Amaranthus

Overview

Familiar to many as the ornamental plant “Love lies Bleeding” the genus Amaranthus has many members that are also edible. They are grown for both their leaves (can be cooked and eaten small in salads) and grains and sometimes known as Callaloo, after the Jamaican dish where the leaves are cooked with garlic, onion and peppers.

How to grow

Seeds germinate best at around 15-18 degrees. Start off indoors during April if you are growing for grain and plant out in June. Transplant in to a warm open site and water well. Can be sown outdoors May to July if grown for leaves only. Prefers a light well drained soil but will tolerate heavier soils. Pinch out flower buds if growing for leaves and restrict harvest of leaves if growing for seeds.

How to Harvest

Pick the young leaves as soon as they are big enough to handle. The seeds are ready to harvest from September onwards when they begin to fall from the flower tassel; shake to check.

Store

Collect on a warm dry day. Line an old box with paper, cut off the fruiting stalks and lie them in the box. Put the box in a warm place to dry, turning the stalks occasionally – the garage or inside a shed is fine. The seeds will fall out onto the newspaper and can be collected into a large jar or stout bag when fully dried. Mice may be a problem. Use home collected grain within 6 months for human consumption.

Issues

Few pests and diseases other than slugs