Chenopodium quinoa
A high protein staple green and seed “grain” from the Andean highlands, with thicker and juicier leaves than lambs quarter, its close cousin. Leaves are a nice salad size with salty spinach-like flavor. Thrives in dry periods of summer. Sow 1” apart in rows for cutting 6-8” plants for greens, or space 12-14” apart for picking leaves (which may be followed by grain production). Maturing seed heads are very brightly colored, ornamental, and high yielding.
After decades of obscurity, Quinoa has recently
swept to the attention of farmers and gardeners in
North America. Washington State University has
an extensive testing program ongoing to find South
American varieties that will perform well in the
Pacific Northwest. Quinoa is largely adapted to
cool, dry, upland conditions, and will fail to make
seed if temperatures are too hot for pollen tube development. This temperature sensitivity is variable
across varieties. The Willamette Valley is too warm
some years, and with warmer climates ahead, it is
not too early to begin the process of adaptation.
Quinoa Cultivation for Grain:
As a mountain farmer from way back, quinoa has
always been a natural crop for my home ground.
Quinoa is a mountain peoples' crop, particularly
suited to marginal soils, cool nights, and dry conditions. I began growing it in 1983 on a mountain of
glacial till near Puget Sound with great success, and
never had a failure until recently, while sowing into
great soil in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, where the
nighttime temps are higher and grass seed fields are
full of lygus bugs (that suck nutrients from blooming
seedheads). Five miles away in the foothills where I
live, simultaneous crops were as full as normal. We
cannot say exactly why, but we believe this relates to
some critical threshold temperature for pollen tube
development, a phenomenon well understood in
growing seed of spinach, a relative of quinoa.
Kevin Murphy, WSU quinoa researcher in Pullman,
WA, tells me that temperature sensitivity and varietal performance are variable in his trials, and are
likely dependent on the South American latitude
and micro-climate that gave rise to each variety. We
have noted that our quinoa feedback has been very
positive from western Canada, Washington, Idaho,
Montana, and other northern mountain States. We
would love to hear from others about their quinoa
seedcrop experience in other places.
Our best success with quinoa "grain" comes with
planting from mid-April through May. Direct seed
into 24" rows. Thin to 3-4" apart in the row to
produce single-headed plants that mature uniformly
for harvesting in a single pass. Maximum seed yield
comes from 12" or greater in-row spacing that
makes a branched crop. This may require an initial
harvest of primary heads, followed in another 7-14
days with a final harvest of whole plants. Harvest
when seedheads are still brightly colored, and
thresh with a rubbing action of the head (by hand
or feet, or belt thresher). Grain is easy to clean with
1/8" and 1/16" hardware mesh, and careful winnowing.
Seeds Per Packet: 500
Seeds Per Gram: 714
Seeds Per Ounce: 20,000 Oregon Tilth Certified Organic Seed
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