Amaranth Seeds

Amaranth Seeds for Planting: Ornamental Tassels and Leafy Greens in One Collection

Amaranth is one of the most versatile plants you can grow from a packet. Our collection of amaranth seeds includes heirloom, open-pollinated varieties grown for dramatic flower tassels, deep red foliage, or tender young greens, and many of them are both ornamental and edible. They love heat, shrug off summer weather that stalls other crops, and fill in quickly, so they make a great choice for a sunny border, a vegetable bed, or a corner that needs some color.

Amaranth Seed Varieties: Love Lies Bleeding, Red Spike, Callaloo, and More

Love Lies Bleeding is the showstopper, with long, cascading crimson tassels on tall plants that look as good in a vase as they do in the garden. Red Spike brings upright red flower plumes, and Mayo Indian is an heirloom that rounds out the range. If you're after leaves, Garnet Red, Red Garnett, and Red Leaf produce deep red foliage that's lovely in the garden and tender as baby greens, while Callaloo Amaranth Greens is the classic leafy type for cooking. Several varieties here are container-friendly, so check each listing if you're working with a patio. Mixing a tall ornamental with a leafy type gives you something to cut, eat, and admire all summer.

Planting Amaranth Seeds: Wait for Warm Soil

Amaranth grows slowly until the weather warms, then it takes off, so patience at the start pays off. Wait until after your last frost and the soil has warmed, then sow the tiny seed on loosened soil and cover it with about an eighth of an inch of soil. Expect sprouts in roughly one to two weeks. Thin plants to about six inches apart if you're growing baby greens, which can be ready in 30 to 40 days, or 12 to 18 inches apart for plants grown for flowers and seed, which take considerably longer. Listings in this collection show 46 to 120 days to maturity, so check each variety against your season. In short-season climates, start seed indoors four to six weeks before your last frost. The Seedtime garden planning software builds a planting calendar around your frost dates, and the layout planner helps you place tall amaranths at the back of a bed where they won't shade shorter crops.

Buy Amaranth Seeds with One Shipping Charge

When you buy amaranth seeds here, you can add seeds from multiple suppliers to the same order and pay one flat shipping charge, or qualify for free standard shipping on Seedtime-fulfilled orders of $49 or more to the lower 48 states. Paid Seedtime members get 20% off seed packets marked "Fulfilled by Seedtime" and 5% off everything else in the store. You can start planning for free, and if you want unlimited calendars and layouts along with those store discounts, compare Seedtime's plans to find the right fit. Whether you want a single packet of amaranth seeds for planting or an ornamental and a leafy type together, it all ships together.