If the only “greens” you’ve tried is the big green head of no-taste lettuce from the grocery store, you need to expand your horizons. The past few years have seen an enormous growth in the variety of greens that are available to grow, at farmers markets and even in the grocery store.
Greens aren’t just fillers – they are actually very good for you. Depending on the kind, they are rich in beta carotene, vitamins A, B1, B2, C and E, and minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and potassium.
Along with lettuce, which can be loose-leaf, butterhead, crisp-head or romaine, other greens include kale, cabbage, mustard, mizuna, turnip, beet, endive, escarole, radicchio, spinach, chard, arugula, cress, sorrel, perilla, dandelion, orach, and mâche.
Greens grow best in rich, well-drained soil with plenty of nitrogen. The seed packet will give specific directions, but generally the seeds can be broadcast over the top of the soil and raked in lightly. They can be planted in late April, or even earlier if the soil is dry enough to plant. Most greens have a high germination rate, but seedlings that sprout too closely together can be thinned and used in salads as “baby greens.”
Warm days and cool nights produce the tastiest greens. Hot weather will cause them to bolt and go to seed, resulting in bitter-tasting leaves. A spot in the garden that gets afternoon shade would be a good place to plant greens so as to keep the plants from bolting a bit longer. Or you can rig up something to provide shade. One year I used a cheap wooden lattice structure. Another year I used an old white sheer curtain draped over some tomato cages. Both worked equally well, but the lattice looked a lot nicer in the garden.
To get more lettuce production before the days get too warm, any type of butterhead, crisp-head or romaine type can be started indoors in mid-March and transplanted to the garden during the last two weeks of April. Light frost will not hurt the plants, but cover them if a heavy frost is forecast.
Greens have shallow roots so the soil surface should be kept moist but not soggy. Like most plants, they need an inch of water a week from either rain or irrigation. To prevent disease, water on sunny mornings so the leaves can dry by evening. Drip irrigation or somehow watering without getting the leaves wet is even better.
If you don’t have space for a vegetable garden, most green can be grown in containers. They will likely need to be watered every day.
Greens are best harvested in the morning and immediately rinsed to remove their field heat. Store them loosely wrapped in plastic in the vegetable crisper section of the refrigerator.
Some greens are not green, but are actually red, yellow or white. You can buy gourmet mixes of seeds called mesclun mixes that will make your greens bed and salad bowl as pretty as a rich tapestry.
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