(Atriplex hortensis) This cold-tolerant salad crop, also know as mountain spinach, produces early harvests of arrow shaped salad leaves with eye-catching fuchsia color; the deepest, darkest red of all orach varieties. Like spinach, young leaves are prepared in salads; mature leaves and stems are used for steaming and cooking. Striking upright plant grows 4-5 feet tall, yet holds its flavor even as the plant matures in summer heat. Can allow to reseed in a controlled fashion.
Growing Notes
Direct seed anytime early spring to midsummer. Planting depth: 1/4-1/2 inch with a 2 inch spacing. Thin to 6-18 inches apart, harvesting thinnings. Pinch flower buds to encourage branching and more young vegetative growth. Make succession plantings; plant mid-summer for fall harvest.
Learn More
Open Source Seed Initiative: OSSI is dedicated to maintaining fair and open access to plant genetic resources on a global scale. Visit: osseeds.org
Photo by naturalflow (CC BY-SA 2.0)