The best part about amaranth in a busy garden is that it’s a plant family all its own. In the bags, they’ll dry. I started this website in 2015 to help others learn how easy it is to grow your own food using healthy and sustainable gardening methods. Aphids and flea beetles are common; insecticidal soaps are a good remedy for the former, and floating row covers will protect the plants from the latter. Lightly cover each seed with about 1⁄4 inch (0.64 cm) of soil, and place the bed out of direct sunlight, in an area where is will not be exposed to cold. Amaranth is closely related to quinoa, but also beets, Swiss chard, and many other food crops. They are great for a gluten free, vegan diet. Amaranths are usually planted from seeds as soon as the last frost has passed in the spring. Plant amaranth in late spring or early summer, after the last frost has passed and the soil is warm. If you are eager for early harvest, you can start the seeds indoors as much as eight weeks earlier. If you’re growing in a 10×20 standard plant propagation tray, use ~1oz of seed. An avid gardener since childhood, I love sharing my passion for gardening with others! You can eat both the seeds and the leaves from any edible amaranth plant, though larger plants will tend to provide a larger crop of seeds. The leaves are tender and are much tastier and creamier. A mix of 1 part loamy soil, 1 part compost and 1 part manure is best. Same with transplanting–these are warm weather plants and frost won’t do you any favors. Rake the soil into rows, and plant seeds about ¼ inch deep along the row. Because it’s an annual, you can grow amaranth in zones 2–11. Small leaves are tender and nicer, but the larger leaves have a full flavor as well. Water them during dry periods, once or twice per week. Here are a few tips for growing organic edible amaranth in your garden – from TheSpruce.com: Unlike other leafy green vegetables, amaranth is fairly happy in the heat. Amaranth plants grow well in average to rich, well-draining soil with equal amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus. Planting Amaranth. Sustainable Gardening News also participates in affiliate programs with Clickbank, ShareASale, and other sites. The closer you can get them, the better they look once fully grown. If you do everything as stated in the instructions, the first shoots will appear in 4 – 5 days. Potting mixture for Amaranths: 2 part garden soil mixed with 1 part any organic manure. Box 121, Westerville, OH, 43082, USA. They … Before they all brown, cut them off and bag them. Large size and heat won’t turn amaranth leaves bitter, as often occurs with other leafy greens. Amaranth sprouts, what to cook But due to its high nutritional content, it’s experiencing a resurgence of popularity in modern day health circles. It’s possible that it will reshoot for another harvest, though you do risk introducing pests to the open stem. Despite amaranth being one of the precious few grains that is actually feasible for home growing, I don't grow grain amaranth. Planting and Watering. How to Store Winter Vegetables In the Garden, [Infographic] A Visual Guide To Aquaponic Systems, Understanding Aquaponics: A Quick & Simple Guide to Growing Food with Fish, 3 Tips for Growing Healthy Plants Indoors, Learn more about growing your own superfoods at the Superfood Garden Summit. Your email address will not be published. I grow three amaranth varieties. Trim leaves off to harvest, and leave the crown and some leaves around the top to continue growing. But those sold as edible varieties are selected for their good seed production and especially tasty leaves. In fact, once-upon-a-time, this was the primary reason amaranth served as a staple in home cottage gardens. Growing amaranth… Let's see what is special about this plant and how to grow amaranth in our own flower bed. Cover the seeds lightly with soil. With their plentiful seeds, amaranth plants will readily self-seed in the garden. I truly enjoyed reading it, you might be a great author. Once your amaranth seedlings have a few true leaves, you can water them when the weather is dry. Amaranth is a light-loving and heat-loving plant, therefore window sills are an ideal place to grow it. Moreover the benefits of growing it’s incredible as their grains are as good and nutritious as quinoa. The seeds are tiny, similar to millet or quinoa, and you can cook them as a porridge or use as an alternative to rice. Growing Amaranth From seeds. Soil temperature should be around 60 degrees Fahrenheit for seeds to sprout. However, its beauty doesn’t detract from the its value as an edible crop, and in recent years, there has been a resurgence of gardeners growing edible amaranth for home consumption. Very rich soils are not necessary for amaranth, and may even hinder flowering and seed production. So you can get away with growing them 10 to 18 inches apart. Try to mimic the density of the picture above. After your container is filled, fill up your seed shaker with amaranth seeds and sprinkle them on the surface in as even a distribution as possible. To harvest grains, let amaranth go all the way to flower. You can start seeds indoors about 6-8 weeks before your last expected frost as well. Before planting, prepare the garden bed by gently turning the soil and adding a layer of fresh compost. Nearly all amaranths are edible, including love-lies-bleeding and even the common road-side weedy forms. Lightly mist your seeds with a spray bottle and cove… Containers. Part of this renewed interest in edible amaranth is due to recent increase in self-sufficiency and the value of growing your own food, while others celebrate amaranth due to its high nutrient content, as it is sometimes known as a “superfood.”. Growing Amaranth in Ten Easy Steps Growing the amaranth plant. Historically, the use of amaranth as an ornamental plant is a relatively recent development. Amaranth are very easy to grow. They prefer a warm climate, full sun, and a well drained soil. Amaranths produce enormous quantities of tiny seeds that will rampantly self-seed around the parent plant if you don't carefully harvest the seed heads when they mature. To ensure continued production, it's a good idea to stagger planting every two to three weeks, beginning a … This site contains affiliate links. Then the mixed sand is sprinkled over the ground or the container in which you are planning to grow amaranth. While amaranth is tall, they aren’t necessarily wide or bushy. Amaranth grown as a green requires more nitrogen, so plant to add a little bit of bloodmeal or conttoseed meal onto the prepared area. Your email address will not be published. Amaranth can be directly sown into prepared soil after the last risk of frost or … If you want to eat both the leaves and the seeds, you may want to grow a couple of different varieties of amaranth – a larger one for seeds, and a smaller one for the greens. Rinse or blow away the dried seed “chaff” and enjoy your grain harvest! Rotate it around to those frustrating places where you have planted just about everything in the last couple of years. So you can get away with growing them 10-18” apart. When planting outdoors, sow seeds about 4 inches apart, barely covering them with soil. Amaranth does best in full sun in the northern part of its range, but in warm southern climates, it benefits from some shade in the afternoon. Required fields are marked. Step 8 Be sure to not add too much though (just a handful will suffice), otherwise you'll get wilted leaves. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Only dense clay soils are likely to be completely unsuitable for amaranth. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Rinse away the dried seed “chaff” and enjoy your grain harvest. Many people use amaranth in their cereals or add a portion to other grains when baking bread, but the leaves are edible, too. One comment on “ Growing Amaranth ” Johny Jackson 16th January 2018 at 10:59 pm. The plant is a tender annual, but it tends to reseed itself for years of consistent blooms in the same area. Avoid using commercial pesticides with a "wait to pick" or any other type of warning regarding consumption. I look forward to continuing to share more information with you about this important topic. The Spruce uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Amaranth is closely related to the weed known as red-rooted pigweed, so it can be difficult to tell the two plants apart. This FREE Guide Will Help You Grow More in Less Space! Amaranth seeds are small, so sprinkle them onto prepared soil and top with a thin layer of earth. The grains are cook like quinoa. You can get an early start by growing seedlings indoors in late spring. If you make a purchase through a link in one of our posts or pages, we may receive a small commission – at no additional cost to you. It can successfully be grown in areas with less than 10 inches of yearly rainfall. Trim leaves off to harvest, and leave the crown and some leaves around the top to continue growing. The tiny seeds that grow on the amaranth plant are high in protein: a cup of cooked amaranth has nine grams of protein. Don't Have Much Room to Garden? While they grows best in moist but well drained soil, they will tolerate somewhat dry soil too.