Red Callaloo (Tricolor Amaranth)

Beautiful, ornamental and edible leaf amaranth that grows long flowering tendrils. At full maturity it grows around 6 feet tall. Callaloo is a Caribbean stew with African influences and many variations. This type of callaloo is used in Jamaica. You can cut back the stalks to make the plant bushier and more leafy. Seeds dating back 10,000 years have been found at Mexican archeological sites. It was one of the Aztec's five principal crops and it is known the Aztecs ate the leaves with honey. For centuries, Asian and African people have used the leaves liked cooked spinach. Seeds can be used as a grain, popped like popcorn, cooked like rice or quinoa, and used in soups and stews. 

Days to maturity: 90-120

Seeds per pack: __

Germination rate: 91% on 05/02/2024

Planting / harvesting notes

Callaloo is an extremely self-sufficient crop. Expect germination between 10-20 days, and fast growth after that. To get a head start on the season, sow seeds 2-4 weeks before the last frost lightly covered in pots or trays in a greenhouse or sunny window. Transplant 1-2' apart into the garden a couple weeks after the last frost, when the soil has warmed a bit. Alternatively, you can direct sow the seeds after the last danger of frost and when the night soil has warmed above 50 degrees.

Once established, you can cut back the stalks to make the plant bushier and more leafy. Seed heads can also be harvested by snipping them off and putting them into large brown paper bags and hanging so they are suspended in the bag. Prefers direct sunlight and warm conditions. Cutting them back will help them bush out more. When they get too tall the primary stem can bend and snap, so cutting back the flowers to improve leaf production (if that's what you're growing it for) and harvesting the seed heads as soon as the flowers start to open up, will help to prevent that breakage. 

Seed keeping notes

Callaloo is wind pollinated and can cross pollinate with many varieties of Amaranth. Isolate by a minimum of 500 feet or cover the flowers with corn tassel bags to prevent unwanted cross pollination. It is ideal to harvest as soon as the majority of flowers are open. You can check by gently grazing your hand along the seed heads. You will instantly be able to tell if the seeds fall. Then, snip off the heads and suspend them in a paper bag and hang them. They can sometimes become moldy, especially if you live in a humid climate; if there are too many seed heads in one bag; or if they are just sitting in a bag as opposed to being hung. 

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