How to Grow Quinoa

By the SoilCommander Editorial Team, under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder · · How we check our facts

On this page
  1. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa)
  2. At a Glance
  3. Quick Facts
  4. Soil & Growing Conditions
  5. Growth Stages
  6. Harvest & Storage
  7. Diseases
  8. Pests
  9. Quinoa, the Grain of the Incas
  10. Plan your Quinoa planting
  11. Growing Quinoa in another region
  12. Sources
  13. Frequently Asked Questions

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) — annual.

The short answer

Site
soil pH 5.5–8
Biggest risk
Quinoa downy mildew

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa)

Tall rows of quinoa plants growing in a field — “Productive quinoa real plant” by Michael Hermann is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

7 sources cited · Verified

At a Glance

Mature golden-red quinoa seed heads ready for harvest — “Quinoa growing on Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca” by Bob Ramsak is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Quinoa growing on Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca” by Bob Ramsak is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Chenopodium quinoa Quinoa Quinoa downy mildew Lygus bug Aphids DISEASES PESTS

Quick Facts

Tall rows of quinoa plants growing in a field — “Productive quinoa real plant” by Michael Hermann is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Productive quinoa real plant” by Michael Hermann is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Factor Value
Soil pH 5.5 - 8
Optimal growing temp 14-18°C
Minimum survivable temp -8°C
Drainage Chalk, Loam, Sand; moist but well-drained or well-drained; low-nitrogen soils preferred (high-N promotes leafiness over seed production)
Lifecycle annual
Edible parts seeds

Soil & Growing Conditions

A deep red flowering quinoa plant — “QUINUA REAL variedad sin identificar (3) UYUNI-POTOSÍ” by PeñayLillo is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“QUINUA REAL variedad sin identificar (3) UYUNI-POTOSÍ” by PeñayLillo is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Soil pH range

5.5 8

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Growth Stages

Purple quinoa flower heads growing in a field — “Red quinoa plants” by Michael Hermann is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Red quinoa plants” by Michael Hermann is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Stage BBCH Notes
Sowing 0 Propagate by seed; seedlings do poorly in cold conditions, so delay planting out from seed trays until after the last spring frost (RHS, Homes and Gardens).
Leaf growth 3 Grows quickly upright to 1.5-2.5m tall, in full sun -- cannot grow in shade (RHS, Homes and Gardens).
Flowering 6 In flower July to August; tolerates light frosts but flower heads are damaged by frost and very cold weather (Homes and Gardens).
Seed ripening and harvest 8 Seeds ripen August to September, harvestable after flowering (Homes and Gardens, RHS).

Harvest & Storage

Mature golden-red quinoa seed heads ready for harvest — “Quinoa growing on Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca” by Bob Ramsak is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Quinoa growing on Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca” by Bob Ramsak is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to pick: Quinoa dries down in the field; harvest when leaves have fallen and seed heads feel dry and firm, usually early fall; average time from planting to harvest is approximately 120 days; pollen may become sterile or seed death may occur above 95°F (35°C) during flowering

Diseases

Tall rows of quinoa plants growing in a field — “Productive quinoa real plant” by Michael Hermann is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Productive quinoa real plant” by Michael Hermann is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quinoa downy mildew

Peronospora variabilis

Pests

A deep red flowering quinoa plant — “QUINUA REAL variedad sin identificar (3) UYUNI-POTOSÍ” by PeñayLillo is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“QUINUA REAL variedad sin identificar (3) UYUNI-POTOSÍ” by PeñayLillo is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lygus bug

Lygus spp.

Aphididae (various spp.)

Plan your Quinoa planting

Timing for Quinoa follows soil temperature and frost, not the calendar date. The Global vegetable planting calendar explains the method. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Quinoa in another region

Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

Sources

  3. A secondary gardening reference rather than a university or horticultural authority, used only for flowering/ripening timing and cold-sensitivity detail RHS's basic profile does not cover, not contradicted by it. Native to the Andes Mountains. Best grown in cool, dry, upland conditions; may not produce seed if temperatures are too hot; cannot grow in shade. Seedlings do poorly in cold conditions -- delay planting out from seed trays until after the last spring frost. In flower July to August, seeds ripen August to September. Tolerates light frosts, but flower heads are damaged by frost and very cold weather.

These 3 sources are specific to this region. The full list of 7 sources behind this guide (FAO EcoCrop, GBIF, Homes and Gardens and others) is in the references of our UK guide to quinoa; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What soil pH does quinoa need?

A pH of about 5.5–8. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.

What problems affect quinoa?

Our data links 1 disease and 2 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.

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SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing. How we check our facts.

How this guide is put together

The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against international horticultural research and extension sources. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.

Vegetable Growing Guides

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Last verified 2026-08-29

Related guides

More from the same group (grains & pseudo-grains):

Relevant next steps

Where To Go From Here

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