GARDENING : Turn Over a New Leaf--Then Eat It
Nothing against lettuce, mind you, but it’s not the only leafy green plant out there worth growing. Many other greens--such as kale, collards, Swiss chard, spinach and arugula--are easy to grow and do very well here during the winter months. Most taste sweetest when nipped by cold nights.
Although these vegetables have been around for centuries and are often eaten in other cultures, they’ve been overshadowed by lettuce in this country. But the tide is turning green, says Wendy Krupnick, horticultural adviser for Shepherd’s Garden Seeds in Felton, Calif.
“We are starting to rediscover leafy greens,” she says. “In conventional supermarkets, they didn’t used to carry vegetables like kale and collards, but now they’re quite common.”
This rising awareness of leafy greens can be attributed to an interest in ethnic cooking styles and healthy eating. Most greens pack a nutritional punch, with a higher vitamin, mineral and fiber content than lettuce.
Nurseries also now offer a wider variety of leafy green transplants and seeds, says Denis Loggins, manager of Laguna Nursery in Laguna Beach.
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Leaf crops that will thrive in your cool-weather garden include the following:
Arugula. Known as roquette in French, arugula has become popular recently. This green has a unique, sweet peppery flavor that sparks up salads. The notched leaves are ready to use when they reach two to three inches tall.
Collards. Long a favorite in the South, they flourish in cooler weather but can also withstand hot spells. These plants are hardy and grow to 2 1/2 feet tall, providing plenty to eat.
Dandelion greens. Seen as a pest in much of the United States, their tangy taste has been prized in France for hundreds of years. Some people feel they have medicinal properties. When harvested young and tender, they make a good salad addition. Older leaves should be steamed or sauteed after a quick blanching.
Kale. A staple in many European countries, it is cold-tolerant and tastes better if exposed to frost. With its decorative, fringed leaves, kale can also be used as an edible ornamental. Young leaves are tasty and tender; it can also be cooked.
Mache. This plant--also known as lamb’s lettuce, feldsalat and corn salad--has rounded, buttery flavored leaves that grow slowly. It does best in cool weather.
Mustard greens. Quick-growing, these plants can be ready to eat in as little as 35 days from seed. They have a peppery, pungent, mustard-like taste that is popular in many Asian and Southern dishes. If eaten raw, the leaves are best young and tender. They can also be steamed or sauteed .
Bok choy. Also called Chinese white cabbage, this is one of the better-known varieties of Oriental cabbages becoming popular in this country. Bok choy is the primary ingredient in foods such as chow mien, egg rolls and won-ton soup. Another cabbage, tat-soi, is good stir-fried and can also be eaten raw when the leaves are young and tender.
Sorrel. The perennial French plant makes a good addition to salads and coleslaws with its biting taste. Be careful to check this plant for pests such as slugs and snails, however, as they find it a good hiding place.
Spinach. Only grows well during cool months, when the days are short. A native of Persia, this green was enjoyed by Europeans for centuries before the Spaniards brought it to North America. Harvest spinach by pinching off outer leaves or cutting back the entire plant, which will regrow.
Swiss chard. This popular green grows well here in winter and summer. It comes in a standard white-stemmed variety and a striking crimson type. Chard has a mild flavor, contrasted with some other greens. It can be gently steamed, served raw in salads, sauteed , stir-fried or used as a substitute for spinach in casserole dishes. Chard grows to from two to 2 1/2 feet. Begin harvesting outer leaves when they are seven to nine inches tall.
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You can grow leaf crops from seed by planting them in the ground or starting them in containers and transplanting. There are advantages and disadvantages to each method.
Loggins suggests planting directly in the ground so you don’t put the plants through the needless shock of transplanting. Krupnick, on the other hand, says she has better luck with transplants.
“It’s harder for the seeds to germinate in the cold soil,” she says. “Rain may also wash away the seeds, or migrating birds could devour your tiny seedlings. I like to germinate my seeds indoors on a sunny window and transplant them.”
The time from seeding to harvest varies greatly for greens from as soon as 35 days to 60 or 70 days. In most cases, you can harvest outer leaves before plants reach maturity.
A full-sun location for leaf crops during winter is important. If your summer garden is shaded in the winter, find another spot. Because drying Santa Ana winds come sweeping through in winter, wind protection is also a good idea.
Keep leafy greens evenly moist. Letting them dry out or grow on the dry side will cause bitter crops, Loggins says.
Leaf crops need plenty of nitrogen. Loggins suggests cottonseed meal, which offers 6-2-1. This is a slow-release organic and needs only be applied every two months or so.
While pests and diseases are definitely fewer during winter months, leaf crops attract a handful of hungry critters. Some common pests include caterpillars, leaf miners, cabbage root maggots, slugs, snails and birds.
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Garden Grove gardener Frank Cusenza grows a wide variety of greens, including kale, mustard greens, collards, dandelion greens and tat-soi , in a 150-square-foot area of his yard.
To encourage his leaf crops to grow more quickly during winter, Cusenza mulches with black plastic and plants next to a white, south-facing wall. The plastic retains heat in the ground, which spurs root growth and keeps the soil most.
It’s best to keep a close eye on your plants, which will enable you to catch any problems before they become infestations, says Cusenza, who harvests from his garden every day.
“When I pick greens, I remove and kill any pests I find,” he says. “This stops any problems from starting.”
Lightweight row cover also works well to keep pests from infesting crops.
If a problem does get out of hand, several organic solutions are available. Bacillus thuringiensis is an organic, nontoxic control for caterpillars.
Organic solutions for slugs and snails include scattering ash or sand, which deters them. This must be replaced after a few waterings or rain, Loggins notes. Or try a new copper-coated bender board that gives slugs and snails an electric shock when they try crossing it.
Leaf crops can be harvested in one of three ways, Krupnick says. Remove outer leaves; wait until the plant is mature and harvest the entire thing, or use the “cut and come again” method, which means chopping the plant off to its crown and then letting it regrow.
Seed Sources
Transplants for many greens are often hard to find in nurseries, so your best bet is planting by seed, which most nurseries do carry. You can also find seed through mail-order companies, including the following.
* Kitazawa Seed Co., 1111 Chapman St., San Jose, CA 95126. (408) 243-1330
* Nichols Garden Nursery, 1190 North Pacific Highway, Albany, OR, 97321. (503) 928-9280
* Redwood City Seed Co., Box 361, Redwood City, CA 94064. (415) 325-7333
* Seeds of Change, P.O. Box 15700, Santa Fe, NM 87506-5700. (505) 438-8080
* Shepherd’s Garden Seeds, 6116 Highway 9, Felton, CA 95018. (408) 335-6910
* Stokes Seeds, P.O. Box 548, Buffalo, NY 14240-0548. (716) 695-6980
