Amaranth tastes good and is nutritious. So why not plant in your own garden and see what the harvest promises? Attention: You should think twice about the decision to plant!

As beautiful as amaranth is, unfortunately, it spreads quickly

The bent back amaranth - the neophyte

Among the amaranth species, the bent-back amaranth, also known as rough-haired amaranth or wild amaranth, is known for its uncontrollable spread. In Central Europe it is a weed that is edible but not very popular. He particularly likes to conquer corn fields, sugar beet fields, vineyards, river banks and roadsides.

In the meantime, the bent-back amaranth has been transported from its original home to all continents. He is considered a neophyte. If you have it in your garden, it is best to remove it as soon as possible, before it blooms (July to September)!

Up to 100,000 seeds per plant

The foxtail forms tiny seeds. They are also extremely light with a weight of 0.4 mg each. Due to this 'flyweight', the seeds are easily spread by the wind.

Some amaranth varieties produce up to 100,000 seeds per plant. Now imagine that only half of those seeds sprout! A real disaster if you neither need nor welcome the amaranth in the garden. You should also know that:

  • the plants themselves are annuals
  • Seeds are germinable for a long time
  • Seeds survive frost
  • Seed ripening from August to October

Do not allow ornamental and vegetable amaranth to flower

Some gardeners dare to try a pretty amaranth variety, for example because it has such beautiful flowers and fruit clusters. Other gardeners grow amaranth to harvest the leaves and process them into a type of spinach.

Are you one of those gardeners? Then you shouldn't let this plant flower, but harvest it first! Otherwise there is a risk of self-sowing that is difficult to control!

tips

There is also a special amaranth variety behind such interesting names as 'Roter Meier'. Once the seed has ripened, it can quickly become a plague for years.

Category:

Vegetable garden