Amaranth - Red Leaf (Amaranth cruentus) Red Leaf Chinese Spinach Edible Heirloom Herb

Amaranth - Red Leaf (Amaranth cruentus) Red Leaf Amaranth Edible Heirloom Herb

Annual

Height 48 in

Amaranth, (the new Kale), also known as Chinese Spinach, and is a flowering plant that is also known as chinese spinach. Amaranth is a great addition to your garden as it adds spectacular color and contains stems and leaves that are completely edible - cooked or raw. Amaranth is a great source of Vitamin C which is vital to the body's healing process because it helps to process iron, form blood vessels, repair muscle tissue and maintain collagen.

Luxurious, drooping, chartreuse coloured tassels can be left to reseed or seeds gathered when ready and stored for future plantings. The young leaves are tasty and nutritious, and nutritionally similar to beets, swiss chard and spinach.  Excellent cut flowers!

• Full Sun
• Well draining soil
• Regardless of how you plant, seeds should be sown on the surface of finely worked soil or moist high-quality potting soil. Then, barely cover (1/4 in) the seeds with finely sifted soil. Mist the seeds in place. Do not use a strong jet of water as this can displace seeds or wash them away.
• Direct sowing: late spring after the soil warms up.
• OR start seeds indoors starter pots; place the amaranth seeds on top of moist high-quality seed starting soil and cover with 1/4 in of finely sifted soil. Once the seedlings have germinated and have the first set of true leaves be sure to fertilize regularly with an organic liquid fertilizer. Thin amaranth plants to at least 12 in apart and transplant outdoors when the seedlings reach 10 to 12 inches tall and after all risk of frost has passed.
• Germinates in 4-10 days and matures in 40 -60 days.
• Spacing: 18 to 24 in apart.
• Collect seed heads as they begin to dry on the plant and store in closed paper bags to finish drying. Save in cool dry place.
• Seed Count: 600