Leafy greens are an excellent source of folate, an essential vitamin which supports heart health and prevents certain birth defects. Furthermore, these vegetables also supply vitamin K, potassium and dietary fiber for overall good health. As soon as symptoms appear, it’s essential to identify which nutrient may be lacking and when this happened. Examining older leaves (lower foliage) vs younger leaves (upper foliage) will allow you to narrow down which is deficient and identify which nutrients need supplementing. Phosphorus Deficiency Phosphate is an electrolyte essential to bone development and energy production in our bodies, and may lead to mild hypophosphatemia …
Germinating Lettuce Seeds in Warm Weather Without Frustration
When it comes to lettuce and other crops that require outcrossing, one plant alone cannot maintain enough genetic diversity for gardeners to achieve genetic balance. That’s why they thin seedlings as they develop. The “shake method” involves shaking seedheads to harvest only high quality lettuce seed. Once seedheads ripen, they’re placed leaned over containers and vigorously shaken in order to collect maximum yielding seedheads for harvesting. Soil Preparation If the weather is hot and dry and you plan on sowing lettuce seeds, take some precautions beforehand to help them germinate more rapidly and be less vulnerable to heat and drought …
How to Wash and Dry Salad Greens So They Stay Crisp
Sturdy greens such as kale and spinach can quickly turn limp when improperly stored. Here are a few useful tips from an expert to extend the shelf life of lettuce, arugula, and other leafy greens. Work in small batches when drying greens to ensure they dry evenly without clumping together. Washing Greens are among the most perishable vegetables, making their preservation a serious challenge. Selecting high quality greens from reliable suppliers is key, while proper preparation can extend their shelf life significantly. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert from Kerrville, Texas noted that one key to keeping greens crisp and …
Companion Herbs and Edible Flowers For a Better Salad Garden
Flowers bring flavor, beauty, and connection to our gardens in many forms – whether sprinkled onto salads or steeped in tea. A single chive blossom can brighten a simple bowl of greens while calendula petals add splashes of color to rice dishes. Combine herbs and flowers that thrive during cool seasons with leafy greens for an healthier and more flavorful garden. Alliums like onions and chives emit an aromatic scent that repels nematodes while cilantro and dill flowers attract pollinators while increasing tomato production. Lettuce and Herbs If you want to create your own spring salad garden, try combining herbs, …
Starting Salad Greens Indoors For Early Harvests
Many leafy greens such as arugula, mizuna and spinach grow well from seed. However, other salad plants like kale, southern mustard greens, and Swiss chard should be started from plant starts found at local nurseries or farmers markets. Salad garden plants need regular and even watering; otherwise they become waterlogged and will dry out completely. Flooded or overwatered gardens should also be avoided for maximum success. Lettuce No matter if it is armloads of baby leaves or big crisp heads lettuce that you prefer, growing fresh salad greens requires only minimal planning and care. From seed or transplants, lettuce is …
Fast Growing Salad Add ins
Fastest growing salad plants share several characteristics, including short days to maturity, tolerance of cooler weather conditions and ability to regrow quickly after being cut. For optimal results sow seeds directly in your garden. Mulch with nitrogen-rich materials such as shredded leaves, unsprayed grass clippings or alfalfa hay (lucerne). Water regularly. Radishes Radishes (Raphanus sativus) are fast-growing cool season vegetables with long succulent taproots that range in size from small spring varieties to larger winter types, boasting bright, crisp peppery flesh. There is also an assortment of colors available. Spring radish varieties grow quickly in even small spaces, ready to …
Salad Garden Planting Calendar For Spring and Fall
Growing salad greens doesn’t require being an experienced gardener – even with a single stock tank (commonly referred to as cattle trough), you could end up with enough lettuce and other leafy veggies to last an entire year! Salad plants require regular, consistent irrigation to stay alive, otherwise they risk drying out quickly and withering away. Without enough moisture in their roots, salad plants quickly wither away without adequate care being given to their care. Lettuce Leafy greens such as lettuce are quickly grown once the temperatures cool off, providing a source of essential vitamins and nutrients. Many are available …
Lettuce – Spacing Airflow and Disease Prevention Tips
Lettuce thrives in cool conditions and can tolerate light frost without suffering damage, while its leaves also offer resistance against powdery mildew and downy mildew. To protect your lettuce plants from insects and pests, install tulle fabric or garden mesh immediately after sowing to cover the planting area. This porous material allows sunlight to enter while keeping out birds, weeds and other nuisances that might damage it. Space Lettuce Plants Away From Other Vegetables Lettuce plants are easy to cultivate in raised beds or containers. Unfortunately, however, their vulnerability makes them prime targets for pests; especially if they are the …
How to Grow Arugula, Spinach and Other Quick Salad Leaves
Eruca sativa, better known by its scientific name Arugula, is a cool-season green. If the temperature gets too warm for its liking, Arugula will bolt, or produce seeds without further growth of leaves. For optimal results, plant arugula at the front of your garden along with interrrupters like parsley and chives that will prevent pests from eating your greens. This combination will deter them from nibbling your greens! Planting Arugula seeds germinate quickly, but as they develop it is necessary to thin seedlings out to prevent overcrowding – consult the seed packet for guidance in terms of spacing. Once established, …
Growing Salad Greens in a Container
Container gardening allows you to try new varieties and extend your harvest season, as well as providing an easier solution when you cannot plant outdoors. Salad plants are cool season crops that thrive when planted from seed in September or October. Container gardening allows you to easily cultivate them as long as you use an appropriate size and type of pot. Watering Salad greens are easy to cultivate in limited space and, with regular fertilization, can produce multiple harvests. Use a container with drainage holes and fill it with leafy vegetable-specific potting soil; layer a high nitrogen mulch like un-sprayed …