Greens, Glorious Greens!

The season for leafy greens is here! Due to a long growing season that lasts from fall through spring, we here in the south can look forward to growing and eating all of the leafy greens we want.

Growing

All greens prefer full sun and well-drained soil, so this will mean raised beds if you have clay soil. Greens also have beautiful leaves, so try mixing them in your decorative beds. For fall and winter crops, we like to start planting in late August, but due to our mild fall you can plant through November.
Green seeds are tiny, so take care not drop too many in one spot or cover with too much soil. Just a dusting of soil is enough, as the seeds need light to germinate. If you accidently plant to many causing crowding, thin them when they reach about 4 inches. Eat the one’s you pull up in salads. Harvest most leaves when they get to the size you want by clipping the outer leaves at the base, except cabbages for which you harvest the whole head. New leaves will grow keeping you with a fresh supply throughout the growing season.


Leafy greens can sometimes be plagued by flea beetles which chew small round holes in the leaves, cabbage loopers (caterpillars that eat leaves from the edges down), or aphids. To control loopers, apply Bacillus Thuringiensis which is a natural control. For flea beetles and aphids try a hard spray of water to wash them off leaves. If you begin to see lady bugs on aphid infested leaves, leave them alone and let the lady bugs take care of the problem.
Let’s take a look at what type of green veggies we can grow during this season.

Mustards, Turnips, Kale, and Collards

If you are a true Southerner, you grew up eating these staples of southern cooking. A steaming plate of anyone of these (some people even mix them all together) and a side of corn bread equaled dinner in many Texas households. Mustards and turnips both have thinner, tenderer leaves than collards. Mustards get their name from the spicy taste of their leaves which have a more pronounced mustard flavor when eaten raw. The roots of turnip greens are also edible. Turnips are old fashioned vegetables, which are often overlooked now days, but are full of fiber, antioxidants, vitamin C, and are low in calories.

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