How to Plant and Grow Orach

Orach (Atriplex hortensis) is an ancient plant that has been cultivated for thousands of years. Prized for its edible stems, leaves, and seeds, orach comes in several different colors, including the vibrant red orach that is sometimes kept as an ornamental or for creating natural dye. In vegetable gardens, orach makes a tasty substitute for spinach and Swiss chard, as it’s slower to bolt (go to seed).

Native to Siberia and Europe, orach used to be commonly grown in vegetable gardens, and it’s making a comeback now. The young, arrow-shaped leaves can be eaten raw in salads, while older leaves and young stems can be cooked like any other leafy greens. Orach seeds are also delicious and can be stirred into soups or ground into homemade flour.

Where to Plant Orach

Orach is a hardy plant that can be grown in garden beds or containers. Choose a location that receives full sun to part shade. Orach grows best in rich, well-draining soil, so you may want to amend your garden bed with some compost or aged manure prior to planting.

Sometimes known as “saltbush,” orach can tolerate higher than average salt levels and be planted in coastal areas.

How and When to Plant Orach

Orach can be grown much like spinach. Sow the seeds outdoors in early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked.

When you’re ready to sow orach, place the seeds in shallow holes or trenches, spacing them approximately 2 inches apart in rows spaced 18 inches from one another. Lightly cover the seeds with ¼ to ½ inch of soil and water them. Seeds should germinate in about one to two weeks.

After the orach seedlings develop their true leaves, thin them so the plants are about 6 inches apart. Pulled seedlings can be eaten like microgreens on fresh garden salads and sandwiches.

Orach Care Tips

Orach is a beginner-friendly plant that can tolerate a range of growing conditions, and it is much more heat-tolerant than spinach, making it easier to grow.

Light

Orach grows best in full sun to part shade in USDA Zones 4-8, but it can grow successfully in warmer regions if provided with some afternoon shade.

Soil and Water

Orach prefers rich, well-draining soil with a pH between 5.6 and 7.8. It can handle soil with high salinity levels.

Although orach is relatively drought-tolerant, the taste and texture of this plant improve with regular watering. For best results, water orach consistently and add a layer of mulch around the plant’s base to keep the soil from drying out. 

Temperature and Humidity

Orach seeds germinate fastest when the soil temperature is between 50°F and 65°F. Although it can tolerate warm temperatures, it is a cool-weather plant that doesn't go to seed as quickly as spinach and is frost-tolerant. It grows in most humidity levels as long as the soil is kept moist.

Fertilizer

Give orach a head start on the growing season by amending the soil with 2 inches of compost prior to planting. If you do this, the orach likely won’t need additional fertilizer as it grows.

Potting and Repotting Orach

Orach can be grown in containers filled with moist well-draining potting soil as long as the containers have excellent drainage and are positioned in full sun. Sow seeds 1 inch apart in a 1-gallon or larger pot. After they germinate, thin them to the most robust seedlings and space them about 6 inches apart. The further apart they are spaced, the larger they will grow. These plants are annuals; they die at the end of the growing season, so repotting is not necessary.

Pests and Problems

Orach is naturally resistant to most garden pests but it can sometimes attract aphids, which are tiny, sap-sucking insects. When feeding, aphids often cluster together on plant leaves and stems and may secrete a sticky “honeydew.” Remove aphids from the plants with a strong blast from your garden hose or use your fingers to crush them. For established infestations, spray plants with an organic insecticidal soap or neem oil spray every 7 to 10 days until all signs of aphids are gone.

How to Propagate Orach

 After the orach plants go to seed, collect the seeds for future garden crops. To save orach seeds, wait for the seed heads to dry thoroughly on the plant stem. Then, cut the stem and place it into a paper bag. If any moisture remains, allow the seeds to continue to dry indoors. Shake the bag when the seeds are dry to separate the seeds from the stalk. The seeds are covered with a papery external layer that covers the tiny seed inside. They can be sown either with or without the papery layer. Store the seeds in an airtight container out of direct sunlight until the following spring, when they can be planted outdoors for the next year's crop.

Harvesting Orach

After the seeds are sown, orach takes about 40 to 60 days to reach maturity, and it can generally be harvested from June until the hard frosts of autumn. Pinch off tender leaves as they reach a usable size, leaving older leaves on the plant to support its growth. Regularly pinching off the leaves encourages orach to produce more leaves as well.

For a larger harvest, consider succession sowing orach seeds every few weeks through mid-summer to ensure you have a fresh crop of orach throughout the growing season.

Types of Orach

'Ruby Gold' Orach

Atriplex hortensis 'Ruby Gold' is named for the stunning ruby and gold seedheads that develop late in the season. They are striking additions to any flower arrangement. The leaves are gold with hints of ruby, and the stems are magenta.

Golden Orach

Golden orach is a rare heirloom variety that is excellent in fresh salads or cooked. Golden orach features bright green leaves that are rich in vitamin A and other antioxidants.

'Ruby Red' Orach

With deep reddish-purple leaves and flowers, Atriplex hortensis 'Ruby Red' orach is a striking plant that can be used as an ornamental or an edible herb. Delicious raw or cooked, red orach loses its characteristic coloring when heated, but that doesn’t make it any less delicious. It is suitable for growing as a microgreen.

‘Aurora’ Orach

Atriplex hortensis 'Aurora' is a colorful organic mixture of leaves in green, purple, and pink.

Orach Companion Plants

Spinach

Not only do orach and spinach have similar flavors, they also have the same growing requirements. Sowing orach and spinach in the same bed is an efficient way to use your garden space. Harvest fast-growing spinach in early spring and then enjoy heat-tolerant orach after the spinach begins to bolt.

Lettuce

Like spinach, lettuce is another easy companion plant for orach because they have the same growing needs. Both plants enjoy plenty of water, and they can handle full sun or part shade. And similar to spinach, lettuce will bolt once warmer temperatures set in, but orach will keep on producing greens for you.

Garlic

As a low-growing plant, you won’t need to worry about garlic competing with orach for sunlight. Garlic’s strong scent will also help repel garden pests that may otherwise nibble on orach leaves.