Orach (Atriplex Hortensis Red Plume) - Grow Orach seeds and grow some beautiful herb plants for an edible landscape. Atriplex hortensis, commonly referred to as Garden Orache, Red Orach, Mountain Spinach, or French Spinach, is a hardy, annual herb plant that grows upright up to 72 inches tall depending on where it is grown.
The leaves are variously shaped, but somewhat oblong, comparatively thin in texture, and slightly acid to the taste. The flowers are small and obscure, greenish or reddish, corresponding in a degree with the color of the foliage of the herb plant.
The Orach herb is a cool season plant, but it does not bolt as quickly as regular spinach. The leaves can be harvested longer into the summer without any bitter taste, and they are used as salad greens or cooked. This Red Plume variety is also highly ornamental and prized for its red coloring.
How To Grow Red Orach
Red Orach is an annual herb suitable for full sun. Sow the Orach seeds in the spring as early as the soil can be worked. Thinly cover the herb seeds and keep them moist. Sow the seeds 2 inches apart and in rows 12 to 18 inches apart.
Thin the young plants when they are 6 inches in height, leaving 12 to 18 inches for spacing. The thinned plants can be eaten. Harvest the young leaves like spinach.
Flower Specifications
Season: Annual
USDA Zones: 4 - 8
Height: 72 inches
Bloom Season: Mid summer
Foliage Color: Red
Environment: Full sun
Soil Type: Well drained, sandy to loamy, soil pH 5.0 - 8.2
Planting Directions
Temperature: 60 - 70F
Average Germ Time: 14 - 21 days
Light Required: Yes
Depth: Surface sow and thinly cover
Sowing Rate: 2 - 3 seeds per plant
Moisture: Keep seeds moist until
Qauntity: 100 Seeds
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