🌾 Quinoa

Chenopodium quinoa

grains annual Amaranthaceae

☀️ Sun

full sun

💧 Water

low to moderate (drought-tolerant)

🗺️ Zones

4-10 (as annual; cool-season crop)

🧪 Soil pH

6.0-8.5

🪴 Soil Type

sandy, loamy (tolerates poor, saline soils)

🚿 Drainage

well-drained

📏 Spacing

10-14 inches

📐 Height

3-9 feet (depending on variety)

⏱️ Maturity

90-120 days

Key:🤝 Grows well together❌ Keep apart☀️ Sun needs💧 Water🗺️ Hardiness zone

🤝 Companions (12)

🤝 Amaranth

Both pseudocereals share similar growing conditions and pest resistance; amaranth's taller growth provides wind protection for quinoa

🤝 Bean

Beans fix nitrogen for protein-rich quinoa

🤝 Calendula

Calendula attracts pollinators and predatory insects; root exudates help suppress soil nematodes that can damage quinoa roots.

🤝 Coriander / Cilantro

Coriander flowers attract lacewings, parasitic wasps, and other beneficial insects that prey on quinoa pests; strong aroma repels aphids.

🤝 Corn

Quinoa benefits from corn's wind protection

🤝 Dill

Dill attracts predatory wasps and hoverflies that control aphids on quinoa; feathery foliage allows light through while hosting beneficial insects.

🤝 Marigold

Marigolds repel nematodes and aphids that can affect quinoa; they attract beneficial insects that control quinoa pests

🤝 Nasturtium

Nasturtium acts as a trap crop for aphids, drawing them away from quinoa; sprawling ground cover suppresses weeds and conserves moisture. IMPORTANT management caveat: without active management, nasturtiums can become a SOURCE of aphids that migrate to nearby crops. Either remove aphid-infested nasturtium plants promptly, or treat the trap crop itself to eliminate the aphid colony before it spreads. Strategic placement within 4-5 feet of protected crops is key.

🤝 Onion

Onions repel aphids and thrips with sulfur compounds; shallow roots don't interfere with quinoa's deeper root system.

🤝 Pea

Peas fix nitrogen supporting quinoa's high protein seed production; harvested before quinoa reaches full height , a natural relay cropping system.

🤝 Radish

Radishes are quick-growing, harvested before quinoa needs the space; break up soil compaction and add organic matter through decomposition.

⚠️ Keep Apart (7)

⚠️ Beet

Beets are in the Amaranthaceae family with quinoa, sharing pests like leaf miners and diseases like Cercospora leaf spot , avoid close proximity.

⚠️ Lambsquarters

Lambsquarters is a wild quinoa relative harboring the same pests and diseases; remove from quinoa fields to prevent pest bridges.

⚠️ Potato

Potatoes and quinoa share susceptibility to early blight and fungal pathogens; both are heavy feeders competing for potassium and phosphorus.

⚠️ Spinach

Being in the same family (Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae), they share pests and diseases including leaf miners and downy mildew

⚠️ Swiss Chard

Swiss chard is a close relative (same family); shared pests and diseases make them poor garden companions for quinoa.

⚠️ Tomato

Both are susceptible to similar fungal pathogens (early blight, powdery mildew); proximity increases disease pressure on both crops

⚠️ Walnut (Black)

Juglone toxicity inhibits quinoa germination and causes leaf yellowing, stunting, and reduced seed production

📝 Growing Notes

Quinoa is not a true cereal grain but a pseudocereal (like buckwheat and amaranth), botanically related to spinach and beets. It is remarkably adaptable , it grows from sea level to over 13,000 feet in the Andes, tolerates frost, drought, and saline soils that would kill most crops. The seeds are coated in bitter saponins that deter birds and insects , these must be thoroughly washed off before eating (most commercial quinoa is pre-washed). The colorful seed heads (red, orange, purple, gold, black) are ornamental. Quinoa is a cool-season crop that bolts in prolonged heat , plant in early spring or late summer. In high heat, it may not set seed.

🛒 Buy Seeds & Plants

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Johnny's Selected Seeds Botanical Interests True Leaf Market Burpee Territorial Seed Company

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