Amaranth – Red
€1.95
Description
Amaranth – Red is an annual plant which grows up to 1.2m tall with a spread of 45cm. Both the seeds and leaves are edible and highly nutritious. It is also often grown as an ornamental plant. In Ireland it is best grown for its edible leaves which can be cooked like spinach.
Sowing:
May to July in a modular tray in the greenhouse.
Sow two seeds per module about 1.5cm deep and about 4 weeks later plant out into the garden or in a greenhouse.
Spacing:
Between rows: 30cm
Between plants in the row: 30cm
Approx. Seed count: 100
Background on Amaranth:
In the highlands of Peru I came across three ancient grains – Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), Kaniwa (Chenopodium pallidicaule) and Kiwicha (Amaranthus caudatus).
Kiwicha or Seed Amaranth is already been grown by hobby gardeners in Ireland and many people hail it as the new superfood alongside the better known quinoa.
Kiwicha was present everywhere in Peru, but its real origin is Mexico where it is steeped in history and folkore and has been grown there for over 8,000 years. The Aztecs believed it had supernatural powers. The Spanish church tried to ban this crop as it was affiliated with many pagan Aztec traditions, but luckily they didn’t fully succeed. It’s a very versatile and healthy seed crop that is ideal for a gluten free diet.
The Greek name – Amarantus means ‘Never fading flower’. It’s related to spinach and beetroot and weeds such as fathen.
Both the leaves and the seeds are edible. The seeds contain proteins, lysine, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium and vitamin E and B as well as 10 essential amino acids.
Seeds are sown around the early to mid April in modular trays in a greenhouse and potted on about 4 weeks later individually into 9cm pots. Plants can be planted outdoors after the last danger of frost has passed. In colder parts of the country, kiwicha is best grown in a polytunnel. Kiwicha grows in many soil types, but heavy waterlogged clay soils should be avoided. Apply well decomposed compost or farmyard manure before planting.
Space the plants about 1ft apart each way. They will quite tall ranging from 3ft to 6ft depending on soil fertility. A sheltered spot in full sun is important. Kiwicha will flower from late June onwards and the flowers last a long time until autumn. The seeds are creamy–coloured and tiny. One plant can produce up to 50,000 seeds.
Kiwicha is a strikingly beautiful plant and a full field of it in Peru was an amazing sight. It’s an easy plant to grow with no pests or disease problems and it can withstand heat and drought but unfortunately not very wet conditions.
When the large flower tassels turn brown and when seeds fall into your hands when you rub the tassels they are ready to harvest. Simply cut off the whole flower tassel and place upside down in a large brown paper bag and store in a dry warm place for a few weeks. Then you can shake the seeds loose.
