Garden orache

Garden orache: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Upright, sparsely branched plant 1–1.5 m tall and 30–40 cm wide.

Leaves

Triangular to arrow-shaped, 10–15 cm long, soft and slightly mealy; green, yellow or purple-red.

Flower

Inconspicuous greenish or reddish flowers in long spikes at the tips.

Seed

Flat seeds, each between two round, papery bracts about 1 cm across, in large sprays.

Roots

A taproot; so it is best sown where it is to grow.

Harvest and fruit: May–August · Sowing: March–May · Pruning: June–August

Why grow it?

• An easy leaf vegetable: just a few weeks after sowing you pick the first young leaves.
• A summer stand-in for spinach, which often bolts quickly at that time of year.
• The red-leaved form adds height and deep colour to a border or vegetable plot.
• The seed sprays look lovely in fresh and dried arrangements.
• Grows in almost any soil and comes back from self-sown seed.

Garden orache: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; in full sun the red form colours best.
• Any fertile soil: sand, loam or clay, acid, neutral or chalky.
• Moderately moist: in dry weather it quickly bolts and the leaves turn tough.
• Sow in rows 30 cm apart; thin to 10–15 cm for picking, or to 30–40 cm for large plants.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal

Size

1.5 m tall, 0.4 m wide

Hardiness

Tolerates light frost (to -3 °C)

Goes well with

• Pot marigold: Orange flowers that contrast vividly with the red leaves, in the vegetable plot too.
• Nasturtium: Sprawls at the foot of the tall orache and covers the ground.
• Cosmos: Airy pink and white flowers next to the dark, upright plants.
• Swiss chard: Another colourful leaf vegetable for an ornamental vegetable plot.

Garden orache: when and how to plant it?

1. Sow where it is to grow from March to May, in rows 30 cm apart.
2. Rake the soil to a fine tilth and mix in some compost: the richer the soil, the more tender the leaves.
3. Sow 1–2 cm deep and firm the soil.
4. Keep the soil moist until the seedlings are up.
5. Thin to 10–15 cm for picking young leaves, or to 30–40 cm for large plants.
6. Sow again every 3–4 weeks for a continuous harvest of young leaves.

Care

Watering

Keep the soil moist, especially in warm spells; in drought it quickly bolts.

Feeding

Compost at sowing time is enough.

Harvesting

Pick young leaves and tips once the plant is about 15–20 cm tall. Older leaves become tough.

In the kitchen

Raw in a mixed salad or briefly cooked like spinach; the red form adds colour to a salad.

Support

Large plants can blow over; a cane helps in an open, windy spot.

Seed sprays

Cut them off before the seed ripens if you do not want seedlings.

Tip: Sow a short row every few weeks and pick the plants young: you will have tender leaves all summer, while a few red plants grow on in the border as an eye-catcher.

Garden orache: when to prune it?

Pruning months: June–August.

When: Real pruning is not needed. In June–August, pinch out the tips and remove flower spikes if you want to harvest leaves for longer, and cut off the seed sprays before the seed ripens.

How:

• Pinch out the tip when the plant is about 30 cm tall: it then branches and gives more leaves.
• Cut off flower spikes as soon as they appear if you mainly want leaves.
• If you want sprays for arrangements, leave them and cut them when the seed discs are coloured, before they turn brown and dry.

Caution: If you let the seed sprays ripen, it will self-seed all over the garden.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

From March to May, where it is to grow; the seed germinates readily in moist soil that is not too cold.

Self-seeding

Let a few plants set seed. In spring seedlings come up, which you can leave or move while they are still small.

Garden orache: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −3 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Annual: the plant dies after setting seed and only tolerates light frost, to about −3 °C.
• Clear the plants in autumn, or leave a few standing and you will have seedlings next year without any effort.
• The seed overwinters in the soil and germinates in spring.

Diseases and pests

• Bolting: In drought and heat it quickly forms flower spikes and the leaves become small and tough. Water, mulch and sow again regularly.
• Aphids: Black aphids on the tips. Spray them off with water or cut off affected tips.
• Slugs: They eat seedlings. Pick them off in the evening and sow a little extra.
• Leaf miners: Pale blotches or tunnels in the leaves caused by the larvae of a small fly, as on spinach and beet. Pick off affected leaves.

Through the year

• March: Sow where it is to grow.
• April: Sow. Thin out.
• May: Last sowing. Pick the first young leaves.
• June: Harvest. Pinch out tips. Water in dry spells.
• July: Harvest. Remove flower spikes or leave them for arrangements.
• August: Cut seed sprays for arrangements, or remove them before the seed ripens.
• September: Collect seed. Clear plants.
• October: Clear dead plants.

Edible and useful

Leaves (May–August)

From May to August, pick the young leaves and tips once the plant is about 15–20 cm tall; older leaves become tough. Sow another short row every few weeks and you will have tender leaves all summer. Garden orache tastes mild, rather like spinach, and was a common leaf vegetable before spinach became widespread here. Cook it briefly like spinach, in soup, mash, a quiche or a bake; young leaves can go raw into a mixed salad in small amounts. The red form adds colour to the plate.

Storing

Fresh, one to two days in a bag in the fridge: the leaves wilt quickly. Blanched and squeezed, they can be frozen in portions for up to 6 months. Drying is pointless.

Caution: Like spinach, garden orache contains nitrate and oxalic acid. So do not eat it raw in large amounts; it is best briefly cooked, and in moderation. Do not give it to babies, and only a little to young children. Not with kidney stones, gout or rheumatism. Put leftovers of cooked orache in the fridge promptly and reheat them only once. Do not give the plant fresh manure: it raises the nitrate in the leaves.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Braised garden orache with garlic (Dish · 4 people · 20 min)
• Garden orache soup (Dish · 4 people · 35 min)

Did you know?

• Before spinach became common in Europe, orache was a widely grown leaf vegetable.
• Hortensis means ‘of the garden’.
• Each seed sits between two round, papery bracts; that is why the ripe sprays look like clusters of tiny coins.