Huacatay

Huacatay is a Marigold that stands taller than me or you with very very small pale yellow flowers. The leaves are called "Black Mint." Peruvians use this herb to make a green sauce called Black Mint Paste, which is an essential ingredient in the potato, ají amarillo, peanut, cheese, and egg dish called ocopa. Many Peruvians, Ecuadorians, Chileans, and Bolivians in North America often look for this fresh herb - for a limited time, you can buy the seed from Truelove Seeds and grow your own! Also called Quinchihue, Chinchilla, and Chincho.  Days to maturity: 110 Seeds per pack: 200 Germination rate: 89% on 02/17/2025 Planting / harvesting notes Direct sow after last frost when soil is warm. Sow every 2-4", 1/8-1/4" deep, and thin to 12-24" per plant. In one part of our garden this year, we grew 12 plants that filled in a 30-foot row like a solid hedge. Water regularly until germination. Our past experience shows that germination can be spotty in the soil. We oversow and then move thinning