Quinoa Seeds

Chenopodium quinoa

Quinoa has recently swept to the attention of farmers and gardeners in North America. Quinoa grows best where maximum temperatures do not exceed  90°F (32°C) and nighttime temperatures are cool. For most southern Canadian and northern U.S. sites, the best time to plant quinoa is late April to late May. When soil temperatures are around 60°F (15°C) seedlings emerge within three to four days. However, when quinoa seeds are planted in soil with night-time temperatures much above that, quinoa, like spinach, may not germinate. In this instance, it’s best to refrigerate seeds before planting.  A high protein staple green and seed “grain” from the Andean highlands. Leaves are a nice salad size with salty spinach-like flavor. Thrives in dry periods of summer.Quinoa is a mountain peoples' crop, particularly suited to marginal soils, cool nights, and dry conditions.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 seed heads 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.. You need to grow about 10 plants to make one pound of quinoa seed