Red Garnet Amaranth Seeds

Description

Red Garnet Amaranth seeds are a gluten free grain said to be a staple food of the ancient Aztecs. This grain fits into the superfood category and is a complete protein containing all the essential amino acids, including lysine, which is missing in most grains. The seed grains are tiny, one order will provide you enough to grow hundreds of these magnificent plants. Amaranth grain can be cooked in a similar method to quinoa, some people even pop amaranth like popcorn. Another common use for amaranth seeds is growing microgreens. Plant these seeds, harvest the large flower heads, and you’ll have many thousands of seeds to grow your own microgreens. Young leaves on mature plants can be used like spinach.

Red Garnet Amaranth seeds can be direct sown in the spring however we’ve had better results starting them indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost and transplanting into the garden. We grow them in zone 6b and they easily reach a height of 6 feet tall, some as tall as 8 feet. It produces a thick maroon stalk. Leaves start out maroon and take on a green tone as they mature. The flower heads grow quite large and produce thousands of tiny seeds. In the past we’ve grown them in loose soil and found that the large leaves catch the wind and tend to make the plants lean and require staking so we recommend planting them in firm soil in ground. The plants are quite showy and we always get compliments from guests about their beauty. You may have even seen other amaranth used in bridal bouquets.

Check out our guide on how to grow amaranth.