🎨 AI-generated botanical illustration
🌱 Amaranth (Grain)
Amaranthus cruentus / Amaranthus hypochondriacus
grains
annual
☀️ Sun
full sun
💧 Water
low
🗺️ Zones
[3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]
🧪 Soil pH
5.5-7.5
🪴 Soil Type
well-drained, tolerates poor
📏 Spacing
6-12 inches
📐 Height
4-8 ft
⏱️ Maturity
90-120 days
🤝 Companions (3)
🤝 bean
Amaranth benefits from nitrogen fixed by beans
🤝 corn
Traditional companion in Mexican milpa agriculture
🤝 squash
Milpa trio — the pre-Columbian Three Sisters variant
⚠️ Keep Apart (1)
⚠️ none — extremely adaptable c4 plant that thrives in heat and drought
📝 Growing Notes
The sacred grain of the Aztecs — banned by Spanish conquistadors because of its role in religious rituals. One of the few grains that's a COMPLETE protein. Stunning ornamental — giant plumes of red, gold, or purple that drip with tiny seeds. One plant produces 50,000-100,000 seeds.
🛒 Buy Seeds & Plants
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Johnny's Selected Seeds
Botanical Interests
True Leaf Market
Burpee
Territorial Seed Company
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