New Mexico Amaranth is a stunning landrace grain variety with pale green flower heads dramatically streaked in raspberry, crowned with edible golden seeds. This heirloom thrives across hardiness zones 2 through 11, reaching a full 6 feet tall in just 90 days from seed to bloom. Both the young leaves and prolific seeds are delicious, while the dramatic bi-colored inflorescences deliver ornamental beauty that rivals any flowering plant, especially when paired with sunflowers or zinnias in edible landscaping schemes.
Full Sun
Low
2-11
72in H x 15in W
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Moderate
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This variety originates from a dooryard garden near Rinconada, New Mexico, preserved through the Native Seeds/SEARCH seed bank. The distinctive pale green flower heads with raspberry streaking are eye-catching enough to stand alone as ornamentals, yet simultaneously produce abundant blonde seeds and tender young leaves ready for the kitchen. Its extreme drought tolerance and ability to thrive in poor soil make it nearly foolproof, while its rapid 90-day timeline means you'll have harvestable grain by late summer even in cool climates.
Both the grain and leaves serve culinary purposes. The golden seeds can be harvested and cooked as a grain, popped like popcorn, or ground into flour for baking. Young leaves are harvested and prepared like spinach or other greens, offering a tender, nutritious addition to salads or cooked dishes. The plant also functions beautifully in edible landscaping, where its height and distinctive coloring create structure and visual interest in garden beds.
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Six weeks before your last frost date, sow seeds thinly into seed-starting mix in pots. Press seeds barely into the surface, covering them only 1/16 inch deep. Keep the soil evenly moist using a humidity dome or thin vermiculite cover to prevent damping off. Maintain temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Seeds should sprout in 3 to 14 days. Harden off seedlings gradually before transplanting outdoors.
Transplant seedlings outdoors after the last frost threat has passed, when soil has warmed. Space plants 12 inches apart in full sun and well-drained soil.
Direct sow seeds outdoors in spring after all frost danger has passed. Sow seeds barely covered (1/16 inch deep) in full sun and well-drained soil. Thin seedlings to 6 to 10 inches apart once they have developed true leaves.
For seed harvest, allow flower heads to fully mature and dry on the plant as summer transitions to fall (typically by 90 days from sowing). The seed heads will turn from pink and white to golden tones as they dry. Once completely dry, cut the flower heads and rub them between your hands over a clean container to release the small golden seeds. Winnow away any chaff. For young leaves, harvest tender growth when plants are 4 to 6 inches tall, or continue pinching young leaves throughout the season before the plant transitions fully to seed production.
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“New Mexico Amaranth comes directly from a home garden dooryard near Rinconada, New Mexico, where it was being grown by local gardeners. Native Seeds/SEARCH, the Arizona-based nonprofit seed bank dedicated to preserving crop diversity of the Southwest, collected and now maintains this variety through their Seed Bank Collection. This preservation work ensures that a piece of regional agricultural heritage and local food security remains available to gardeners today.”