Opopeo - Amaranth

It's surprising how this huge plant can come from such a tiny seed! I direct sowed as soon as I could (mid- to late-May). The amaranth were flowering by late July, but it took a long time for the seeds to mature. After some September storms, some of the plants bent or broke in the middle of their stem. They survived, but looked a mess. In late Sept I harvested some seeds by putting a bag over the flowers and shaking. I got quite a bit, but could tell they weren't ready yet. By the time they were really ready for harvest, the weather was bad and I was lazy. I didn't have the heart to cut the seed heads from the plants, but I will next year. I thought they'd make a good companion plant to pole beans, providing support for the beans, but the amaranth grew too full and the beans didn't get enough sun. (This was an experiment, so I was able to harvest beans elsewhere.) I did see the resident bunny eating the blooms off the broken plants. She didn't do much damage, but ate a few plumes.

The first year I grew them they were amazing but I had wished for more. This year I planned to grow more and expand the garden row. We have had a very hot humid summer and the plants seem to be growing slow. The bunnies eat the small tender leaves so I grow them in pots and transplant them when too big for bunnies to eat. However now that they are 5' tall and about to start blooming, the deer have come through chomping off the tops. I thought they were deer resistant but it seems the opposite. If I can't prevent the animals from destroying my crop, I wont be able to plant them again. Suggestions would be helpful of how to organically keep these animals away.

Its very striking plant.. We have a drought situation this summer which did not affect its performance...Its about 5-6 ft. tall...Japanese beetles seem to leave it alone.. Which is a big plus...Will definitely be in my garden as a regular... Wish I could upload a photo it fits in very well with my garden....Wow

I love this seed crop: I harvested 150 lbs of A. seed last summer. "Prepper" crop. I intercropped it with Potatoes(early crop) as A. is a late summer crop . Plant when warm. HARVEST: Seed plumes snap off in late summer/early fall Fold seed heads into a tarp Drive over the tarp with a vehicle Shake/bang seed heads in a collection barrel Filter collected seeds and chaff through big holed sieve, get rid of large chaff Drizzle through a winnowing fan into a collection barrel, get rid of small chaff Lay out on table to dry for a few days - with fan to help dry (may see some moth larva) Drizzle through a winnowing fan again Filter through a fine sieve Store in cool or cold place, I used it all year till past the next harvest. Note-how far you take cleaning is up to you, the whole plant can be eaten.

You will only need to buy this seed once. It volunteers everywhere. Judging by my height standing next to one of these giants, mine grow to about 8 feet. They do become top heavy with so much bloom and not enough root system to hold them upright so I have to grow them next to a fence or pole. I have found it is possible to lop off the tops midway thru the summer and they will regrow into a bushier, more sturdier version. The birds in winter are moderately interested in the seed heads, which do bleach out if you try to dry them. The first year that I tried to harvest seed for my own use, they were heavily infested with an insect no larger than the seed and, therefore, impossible to separate. I tried again another year, but saw little separation of the seed from the heads. I've not been successful yet, but have learned that it is quite an endeavor with a small return so if you are growing these to make seed flour, you'll have to be inventive.