Amaranthus tricolor
vegetable amaranth
Common names: leaf amaranth, Chinese spinach
Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Vegetable amaranth is a warm‑loving summer leafy vegetable with strikingly colorful foliage in green, red, and yellow. The tender leaves taste spinach‑like and can be eaten raw in salads or lightly steamed. As a fast‑growing crop it is well suited for succession planting in midsummer after spring vegetables have been harvested. Varieties such as ‘Red Army’ or ‘Early Splendor’ add additional color accents to the bed.
Care instructions
Sow vegetable amaranth only after nights are reliably warm, from mid‑May (week 20) through July. The soil should be loose, nutrient‑rich, and kept evenly moist; the plant does not tolerate waterlogging. Water regularly, especially during hot, dry periods, to keep the leaves tender and prevent premature flowering. Harvest young leaves and shoot tips continuously to encourage bushy regrowth. A sunny, wind‑protected location promotes the strongest growth.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, humus-rich, nutrient-rich, sandy
Feeding
Heavy feeder
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