (I)AK (I)CAN (I)
History & Origin
“Matador Viking dates to 1933, a moment when gardeners were actively developing spinach varieties suited to different seasons and purposes. This heirloom has been maintained as an open-pollinated, non-GMO cultivar, allowing gardeners to save seeds and continue the lineage themselves. Sometimes written as Matador-Viking or Matador/Viking, the name reflects its robust, almost Viking-like tolerance for variable growing conditions, a variety bred and refined through generations of observation and selection.”