Lots more info on Amaranth and seeds.

The seeds I planted are only about 0 to 5". Only the volunteers are growing like weeds. Also, they had a head start.

I decided to put potatoes at the bottom of my amaranth garden, and that is where most of my volunteers are growing, right with the potatoes.

Maybe next year I will not plant amaranth, just rototill, and see what amaranth grows. It is nice to know that it will be there when ever I turn up the soil. I read that amaranth seeds can lie dormant under the soil for over fifty years.

Also, up by the deck where I separated the chaff from the seeds, a few amaranth plants grew. So, I thought I would give our chickens a treat, and dragged our chicken tractor over the amaranth last week. Well the chickens like it so well that there were complete bare spots in the grass, and weeds. Today I noticed that in those bare spots is a mini forest of amaranth. I must have lost more seeds than I thought. Well, the chickens will get another treat.

Here is a pic of the mini forest. The little purple sprouts are amaranth.

 

I have a question. Do any of you amaranth growers get a little sore in the throat when you eat some of it raw?

Why I ask is this year, not last year, when I eat some of my volunteers raw, the back of my throat gets a little sore for a short time. I have picked some of the new stuff, which are still mostly small, and it is not as bad.

The one major change this year from last is that I added rock dust to my garden. So, it could be that.

 

Have not tried it raw, but will when the Red Leaf I got from you gets bigger.

 

This is my bottom field of amaranth, today. I am already getting seed from some of the plants, in mid July.

 

OOPS! Uploaded the wrong 2 files.... sorry. Here are the pics.

 

MMMM... that is some tasty looking leaves.

Looks good.

 

I was thinking a little bit, and where my cabin is, some years the growing season can be only 90 days. I'm worried that the burgundy and golden giant won't mature to seed there. I heard that love-lies-bleeding can mature in 50-70 days, and some other varieties can too. What is the fastest maturing variety you have grown? Anyone have luck with love-lies-bleeding?

Thanks

 

Have not tried that one or even heard of it. The Burgundy and Golden Giant that I grew were all harvested around 120 days, but if you look at my post on page 4 (#46) the plants at around 90 days look pretty mature, so you might be OK with them.

 

I did some more research, and it appears that there are three main species used around the world for grain production: A. caudatus, A. cruentus, and A. hypochondriacus.

The Amaranthus caudatus is the "love-lies-bleeding" type, and matures from 50 to 70 days. A. cruentus is like some "hopi red dye" types from Mexico, maturing around 90 days, and is less sensitive to photoperiod. A. hypochondriacus is the large high-yielding types like "burgundy" and "golden giant," but they mature late from 120 to 150 days.

I think that A. caudatus "love-lies-bleeding" might be good for the short high-heat growing season up here in WI, since it is from tropical areas. The hopi red dye might be good too. Next year I might try all three species instead of just cultivars of A. hypochondriacus. Tell me what you guys think would be the best.

 

I planted Love-Lies-Bleeding last year and it did not do well here in North Carolina. Only one plant made it to seed.

The fastest growing amaranth I have grown so far is Russian River Merlot from Sustainable seeds. It is a Caudatus, but unlike Love-Lies-Bleeding it has black seeds.

Last year RRM grew to 4' in just one month. This year I did not plant any, but if you look at the pictures from some of my last post, almost all the seed heads, I think, are RRM volunteers. They grow well here in NC. Really, it has taken over my lower field, because I let it.

I have already started collecting seed because when I shook the plants seeds fell off.


Extra note: If you look at post #40 there are pictures of last years crop in September (just over 90 days). The first picture has Love-Lies-Bleeding to the far right, and Russian River Merlot is the tallest in the middle. The last picture in post#40 is LLB close up.

 

FYI - my fastest growing was Hopi Red Dye.

 

Hmmm. That kind of gets my hopes down for LLB after seeing your pictures. I think I am still going to try growing a little bit though. I think I'm going to try Hopi red dye too.

ISplatU, do you have any extra Russian River Merlot seeds from those volunteers that I could bum off you or trade for? I sure would like to try that one next year. All I have this year is Golden Giant and Burgundy.

Here is the update for my plants. They have been growing like mad in this hot & humid weather. It seems like they grew 2 feet in a week.

 

It seems there is a problem with uploading pictures right now for me. I'll try again later.

 

Sure I can send you some seeds. Just PM me with your address.

 

August 1:

 

August 8th:

It amazes me how much they grew in the last week.

 

Here are some of the heads on burgundy & golden giant on 8/8

 

Nice Dr. T.
My Burgundy plants are only just over 1 foot now. Bad growing year here. Last year my plants were this size over a month ago.

 

weekly update...... These things are pretty close to 7 feet tall now.

Anyone else have any pictures or anything else new going on with their amaranth?

 

Looks like your not having any problems growing it in your neck of the woods. My 3 best plants might be 2 feet now and not worthy of a picture yet.