Mountain spinach is a fast-growing annual green that bridges the gap between spinach and its wild cousin lamb's quarters, offering gardeners a tender, mild salad leaf that thrives in spring conditions. Also known as orach, this member of the amaranth family produces red, green, or white cultivars depending on your preference, with some varieties like 'Red Orach' retaining their color even after cooking. Direct sow in early spring and harvest leaves when plants are still young and tender, typically within weeks of germination. It reaches 24 to 72 inches tall depending on variety and growing conditions, but the real payoff comes from frequent harvesting when leaves are just 6 inches tall or under, before the plant's natural tendency to bolt in heat compromises the flavor.
Full Sun
Moderate
2-11
72in H x 24in W
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High
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Mountain spinach grows with remarkable speed and adapts to spring planting better than true spinach, tolerating frost and variable conditions while remaining mild and tender if you harvest early and often. The dried seed pods offer a bonus: they dry to decorative appeal and can be saved for dried floral arrangements long after the eating season ends. Red cultivars add visual drama to salads and cooking pots alike, particularly 'Red Orach,' which holds its color through cooking rather than fading to dull green. Quick successive plantings every 20 to 30 days ensure you always have tender, harvestable leaves rather than bolting plants.
Mountain spinach shines as a tender salad green when harvested young, delivering mild, succulent leaves perfect for fresh eating. It also cooks down beautifully, replacing or complementing spinach in warm dishes. The variety 'Red Orach' offers particular versatility in the kitchen since its red pigment survives cooking, adding color to soups, sautés, and braised greens. Gardeners also save the mature seed pods for dried floral decoration, extending the plant's usefulness well beyond the harvest season.
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Sow seed thickly directly into rows 1.5 to 2.5 feet apart as soon as the ground can be worked in spring. Make successive plantings every 20 to 30 days to ensure a continuous supply of tender leaves.
Begin harvesting leaves when plants are about 1 inch high, continuing to pick as they grow. For the best flavor and texture, harvest plants when they're 6 inches tall or under. On larger plants that grow beyond this ideal size, pick only the smallest, most tender leaves from the top and sides. Regular harvesting keeps plants productive and delays bolting.
Keep plants low and productive by clipping or harvesting leaves frequently. This pinching back prevents the plant's natural tendency to bolt and encourages new tender growth.
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