6. Fruit, Leaf and Root Vegetable Guidelines
A) Amaranth - Surface Composting Technique
Amaranth can be grown for both its leaf and grain value, however most cultivars are best suited to one or the other use. The leaves are very nutritious and high in Vitamins A, B and C, with higher levels of Calcium and Iron than Spinach leaves. Amaranth is a very hardy plant and tolerant of poor soil fertility, high temperatures and dry conditions. Amaranth is well suited to spring through summer plantings as it needs 15°C for germination. Amaranth has optimal growing temperatures of 23-35°C and is a better suited summer leafy green vegetable than Spinach or Kale.
Layout - 37.5cm Triple Rows
Leafy Amaranth final plant spacing is 30cm between plants in triple 37.5cm rows. Split the 75cm rows in half with triple rows at 0; 37.5; 75cm then start again on the next 75cm permanent peg to allow for access for easy harvesting of the leaves. Grain Amaranth is grown wider apart as it can get up to 2m tall, with 30cm between plants and 75cm rows.
Lay Strings for Planting Band
Place a top string or measuring rope from one 75cm permanent peg to its adjoining peg on the opposite side. Next place temporary pegs 10cm down from the permanent pegs and place another string there to establish the surface composting band. Make sure both the ropes are taut and straight by lifting and dropping them.
Remove God’s Blanket
Move God’s Blanket downslope of the 10cm planting band, to ensure none of it gets buried. If you bury the blanket which has not yet decomposed, it can cause the soil to go through a negative nitrogen period and reduce crop yield.
Soil Fracturing
Push the fork 30cm deep and pull it backwards a little until you see the soil loosen or fracture. Remove any stones or rocks that you feel with the fork, but don’t be tempted to lift or turn the soil, you should be merely fracturing it. Keep on repeating this every 10cm along the row line.
Correcting Acidic Soils
To correct acidic soils and allow for readily available plant nutrients evenly sprinkle 1 tablespoon of woodash or 1 teaspoon of lime, every 60cm on the planting line.
Surface Composting
Leaf Amaranth is a medium feeder so place just 3cm of surface compost on top of the 10cm wide band. It is not necessary to work the compost in to the soil. This system of surface composting is following exactly what the Lord of all Creation has shown us since the beginning of all time, where He designed for plants to feed from the top. Repeat this process again for each 37.5cm row, which will allow your Leaf Amaranth to establish a good canopy closure, but leave a 75cm wide access walkway after every triple row to allow for easy harvesting.
B) Amaranth - Manure/Low Volume Compost Technique
Amaranth can be grown for both its leaf and grain value however most cultivars are best suited to one or the other use. The leaves are very nutritious and high in Vitamins A, B and C, with higher levels of Calcium and Iron than Spinach leaves. Amaranth is a very hardy plant and tolerant of poor soil fertility, high temperatures and dry conditions. Amaranth is well suited to spring through summer plantings as it needs 15°C for germination. Amaranth has optimal growing temperatures of 23-35°C and is a better suited summer leafy green vegetable than Spinach or Kale.
Layout - 37.5cm Triple Rows
Leafy Amaranth final plant spacing is 30cm between plants in triple 37.5cm rows. Split the 75cm rows in half with triple rows at 0; 37.5; 75cm then start again on the next 75cm permanent peg to allow for access for easy harvesting of the leaves. Grain Amaranth is grown wider apart as it can get up to 2m tall, with 30cm between plants and 75cm rows.
Placing String
Place a top string or measuring rope from one 75cm permanent peg to its adjoining 75cm permanent peg on the opposite side. Make sure the rope is taut and straight by lifting and dropping it.
Remove God’s Blanket
Move God’s Blanket 20cm downslope from the planting string, to expose the soil. Don’t move it too far as it will interfere with the next 37.5cm row.
Soil Fracturing
Push the fork 30cm deep and pull it backwards a little, until you see the soil loosen or fracture. Remove any stones or rocks that you feel with the fork, but don’t be tempted to lift or turn the soil, you should be merely fracturing it. Keep on repeating this every 10cm along the row line
Digging Furrows
Dig a furrow 10cm deep, moving the soil downslope of the planting string, taking care to neatly heap the soil for reuse later. For leafy amaranth, repeat this process again every 37.5cm which will allow your amaranth to establish a good canopy closure, but leave an access walkway after every triple row to allow for easy harvesting.
Correcting Acidic Soils
To correct acidic soils and allow for readily available plant nutrients we need to apply woodash or lime. Evenly sprinkle 1 tablespoon of woodash or 1 teaspoon of lime, every 60cm on the planting line.
Manure/Compost
Evenly spread 500ml of manure/compost per meter into the furrow.
Seed Depth and Soil Separation Layer
Take a skimming of soil from the heap and cover the inputs with at least 3cm of soil to establish an accurate final planting depth of 1cm deep and also to ensure a good separation layer between the seed and manure. If you don’t separate seed from manure you will get poor germination because of seed burn. This is obviously not the case with high quality compost.
Planting
Plant leafy amaranth seeds 1cm deep, at 15cm apart and cover with fine loose soil, ensuring an even or preferably slightly raised furrow surface for good germination. Thin down to 30cm intervals after germination has taken place.
God’s Blanket
Leave the blanket off until after germination has taken place and then you can bring the blanket up close to the plant stems. Ensure the blanket is at 100% cover and 2.5cm thick to suppress weed growth and conserve moisture.
Harvest
When harvesting, trim off the two lowest leaves, allowing the upper leaves to fill out. The plants will continue to produce leafy greens for a few months.