How to Grow and Care for Orach, a Warm-Weather Spinach Alternative

Common Name	Orach, orache, garden orache, red orache, mountain spinach
Botanical Name	Atriplex hortensis
Family	Amaranthaceae (subfamily Chenopodiaceae)
Plant Type	Annual, Herbaceous
Mature Size	Up to 6ft tall and 2 ft. wide
Sun Exposure	Full
Soil Type	Moist, Well-drained
Soil pH	Acid, Neutral, Alkaline
Bloom Time	Summer
Flower Color	Green and insignificant
Hardiness Zones	2-11 (USDA)
Native Area	Asia

Orach Care

Here are the main care requirements for growing beginner-friendly orach:

Position in full sun.
Plant in a well-draining, moist soil to prevent bolting.
Fertilize regularly or amend soil with organic matter.
Prune tall plants to produce the most flavorsome leaves.

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Light

While orach is a hardy and forgiving plant, one thing that’s essential for good growth is a full sun position.

Soil

Orach grows well in most soils, provided they are well-draining. However, it prefers loamy soils that are organically rich and with an element of moisture-retentiveness.

This plant tolerates a wide range of pH levels and is ideal for highly alkaline soils, which some species struggle with. Orach is also known for being tolerant of high levels of salinity.

Water

While orach is a reasonably drought-tolerant plant, insufficient water typically results in bolting. This premature seed production means the leaf harvest might not be usable.

It’s best to water freely in dry conditions to keep the soil evenly moist without letting the roots stand in water. Adding a layer of moisture-retaining mulch can be helpful during periods of drought.

Temperature and Humidity

Orach is adaptable to a wide range of temperatures. One of its biggest advantages is its heat tolerance. It does best in temperate climates, with temperatures between 40°F to 75°F.

However, you can still enjoy a bountiful, tasty harvest during a heatwave, provided you keep the soil moist. Light freezes aren’t a problem for orach, but when they are sustained, the plant will die.

Orach is also good for exposed sites, as strong winds don’t phase it.

Fertilizer

Fast-growing orach loves rich, fertile soils, so consider amending the soil with organic matter such as leaf mold compost or manure.

A couple of times during the growing season, you can also offer an additional nutrient boost by feeding an NPK fertilizer formula that is high in nitrogen. This ensures the focus is on foliage growth.

Types of Orach

Tall-growing, leafy orach is often grown for its ornamental value as well as its nutritious leaves, and this is especially true of the ‘Fire Red’ cultivar.

The red shade on the leaves remains even after cooking, making it an attractive addition to decorative dishes. There are also white (pale green) and green (dark green) color variations.

Pruning

Orach can grow to 6 feet tall. However, keeping it low by clipping helps produce tender leaves that aren’t too bitter. Pruning and ample water also help reduce the chance of bolting during hot, dry periods.

Propagating Orach

It’s easiest to propagate fast-growing orach by directly sowing the seeds in your garden anytime from March to August. If you want a successive supply of leaves through the growing season, sow at four-week intervals across this time. Follow these steps to encourage germination:

Space rows of seeds around 20 to 30 inches apart after the danger of frost has passed. You don’t need to start this hardy species indoors.
Sow seeds so they are just lightly covered with soil (less than half an inch deep).
Space individual seeds around 1 to 2 inches apart.
Keep the soil evenly moist.
Once they germinate, thin seedlings to around 6 to 10 inches apart.
Tender, flavorful leaves should be ready to harvest between 40 and 60 days after sowing the seeds.
Trim off individual leaves with garden scissors once they reach a size where you like the taste.
Alternatively, harvest the whole plant once it is around 4 to 6 inches tall.

Common Pests and Plant Diseases

Hardy orach is typically disease- and pest-free. However, it might become host to a couple of rare bugs. These include the beet cyst eelworm (Heterodera schachtii) and the tortoise beetle (Cassida nebulosa).

Removing the orach and rotating the crops for a couple of years with non-susceptible plant species is often the best way to eliminate eelworms. Tortoise beetles can be removed by hand before infestations get out of control. Aphids can also sometimes be a problem.

Occasionally, the plant can also suffer from Wisconsin tobacco disease (Pseudomonas syringae pv. mellea) or bacterial canker (Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae).

While rare, both these bacterial pathogens can be tricky to diagnose and treat. Again, sometimes it’s best to dispose of infected plants and rotate with non-susceptible plant species.

Common Problems with Orach

Orach is a plant that’s easy to grow in your vegetable garden or cottage garden flower beds. But even hardy species won’t thrive if you don’t offer the conditions they prefer.

Below are some early warning signs you need to make some changes if you want to benefit from a bountiful harvest.

Yellowing Leaves

If your plant’s leaves are turning yellow, you must do some detective work. This commonly relates to insufficient light, over- or underwatering, or pest problems. You might need to reposition your orach plant into a sunnier spot or adjust your watering schedule to ensure evenly moist, not soggy soil.

Stunted Growth

If these tall, erect, and fast-growing plants don’t seem to be developing as you would expect, they could be infected with a pathogenic nematode, like the beet cyst eelworm. Selecting potatoes as a companion plant can also result in stunted growth.

Companion Plants

Generally, orach does well with companion plants also suited to spinach or amaranth. Below are a couple of suggestions of what to plant alongside this species.

Sweet Alyssum

Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) is a beautiful flower that attracts hoverflies. These beneficial insects eat aphids, helping to control the populations which can sometimes be a problem for orach.

Legumes

Peas and beans provide a beneficial nitrogen boost to soils. This is ideal for helping to promote the growth of leafy plants like orach.

FAQ

Orach is a classic heirloom herb. It is sometimes referred to as a vegetable because the leaves are added to dishes as a main ingredient rather than an aromatic flavoring. However, it fits into the herb category because it is a small, seed-bearing plant without a woody stem and has medicinal properties.

Orach leaves have medicinal and food uses. They are nutritionally dense, salty, and spinach-like and are often added raw to salads or cooked in soups. The seeds are also sometimes used as additions to bread mixes. Fast-growing, hardy orach is also a useful plant for erosion control.

Orach is a relative of the amaranth, but it is not the same. Atriplex hortensis is a member of the Chenopodiacea family, a subfamily of the Amaranthaceae family. Amaranth, on the other hand, is part of the subfamily Amaranthoideae. You can grow amaranth for its edible superfood seeds and ornamental value.

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