Quinoa greens are packed with vitamins and minerals, and have a nice, mild taste. The seeds can be ground into a flour that is gluten free, or simply cooked like rice. Follow along with this handy How to Grow Quinoa from seed Guide and grow some delicious, nutritious grains this season for your family.
Latin
Chenopodium quinoa
Family: Amaranthaceae
Difficulty
Easy
We Recommend: Brightest Brilliant Rainbow (QN100) is one of the most attractive looking of all food crops – and then you get to eat it! We love this certified organic variety that is produced here in the Pacific Northwest.
Season & Zone
Season: Warm season
Exposure: Full sun
Zone: 4 and up
Timing
Direct sow in late April to the end of May, while night temperatures are still cool. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 18-24°C (65-75°F). Seeds should germinate in 4-10 days.
Starting
Sow 5mm (¼”) deep, 10 seeds per 30cm (12″), and thin to 25-35cm (10-14″) between plants. If growing for baby leaf production, plants can be spaced closer together.
Growing
Ideal pH: 6.0-7.5. Use a well-drained, loamy soil with added orgnaic matter. Keep weeded, but otherwise quinoa is drought tolerant and undemanding. It’s a great plant for xeriscaping, and looks good at the back of a floral border.
Harvest
Harvest any time after seeds have changed from green to their calico colours, even after light frost. Read more about How to Harvest Quinoa.
Seed Info
In optimal conditions at least 70% of seeds should germinate. Usual seed life: 3 years. Per 100′ row: 160 seeds, per acre: 42M seeds.
Diseases & Pests
Watch for slug/snail damage to young seedlings. Keep the area free from debris where these pests like to nest.
Check out Mark’s podcast about quinoa on the Encyclopedia Botanica blog.