Golden Giant Amaranth | Amaranthus cruentus
Sumptuous blooms and delicious seeds.
The Amaranthus genus is found on every continent except for Antarctica and has served humanity as a staple crop for thousands of years. Over time, humans have selected and reselected the plants for edible grains, nutritious leaves, and colourful flowering heads. Whether grown for its massive, golden-bronze plumes or high yields of plentiful, nutrient-dense seeds (or both!), Golden Giant Amaranth connects us to sun, sky, seed, soil and the essence of honouring our relationships to plants. The vigorous plants can grow as high as 8' and are truly stunning to behold.
Direct sow in the spring after threat of frost has passed in a sunny, well-drained spot. Thin seedlings to 6-10 inches apart. Amaranth tolerates fair fertility and dry conditions, but more fertility and moderate water will yield lusher and taller plants. Taller plants (up to 8'!) may require a bit of staking to keep them from flopping over. To harvest seed for grain, wait until the seeds are visible and the foliage begins to yellow slightly; then shake the seed heads into a container, or clip entire heads and hang to dry before threshing, cleaning and storing.
Days to Germination 5-10
Days to Maturity 100
Planting Depth Barely Cover
Spacing in Row 12"
Spacing Between Rows 12"
Height at Maturity 72"
Width at Maturity 15"
Sun Preference Full Sun
Christi Johnson's art combines cosmic visions and botanical beauties to create a hypnotic dance of symbols stitched slowly and methodically into fabric. In this embroidered piece on recycled denim, she honours the nourishing and ornamental qualities of Amaranth.
About Hudson Valley Seed Company
They are a values-driven seed company that practices and celebrates responsible seed production and stewardship. Hudson Valley are best known for their beautiful artist-design seed packs (Art Packs) that appeal to gardeners, gift buyers, and lovers of art and nature.
These Art Packs, most fundamentally, tell stories. Hudson Valley challenges artists to convey in a manner that is fully their own, the history and meaning of the seed variety contained in each pack. These stories were once integral to traditional societies-stories of seeds were often origin stories for entire communities and peoples, and the lore and beliefs that accumulated around seed varieties reflected the nearly familial way in which gardeners and farmers regarded their crops. Our society is, by and large, no longer connected to plants this way. But we like to think these Art Packs help to stitch our fragmented world back together: useful seeds, evocative art, both equally valuable to our experience of being human.