Chenopodium quinoa
Origin: Andes via Norway
Improvement status: Cultivar
Seeds per packet: ~150
Germination tested 11/2025: 77%
Life cycle: Annual
Developed in Norway, 'Stephe' is a tan-seeded quinoa with yellow flower heads, well-adapted to northern climates with their short seasons and shifting day-lengths (which is not at all typical for quinoa). Our seed was grown by our friend Aaron Parker, of Edgewood Nursery in Maine, which is not a place one would expect quinoa to grow, so you know this is a special variety. Like all quinoas, the plant will resemble the familiar weed lamb's quarters (both are in the Chenopodium genus) and also have edible leaves and stems. The seeds should be washed to rinse off saponins before cooking and eating.
Being domesticated in the Andes, quinoa is a high-altitude equatorial crop, so it has taken plant breeders many decades to develop varieties suited to be grown as far north as North America — and most of the folks working on it have been doing so in the Pacific Northwest, with its short winters, long shoulder seasons, and reliably dry summers, so the results of their breeding are not typically adaptable to most other parts of the US. We're excited about 'Stephe' as a good candidate for trialing throughout the Northeast, Midwest, Upper Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and even the Southeast. Please let us know how it does for you!
GROWING TIPS: Direct-sow after danger of frost, or start indoors a few weeks earlier, but do not allow plants to get root-bound or they will bolt.
