Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Comfreypatch on January 07, 2019, 22:49
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Has anyone grown Callaloo. Where I do volunteer gardening has just got a packet from the heritage seed library. I have heard that it self seeds VERY readily. I know that it is a type of amaranth. Hope someone has some advice as whether to plant or not.
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Hi we have some people plant it but it angers everyone because it seems to take a hell of a lot of water?
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One of my plot neighbours grows amaranth for using in flower arrangements and yes they do self seed, but not that badly. Stray seedlings on my plot just get pulled up composted. She never waters them and they were beautiful last year, even with the drought. They are the tall purple type.
I also have some callalo seeds this year. I tried before and got some pretty scrawny plants, but these are supposed to be a strain bred in the UK and suited to our weather. It is a crop you have to keep picking, but I grow a few greens like that, so I'm trying a small patch and will see how I get on. To cook with, it is useful as it holds up better than spinach to heat and doesn't collapse to mush so fast, so you can use it in recipes which take a bit more time like curries.
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Thanks New Shoot. I will pass the information on. As we don’t grow spinach to pick because the garden is not open every day and it would spoil if not sold I am not sure what we would do with the calallo unless we grow it as an ornamental plant in the borders. We will have to give it some thought.