Amaranth is a gorgeous presence in the garden landscape that has a deep taproot, helping it mine for nutrients deep into the soil and go quite awhile without water. Its towering stalks make great supports for climbing plants, its leaves and seeds are nutrient-dense, and if you don’t eat the seeds yourself, you can leave them up as bird feeders and let them self-seed to start the cycle again.
Growing Amaranth
Amaranth loves the heat and sun. It can be direct seeded as soon as the temperature is warm or grown from transplants. Either way, it'll grow fast and shoot up a large stalk. Since it has a tall, upward habit, we like tucking it in around other plants that grow lower to the ground like herbs and squashes. It can also be planted strategically to help shade other plants that may not like full summer sun (very helpful in Central Texas where we garden).
There are many varieties of amaranth, so you can play around with colors and textures. It's such a gorgeous plant!
Working with Amaranth
We have yet to harvest the seeds for food. We mainly enjoy their huge stalks as shade and trellises, toss the leaves into things we’re making, and harvest the beautiful blooms for our herb bundles and wreaths. And when it’s time to say goodbye to these giant plants, we cut the stalks at the base, letting all that organic matter underground break down to feed and aerate the soil.
We love growing amaranth and often have amaranth plants for sale in Central Texas, depending on the season. Here's how to order plants from us.