Harvesting Amaranth
Harvest leaves 30-50 days after seeding. Remove individual leaves as needed, or cut the entire plant back to 8 inches from the ground to encourage tender new growth to develop. Harvest seeds for grain 100-110 days after seeding. Bend mature seed heads over a large bowl or bucket, and shake them to catch the many tiny black seeds. You can get a head start on the season by starting seedlings indoors four weeks before the last frost. Find everything you need to know to grow your own vegetable garden here.
Using Colorful Amaranth
Plant amaranth in rows in the vegetable garden for easy harvest. Growing 4 to 8 feet tall, it is best planted where it will not shade nearby plants. Amaranth also grows well alongside perennials in the garden where it contributes impressive height and unusual flowers. Create a bird-friendly planting by combining it with sunflowers, coneflowers, and elderberry. Each of these easy-to-grow plants unfurls a bird buffet while providing a valuable habitat.
How to Grow Amaranth
Amaranth grows best in full sun and well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter. Average garden soil will yield plants that are 4 to 6 feet tall while humus-rich garden soil will produce 8-foot-tall plants. Amaranth is easy to grow from seed. It can be sown directly in the garden but benefits from an early start indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last average frost in Zones 6 and below. Sow seeds in soilless planting media and water them gently until they emerge. Place the seedlings in a bright, sunny window or use grow lights to provide consistent bright light. Transplant seedlings outdoors when all chance of frost has passed. Plant seedlings 10 to 12 inches apart and water them during periods of drought. Weed around amaranth regularly to prevent competition for water and nutrients from nearby plants. Amaranth does not require fertilization during the growing season. Harvest leaves 30 to 50 days after seeding. Remove individual leaves as needed, or cut the entire plant back to 8 inches from the ground to encourage tender new growth to develop. Harvest seeds for grain 100 to 110 days after seeding. Bend mature seed heads over a large bowl or bucket and shake them to catch the many tiny black seeds.
More Varieties of Amaranth
title: “Amaranth” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-18” author: “Joseph Bentley”
For a bold display of color and texture, plant amaranth with cannas, celosia, and annual salvia. Or add it to a large container with calibrachoa, employing it as a focal point. Amaranth is a great planting solution for full-sun locations that need a big splash of color. Even though this plant loves to soak up the sun, it doesn’t tolerate drought well, so plant it where you can easily water it.
Amaranth Care Must-Knows
If you are unable to find amaranth at the garden center as a transplant, start it from seed inside about 8 weeks before your area’s last frost. After the chance of frost has passed, plant it outside in full sun in moist, well-drained soil. Bright sunlight is essential for this plant to thrive; it will produce fewer flowers and weak stems when planted in shade. Love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus) often needs staking when its long flower stalks develop. Sink a 4-foot-tall stake into the soil near the base of the plant at planting time. As the plant grows, loosely tie its stem to the stake. Joseph’s coat (Amaranthus tricolor) usually stands boldly upright on its own.
Snip and Dry
Love-lies-bleeding is an everlasting flower. Its flowers turn a warm shade of bronze after the stems dry. To harvest stems for drying, cut young, fresh flower stalks. Tie two or three stems together and hang them in a dark, airy, dry place. The stems will dry in about one month and can be added to dried flower arrangements.
Favorite Varieties
‘Fat Spike’ has thick ropes of deep red-purple flowers above green foliage and grows 3–4 feet tall. ‘Viridis’ has electric green flower stalks on 3- to 4-foot-tall plants. ‘Golden Giant’ has yellow flower stalks that can grow 6-8 feet tall, making it one of the tallest varieties. Search reputable online retailers for more unique varieties of bold summer annuals.
Amaranth Companion Plants
Celosia
There are few flowers as showy as celosia. Whether you plant the plumed type, which produces striking upright spires, or the crested type, which has a fascinating twisted form, you’ll love using celosia in bouquets. The flowers are beautiful fresh, but they also dry well. They bloom in all the colors of a glowing sunset. Plant established seedlings in spring after all danger of frost has passed. Celosia likes rich, well-drained soil with moderate water. Spider mites can sometimes be a problem in hot, dry weather.
Mexican Sunflower
Attract butterflies and have fun doing it with big, bold, beautiful Mexican sunflower. Sow seeds directly in the ground and watch it soar. It can hit up to 5 feet in just weeks with big, lush foliage and small but showy flowers in sunset colors that butterflies love. Put a cluster of these bodacious beauties in the back of the border to give it height and drama. Many of the taller types need staking to keep them upright. Plant them outdoors after all danger of frost has passed in a sunny spot with well-drained soil.
Annual Sunflower
Big, beautiful, and old-fashioned, sunflowers suit most gardens. Plant breeders have been hard at work producing a wide variety, from those that grow 12 feet tall to compact selections that stand only 3 feet tall. The color range is wide, too, with almost every shade of yellow, orange, and red.
