# Amaranth



## Cotton Eyed Does (Oct 26, 2007)

Do any of you grow amaranth? What variety? Do you grow it for yourselves to eat or do you feed it to your goats/cattle? Seed heads to the chickens?


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## tmfinley (Feb 21, 2008)

I grew amaranth last season. It is awesome. I grew the Golden Giant variety. It is supposed to be drought resistant but as you know this year was ridiculous so we did water it quite a bit. They got to be over 8 ft tall. Every part of the plant is edible. If the stalk breaks, it just starts growing again, unlike corn that breaks and is finished. We started growing it for both us and the goats, but the goats ended up getting all of it because of the difficulty in getting hay. We also grew it all along our chicken runs. It provided shade and they could eat any grain that fell into the run. I didn't plant a fall garden because I was just so disgusted by the summer (I regret it now) but we do have tons of volunteer amaranth plants - especially in the buck pen. I think I am going to move the boys so it all grows in there. I love the stuff!


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## Cotton Eyed Does (Oct 26, 2007)

When you gave it to the goats did you pull up the stalk and throw it over to the goats seeds and all or did you harvest leaves off of it and give to the goats or did you turn the goats into the field where it was growing?

Is this sort of a sorghum type plant? Wonder if you could cut it and bale it like a hay grazer hay. We have a mower conditioner for the thicker stalks.


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## tmfinley (Feb 21, 2008)

All of the stalks are thicker stalks - all at least 3 inches in diameter. I wouldn't think baling it would be much of an option but I'm no expert on it. I cut down the whole stalk and gave them to them but when I do it over I will harvest leaves. A little at a time. I will post pics of what I had this spring.


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## tmfinley (Feb 21, 2008)




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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

Wow! That is so awesome! This is a timely thread for me. I was just thinking about it and wondering if the feed store would have any seed. I thought it was a cool weather crop, but I guess not if you grew it in Texas this summer. When you say you watered, was it watered a good bit to produce those huge stalks?


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## LLB101 (Sep 29, 2009)

I've grown several kinds over the years, its a big job to harvest the seeds imho, and the seed heads are sort of prickly. This year I was gardening in a new spot in a community garden in addition to my place, and there Green Amaranth came up as a "weed" and the goats have loved getting the plants, I let them get big. My chickens love them too. I think its a wonderful plant in all its varieties...


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

My favorite is "Love Lies Bleeding", Its color is just spectacular. I do not have anymore growing at this time,my Dad eradicated it because to him it wasn't productive, but I intend too again, I am gonna add some of the Golden to it, that will be just amazing!
Tam


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## Cotton Eyed Does (Oct 26, 2007)

This might be something I want to get and plant next year. Do you know if there is a problem with animals eating it after a frost hits it?


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## Bella Star (Oct 27, 2007)

I grew 2 types of oriental kind , a solid green type and a variegated red/green but I stir-fried and also ate it like spinach. I didn't even try on the animals . The golden type sounds good and I know Bakers seed has it .


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