When to plant Amaranth in Arid Australia
Arid zone — applies to Alice Springs, Mildura, Broken Hill, Kalgoorlie, Port Augusta and similar areas. Growing elsewhere? Temperate · Cool · Subtropical · Tropical.
Sow amaranth direct across two broad windows, January to April and again August to December, scattering the tiny seed just 5 mm deep into a warm, fine bed. It germinates fast for a hot-climate crop, in 5–20 days, and races to a usable leaf or grain harvest in only 50–60 days. Thin or space plants to about 50 cm apart, with rows 50–80 cm apart, because a well-fed amaranth grows into a substantial, branching plant. In Mildura and Port Augusta its heat tolerance is the whole point: it keeps producing tender leaves through summer weeks when most greens have long since bolted.
Sowing calendar — arid zone
Green months are your sowing window: August to April.
Growing notes
Amaranth is built for arid heat, which is why it earns a place when the salad crops give up. The seed is dust-fine, so the common mistake is burying it too deep; keep it at 5 mm or barely covered, and press the surface gently for good contact. Water the row in with a fine rose rather than a hard jet, which washes seed into clumps.
Once up, amaranth wants sun and warmth and very little coddling, though it will grow faster and greener with a weekly deep soak in the driest weeks. In Broken Hill and Alice Springs the main failure mode is letting it run to seed too early in a heatwave: leaves turn tough and the plant throws a flower spike. Pick leaves young and often, and pinch out the growing tips to keep new foliage coming and delay flowering.
If you are growing it for grain rather than greens, let a few plants run up to their tall seed heads and cut them when the seed rubs free easily. Amaranth self-seeds readily, so remove spent heads you do not want, or you will find volunteers scattered through next season's beds.
Amaranth at a glance
| Sowing depth | 5 mm |
|---|---|
| Plant spacing | 50 cm |
| Row spacing | 50-80 cm |
| Germination | 5-20 days |
| Days to maturity | 50-60 days |
| Frost tolerance | Frost Tender |
| Method | Sow Direct |
Common questions
- Is amaranth a good summer green for hot climates?
- Yes, amaranth is one of the most heat-tolerant leafy crops and keeps producing tender leaves through summer weeks when lettuce and spinach bolt. In arid gardens it fills the mid-summer gap when little else will grow.
- How deep do I sow amaranth seed?
- Only about 5 mm, or barely covered, because the seed is very fine. Sowing too deep is the most common reason it fails to emerge. Press the surface gently and water in with a fine spray.
- Can you grow amaranth for grain in Australia?
- Yes. Let a few plants run up to their tall seed heads and cut them when the seed rubs free easily. It matures quickly, so an August or January sowing gives time for seed to fill before the season turns.
- Why is my amaranth flowering so soon?
- Extreme heat can push it into early flowering, which toughens the leaves. Harvest leaves young, pinch out the growing tips regularly, and keep the plant well watered to slow bolting.
- Does amaranth self-seed?
- Readily. Remove spent seed heads you do not want, or expect volunteer seedlings scattered through your beds next season.
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