Amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus)
Amaranth has been grown for 8,000 years as a nutritious seed grain and was a primary food-source of the Aztec people. These 6ft. plants have a regal burgundy plume and the young leaves are delicious in salad or steamed. This drought tolerant variety can be grown as a hedge or in a floral cutting garden. In late summer, amaranth attracts lots of birds!
Origin: In 1998, Papa was working on a farm in Ventura County, California. A friend on a farm in Ojai, just over the mountain, gave him the parent seed of both of the amaranth varieties in our catalog. She had brought the seeds from her Grandmother’s garden in Guatemala where the family had been growing and saving the seeds for generations.
(Approximately 100 seeds per packet)
Germination rate: 91% - tested 9/17/24
Planting Instructions: Sow a group of 3 seeds 1/8" deep 6" apart after last frost in full sun. Watering amaranth seeds immediately after sowing helps prevent the tiny seeds from blowing away.
