Amaranth 'Red'

Product: Amaranth 'Red'

Product type: SEED (250)

Botanical name: Amaranthus tricolor

Syn. Tampala, Chinese Spinach; a very attractive, nutritious, red leafy green for warmer areas. It is fast-growing; best to harvest the whole plant as older plants get tough and bitter tasting. Successive sowings will provide greens over a long period. The leaves have a sweet, tangy flavour and are best cooked; raw leaves should not be eaten very often as they are high in nitrates and oxalic acid. In China and Japan it is the main vegetable used as a cooked green.

Plant type: Warm season annual

Plant height: 1m when in flower

Sow when: Germinate best at 20 - 27°C soil temp.

Temperate: Late spring to summer

Subtropical: All year, avoid frost periods

Tropical: All year

Germination: 7 - 14 days

Depth: Cover the fine seed very lightly, firm down and keep moist

Position: Full sun

Sow where: Sow direct into warm soil

Soil type: Fertile, well-drained soil; pH 5.5 - 6

Details: Self-sows readily

Harvest: 50 days to maturity, best harvested at 20 cm tall

Suitable for hot and humid: Suitable for hot and humid growing conditions