Heirloom

Ruby Red Orach

Atriplex hortensis

Wikimedia Commons

Leaves are deep purple and have a spinach-like flavor. NOTE: Expect a small percentage of all-green plants.

Harvest

28d

Days to harvest

📅

Sun

Part sun

☀️

Zones

1–11

USDA hardiness

🗺️

Height

18-24 inches

📏

Planting Timeline

Zone:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Direct Sow

Harvest

Direct Sow

Harvest

Showing dates for Ruby Red Orach in USDA Zone 7

All Zone 7 lettuce →

Zone Map

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Ruby Red Orach · Zones 1–11

What grows well in Zone 7? →

Growing Details

Difficulty

Easy

Spacing9-12 inches

SoilWell-drained loam, neutral pH

WaterRegular

SeasonWarm season annual

FlavorMild spinach-like flavor with subtle tangy notes and tender texture

ColorDeep purple

Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar

Zone	Indoor Start	Transplant	Direct Sow	Harvest
Zone 3	—	—	May – June	May – October
Zone 4	—	—	April – June	May – October
Zone 5	—	—	April – May	May – November
Zone 6	—	—	April – May	April – November
Zone 7	—	—	March – May	April – November
Zone 8	—	—	March – April	March – December
Zone 9	—	—	February – March	February – December
Zone 10	—	—	January – March	February – December
Zone 1	—	—	June – July	June – September
Zone 2	—	—	May – July	June – September
Zone 11	—	—	January – February	January – December
Zone 12	—	—	January – February	January – December
Zone 13	—	—	January – February	January – December

Succession Planting

Direct sow every 14–21 days starting around March 1 in zone 7, and keep going through early May. Each planting gives you a cut-and-come-again window of 3–4 weeks before the plants shift into bolting mode — orach sends up seed stalks quickly once daytime highs hold above 80°F, which usually happens late May into June.

Pick it back up in late August or early September with a fall sowing once soil temps drop back below 75°F. Fall plantings tend to be cleaner — flea beetle pressure is lighter, leaves stay more tender — and plants hold without bolting much longer as days shorten. Stop sowing by mid-October in zone 7; germination gets unreliable once nights are regularly hitting the low 40s.

Complete Growing Guide

Growing Ruby Red Orach (Atriplex hortensis) lettuce. Light: Part sun. Hardy in USDA zones 1 to 11. Days to maturity: 28. Difficulty: Easy.

Harvesting

Ruby Red Orach reaches harvest at 28 baby; 40 full size from sowing per Johnny's Selected Seeds. As an annual, harvest continues until frost ends the season.

Ready for harvest in 28 days from sowing or transplant. Harvest at peak ripeness for best flavor and storage life. Pick regularly to encourage continued production where applicable.

Storage & Preservation

Harvest Ruby Red Orach at 28 days for peak tenderness and color. Store fresh leaves in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator at 32–40°F with 90–95% humidity; they'll keep for 3–5 days before wilting noticeably. For longer preservation, freezing works best—blanch leaves for 2 minutes, shock in ice water, pat dry, and freeze in airtight containers for up to 8 months. Drying is also effective: hang-dry in bundles or use a dehydrator at 95–105°F until crisp, then store in airtight jars away from light. The leaves lose some of their striking crimson hue when cooked, so consider freezing or drying to better retain color if appearance matters for your use. Avoid canning, as the tender leaves become mushy and lose nutritional value.

History & Origin

Ruby Red Orach is open-pollinated, meaning seed saved from healthy plants will produce true-to-type offspring. Listed in the Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog.

Atriplex hortensis, known as garden orache, red orache or simply orache, mountain spinach, French spinach, or arrach, is a species of plant in the amaranth family used as a leaf vegetable that was common before spinach; it is still grown as a warm-weather alternative to spinach. For many years, it was classified in the goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae), but it has now been absorbed into the Amaranthaceae. It is Eurasian, native to Asia and Europe, and widely naturalized in Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

Advantages

+Organic-certified seed
+Easy to grow — beginner-friendly
+Quick harvest — ready in about 28 days
+Wide hardiness — grows in USDA zones 1-11

Companion Plants

Radishes and chives pull their weight here for different reasons. Radishes germinate in 5–7 days, break up any light crust on the seedbed while orach is still establishing, and they're out of the ground in 25–30 days before orach needs the room. Chives at the bed edge disrupt aphid host-finding through scent — worth doing because aphids will pile onto orach stems in dense clusters fast if you're not watching. Nasturtiums nearby act as a decoy crop, drawing aphids onto themselves instead, which concentrates the problem somewhere you can actually deal with it. Carrots share the bed fine since their taproot feeds at a different depth and doesn't compete with orach's shallower root zone.

Brassicas are the pairing to avoid. In our zone 7 Georgia garden, both crops attract flea beetles hard in spring, and putting them next to each other just doubles the damage on a single patch of ground. Sunflowers are allelopathic — their roots and decaying debris release compounds that suppress surrounding plants — so keep them at least 3 feet from any greens bed. Black walnut produces juglone, a compound toxic enough to stunt or kill most vegetable crops planted within the drip zone of its canopy.

Plant Together

Chives

Repels aphids and other soft-bodied insects that commonly attack leafy greens

Lettuce

Similar growing requirements and harvest timing, efficient use of garden space

Radishes

Quick harvest breaks up soil and deters flea beetles that can damage orach leaves

Carrots

Deep roots don't compete with shallow orach roots, maximizes garden space

Marigolds

Repel aphids, whiteflies, and other pests while attracting beneficial insects

Spinach

Similar cool-season growing requirements and complementary harvest schedule

Nasturtiums

Act as trap crop for aphids and add color while repelling cucumber beetles

Dill

Attracts beneficial insects like ladybugs and parasitic wasps that control pests

Keep Apart

Sunflowers

Tall growth creates excessive shade and competes heavily for nutrients and water

Brassicas

Heavy feeders that compete for similar nutrients, may attract shared pests like flea beetles

Black Walnut

Releases juglone toxin that inhibits growth of many vegetables including orach

Nutrition Facts

Protein

0.742g(1%)

Carbs

3.37g(1%)

Fat

0.0738g(0%)

Vitamin K

20.5mcg(17%)

Iron

0.0332mg(0%)

Calcium

14.2mg(1%)

Potassium

139mg(3%)

Per 100g serving. % Daily Value based on 2,000 calorie diet. Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC #2346388)

Pests & Disease Resistance

Common Pests

Aphids, flea beetles, slugs

Diseases

Downy mildew, leaf spot

Troubleshooting Ruby Red Orach

What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.

Seedlings collapse at soil level within the first 7–10 days after direct sowing, sometimes with a white fuzzy mold on the soil surface nearby

Likely Causes

Damping off — a complex of soil-borne fungi (Pythium, Rhizoctonia) that thrives in wet, poorly drained seedbeds
Overwatering or heavy clay soil holding too much moisture after germination

What to Do

1.Let the affected spot dry out before resowing, then work in compost to open up drainage
2.Sow shallowly at 1/4 inch deep and avoid any overhead watering once seeds are in the ground — water at the base or use drip
3.Rotate orach out of that bed for at least one season; NC State Extension's IPM guidance on dead lettuce seedlings points to investigating soil conditions first, before reaching for a fungicide

Leaves riddled with tiny, irregular holes — plants look shredded by mid-spring, especially seedlings under 4 inches tall

Likely Causes

Flea beetles (Phyllotreta spp.) — small, fast-jumping beetles that hit hard on young growth in spring
Slugs — feed at night and leave a similar ragged look, but you'll find silvery slime trails on the soil and leaf surfaces in the morning

What to Do

1.Lay Agribon-15 row cover directly over the bed right after sowing — flea beetle pressure drops off once plants pass 6 inches
2.For slugs, press shallow traps into the soil at bed level and fill with cheap beer, or scatter iron phosphate bait (Sluggo) around plant bases
3.Clear out any old leaf litter and boards near the bed; slugs spend the day underneath that kind of debris

Pale yellow patches on the upper leaf surface with a gray-purple powdery coating on the undersides — usually shows up after several cool, wet nights in a row

Likely Causes

Downy mildew (Peronospora farinosa or a closely related species on Atriplex) — spreads by airborne spores that need wet foliage and high humidity to take hold
Overcrowded planting below 9-inch spacing that traps moisture between plants overnight

What to Do

1.Strip affected leaves and put them in the trash — not the compost pile — as soon as you spot the coating
2.Space plants to at least 9 inches and switch to drip or soaker irrigation; evening overhead watering feeds this disease
3.If the whole planting is hit late in the season, pull it — orach bolts fast once summer arrives anyway, and a fresh August sowing in cooler soil will outperform a diseased one

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does Ruby Red Orach take to mature?▼

Ruby Red Orach reaches harvest maturity in approximately 28 days from planting. This makes it a quick-growing variety, perfect for succession planting throughout the season. You can begin harvesting outer leaves earlier for tender young greens, or wait for full-sized plants. The fast growth means you'll enjoy results in less than a month.

Is Ruby Red Orach good for beginner gardeners?▼

Yes, Ruby Red Orach is excellent for beginners. It's classified as an easy-to-grow variety that tolerates part sun conditions. It requires minimal maintenance and performs well even with less-than-perfect growing conditions. The plant is forgiving and produces reliably, making it an ideal choice for those new to gardening.

Can you grow Ruby Red Orach in containers?▼

Ruby Red Orach can be grown in containers with proper drainage. Use quality potting soil and ensure containers are at least 6-8 inches deep. Container growing works well for part sun locations and allows easy access for harvesting. Regular watering is important since containers dry faster than in-ground beds.

What does Ruby Red Orach taste like?▼

Ruby Red Orach has a pleasant spinach-like flavor with mild, slightly tangy notes. The deep purple leaves are tender and suitable for both raw salads and cooked applications. The flavor is not overly strong, making it versatile in the kitchen and appealing even to those who prefer milder greens.

When should I plant Ruby Red Orach?▼

Plant Ruby Red Orach directly in the garden after the last spring frost date. It grows well in cool seasons and can be succession planted every 2-3 weeks for continuous harvests. In cooler climates, you can also plant in late summer for fall harvests. It prefers cooler temperatures and may bolt in extreme heat.

Why do some Ruby Red Orach plants come out green instead of purple?▼

Ruby Red Orach occasionally produces all-green plants due to natural genetic variation. This is expected and normal, occurring in a small percentage of plantings. The all-green plants taste the same as the purple ones and are equally edible and nutritious. Save seeds from your purple plants if you prefer consistent coloring.