Orach

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

, Leaf miners

Leaf miners

Agromyzidae

Pale trails inside the leaf — mostly harmless, and out of reach of any spray.

.

Attract Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

Pinhead-sized, stingless, and lethal to aphids and caterpillars from the inside.

to keep them in check — plant Belgian EndiveGreat, LungwortGreat and InulaGood nearby.

Growing from seed

Direct-sow Orach outdoors around your last frost date. Seeds usually come up in around 10 days. Grow in full sun, spaced about 30 cm apart. Expect to harvest in roughly 45 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

Companion Planting

• 
  Red Mustard
  

  Red MustardGreat pair

  • ❧Red Mustard attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Leaf miners that attack Orach
  • ❧Red Mustard suppresses pests that trouble Orach
  • ❧Red Mustard acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Orach
• 
  Wasabina
  

  WasabinaGreat pair

  • ❧Wasabina attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Leaf miners that attack Orach
  • ❧Wasabina suppresses pests that trouble Orach
  • ❧Wasabina acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Orach
• 
  Belgian Endive
  

  Belgian EndiveGreat pair

  • ❧Belgian Endive attracts Hoverflies and Lacewings and more, which prey on the Aphids that attack Orach
  • ❧Belgian Endive roots deep while Orach feeds near the surface — no competition
  • ❧Belgian Endive acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Orach

How to grow Orach

1. Sow0 weeks from frost
2. Germinates10 days
3. Space30 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~45 days

Water: Low · Height: 200 cm · Soil: Well-draining, tolerates salt and poor soil