Growing Amaranth, also Love-lies-bleeding

Amaranthus caudatus : Amaranthaceae / the amaranth family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec

Not recommended for growing in Canada - Zone 8a Mild Temperate regions

  • Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 18°C and 30°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 50 cm apart
  • Harvest in 7-8 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Onions, corn, peppers, egg plant, tomatoes
  • Amaranth flowers
  • Amaranth seedling (CC BY-SA 3.0 Bruce Ackley, Ohio State University)

Amaranth species are frequently grown as flower plants and have many colour variations.

Amaranth tricolor is known as Chinese spinach and has an insignificant flower.

Needs a warm sunny position. Avoid heavy soils. Poor germination rates are common.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Amaranth

Both leaves and seeds can be used. Excessive intake is not recommended.
Suggestions for use and warnings can be found here http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranth

Your comments and tips

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08 Jul 21, Kristen (Canada - zone 4a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
Hello! Im trying to find where these beauties are perennial. Everywhere i look it seems like it isnt perennial anywhere. I know i can just collect the seed, but I’d still like to know what zone they will come back at. Thanks!
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10 Jul 21, (Canada - Zone 8a Mild Temperate climate)
From the guides here it does not recommend planting it in Canada. There are no planting times in the guide. Also from a quick read it seems like it is an annual.
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almost if not all amaranth such as palmer amaranth, prostrate pigweed, Powell amaranth and many more are all able to self seed and germinate, as such they are classified as weeds more than as a horticultural crop. The winter actually helps them with that, it puts them into a dormant stage which is required prior to them germinating the next year. of course if there is a quick warm time and then it gets cold again the seed could start germinating too early and ultimately die off prior to the right temperatures staying. But in most cases the first reason above is why they autoreplenish at a incredible rate.

- CoffeeLover76

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