Harvest young amaranth leaves while they are still tender. Wait for grain until seed falls from the tassel.
Harvest young leaves while they are still tender
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Ready | Young leaves from about 30 days, or as soon as they are large enough to pick | Waiting until the plant has flowered and the leaves toughen |
| How | Pick outer leaves, or pinch the top rosette so more shoots form | Stripping the whole plant in week four if you want a second cut |
| Use | Small leaves raw; larger leaves cooked like spinach | Eating a heavy pile of raw leaves if you are prone to kidney stones |
Start taking greens as soon as the leaves are large enough. Young leaves are tender. Older leaves cook like spinach. [1] A vegetable sowing is often ready in about 30 days. Pinch or cut, then let the plant grow back for another pick. Once it flowers, the leaves get fewer and tougher. [2] Chinese spinach is the leaf harvest. Tassel and grain kinds have edible leaves too, but you planted those for a different crop — confirm the kind on Types of Amaranth.
When do I harvest amaranth greens?
Pick young leaves as soon as they are large enough, often about 30 days after sowing. Stop relying on the leaf crop once the plant flowers.
Harvest grain when seed falls from the tassel
Wait until a gentle shake drops seed, then cut the heads, dry them, and winnow the chaff.
- Rub or shake a tassel. If seed falls freely, it is time. Birds working the heads are the same cue. [3]
- On a dry day, cut the heads into a bucket or a paper bag. Hang them if they still feel damp.
- Rub the dry heads between your hands, or beat them in a bag, to free the seed.
- Pour the seed from one bowl to another in a light breeze, or in front of a fan, so the chaff blows away. [4]
- Spread the seed thin until it is fully dry, then store it in a sealed jar in a cool, dry place.
When is amaranth grain ready?
When a gentle shake drops seed from the tassel. Do not wait until a hard rain sprouts the seed on the plant.
Cut tassels for a vase or to dry
Cut love-lies-bleeding when the ropes are well colored. Stand fresh stems in water, or hang bunches upside down in a dry room.
- Cut love-lies-bleeding stems when the tassels are well colored and still holding together.
- Strip the lower leaves. Stand fresh stems in water right away for a vase.
- For dried bunches, hang the stems upside down in a warm, dry room with air moving around them.
Can I eat the tassels?
The crop from hanging ropes is the cut stem. Seed from those heads is still edible once you dry and winnow it.
If seed is already dropping, cut the heads into a bucket today — birds will not wait.
FAQ
Can I still pick leaves after it flowers?
You can, but they are fewer and often tougher. For a leaf crop, pick early and pinch flowers if you want the plant to stay leafy.
Should I pile fertilizer on a leaf crop?
No. Heavy nitrogen can load nitrates in the leaves. Grow it on ordinary garden soil, and cook large leaves.
Related guides
Recommended plants
References
- [1] Gardening Know How -
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/grains/amaranth/harvesting-amaranth-plants.htm - [2] UF/IFAS Extension -
https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1407 - [3] GrowVeg -
https://www.growveg.com/plants/us-and-canada/how-to-grow-amaranth-grain/ - [4] BBC Gardeners' World Magazine -
https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-amaranthus/
This note is part of Amaranthus Guides.
More harvest timing notes by plant live in Harvesting Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors