How to grow amaranth (leaf)

Amaranthus tricolor · Amaranthaceae · Vegetable

Amaranth (Leaf) is a warm-season vegetable in the Amaranthaceae family, almost always sown straight into the ground where it will grow. It wants full sun (six or more hours of direct light) and modest, occasional watering. From sowing to first pick is about 30–50 days. It is killed by frost, so nothing goes outside until the danger has passed and the soil has warmed.

Grower’s note: A fast, heat-loving leafy green (also called callaloo) that thrives when it is too hot for other greens. Barely cover the tiny seed. Cut young leaves or whole plants at 8-12 inches; grain types are left to form large seed heads.

Sowing

Sow about 0.25″ deep, into soil between 65–90°F — germination is quickest near 78°F. Germination takes a week or two (7–14 days). It does not transplant well, so sow it in its final position rather than starting it in pots.

Spacing & layout

Give each plant about 6″ along the row with roughly 18″ between rows. On a square-foot grid that is 4 per square foot. Allow at least 12″ of loose, workable soil for the roots. It grows well in containers at least 10″ deep.

Fitting it to your season

Amaranth (Leaf) needs roughly 30–50 frost-free days to crop. Where the season is shorter than that, start it indoors and choose the earliest-maturing varieties, or grow it in a container you can move under cover on cold nights. In long, hot-summer regions it can often be planted twice — once in spring and again in mid-to-late summer for a fall harvest.

Quick facts

When to plant amaranth (leaf)

Companions

Common problems

Pests: flea beetle, aphids.

Diseases & disorders: damping off.

Same family (Amaranthaceae)

Rotate these so they don’t follow each other in the same bed year to year.

Figures are typical home-garden ranges from Cooperative Extension planting guides, cross-checked against multiple state sources. Your variety and conditions will vary.