The Seed Program
Growing Hints
This is one of the many growing hints that are available as a
bonus with a registered copy of The Seed Program.
Amaranth
Amaranth is a general name given to a large and very diverse
group of plants. Some varieties, such as Love Lies Bleeding, have
been developed as ornamentals. Others have been bred for use as
a food crop. The young stalks, the leaves and the seeds are all
useful and nutritious.
Amaranth plants are vigorous, fast growing, and are bothered
by few insect pests or diseases. It is important in some areas
to plant amaranth in neat rows or some recognizable pattern, as
there are some common weeds that resemble young amaranth plants.
Given full sun and well drained soil, the plants will achieve
a large size quite quickly. The leaves will be harvestable quite
early, but reach full size in about six to eight weeks. The seed
heads will have formed a few weeks after that.
The challenge with this crop is not so much the successful growing
of it, but the harvesting and utilizing of it. Of the edible varieties,
some are preferred for the use of the leaves for greens, and other
varieties are primarily grown for the seeds. The leaves and seeds
of all these varieties are equally edible.
The leaves, especially the new leaves of young plants, can be
picked a few at a time and included in salads. Amaranth has a
mild flavor and a lower oxalic acid content than spinach. Amaranth
can also be cooked, as with spinach.
The seeds of the mature plants do not all mature at once, and
present something of a challenge to capture in time. The seeds
that fall in the garden can come back as bothersome weeds in future
seasons, which is an added incentive to capture as many of them
as possible. When the first seeds are brown and mature (or when
you notice that some seeds have begun to fall off), either cover
the top of the plant tightly with a paper bag or cut the plant
off and bring the upper portion indoors to hang upside down, again
with a paper bag tightly covering the seed heads to capture the
seed as it comes loose from the plant. It is best to take the
works indoors if rain is expected.
The effort involved in harvesting the seed is well worthwhile
in terms of nutrition. Amaranth seed is extremely high in protein,
and has an amino acid content that complements wheat or corn.
When combined with these other grains, amaranth seed (or ground
amaranth flour) makes a complete protein of the same quality as
meat, thus it is a particularly useful crop to vegetarians.
For more crops, more complete gardening information, a garden
journal and a planting schedule you can customize for your region,
purchase The Seed Program!
Previous Hint - Next Hint
Click here to return the the Gardening Hints
list.
| 
