A versatile superfood in disguise
Beautiful and unique, its long, cascading lime green tassels can reach the ground and have a tropical, elegant appearance. It is eaten traditionnally as a vegetable in Kerala, in India in parts of Africa , and in Greece where its young leaves are cooked like spinach and served with olive oil and lemon. Its grains can be cooked like rice. It is also said to have medicinal properties as an astringent and vermifuge. The whole plant can be used to make yellow and green dyes.
Scientific Name: Amaranthus caudatus
Plant Life Cycle: annual
Optimal Germination Temperature: 18C
Germination time in days: 10-15 days
Indicative Days to maturity: 60-75 days
Sunlight: Full sun with Late Shade
Soil requirement: Moist, fertile, well drained
Sowing and cultivation: Start indoors 4-6 weeks before last frost. Sow on surface, lightly covered at a 18C soil temperature. Direct sow outdoors after last frost. Grows to 60-120 cm . Space 35 to 60cm cm apart.
