Growing Greens
How to Grow Greens
Prepare Site
Greens like well-worked soil with lots of organic
material. Use a garden fork to work a mixture of humus and composted
manure deep into the soil. Add approximately one cup of slow-release
fertilizer to cover a 4' x 9' garden bed and work it into the soil.
Cultivate Greens
Plant Seeds
Greens can be sown in the ground as soon as it can be
worked in early spring. Plant seeds 1/2" deep and 2" apart in rows
spaced at least 18" apart. Cover the seeds with soil and water well.
Place row markers to indicate which variety of greens was planted where.
Cover the bed with a floating row cover to speed up germination.
When seedlings sprout, thin plants to one every 8" by
cutting them off at ground level with clean shears. As the weather warms
and the greens grow larger, remove the row covers. Water plants during
extended dry periods to maintain adequate moisture levels. Keep a
constant lookout for pests like aphids and cabbage worms, removing and
destroying them as quickly as possible.
Harvest Greens
Harvest Greens
Greens generally reach maturity in 40 to 70 days. Harvest
just the leaves you wish to eat from the outside of the plants. If
plants grow so large that they begin to touch, harvest entire heads to
make room. Harvest entire plants before the heat of summer decreases the
flavor and quality of the leaves.
Turnip greens are easy to grow in any well-drained soil. Set out turnip green plants 2 to 4 weeks before the last frost in spring and from late August to October for a fall crop in most areas. In zones 9 and 10 they can be planted throughout fall and winter.
Frost actually improves the flavor of collard greens. Collard greens planting may also be done in early spring for a summer harvest, but adequate moisture is necessary for collards greens growing successfully in summer heat. A member of the cabbage family, collard greens growing in the heat may bolt.
It takes about 10 to 12 plants of mustard greens to supply two people with fresh greens plus extra to freeze and use during warmer weather. Mustard grows fast, so you can begin picking leaves in about 4 weeks, when the leaves are 6 to 8 inches long. Left alone, leaves reach their full size of 15 to 18 inches long in about 6 weeks
Seed Germination. Collard seeds take four to 10 days to germinate and emerge from the soil. The seeds germinate in soil anywhere between 45 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. You can check the soil temperature using a soil thermometer by inserting it into the top two inches of the soil before planting.
Turnip greens are easy to grow in any well-drained soil. Set out turnip green plants 2 to 4 weeks before the last frost in spring and from late August to October for a fall crop in most areas. In zones 9 and 10 they can be planted throughout fall and winter.
Frost actually improves the flavor of collard greens. Collard greens planting may also be done in early spring for a summer harvest, but adequate moisture is necessary for collards greens growing successfully in summer heat. A member of the cabbage family, collard greens growing in the heat may bolt.
It takes about 10 to 12 plants of mustard greens to supply two people with fresh greens plus extra to freeze and use during warmer weather. Mustard grows fast, so you can begin picking leaves in about 4 weeks, when the leaves are 6 to 8 inches long. Left alone, leaves reach their full size of 15 to 18 inches long in about 6 weeks
Seed Germination. Collard seeds take four to 10 days to germinate and emerge from the soil. The seeds germinate in soil anywhere between 45 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. You can check the soil temperature using a soil thermometer by inserting it into the top two inches of the soil before planting.
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