Venturing into greens! Any experience/comments on these?

[nctomatoman]

We are enjoying eating greens (young ones in salads, more mature ones in stir fries) more and more each year - I think we are as excited about the beet greens as we are about the beets themselves.

So to expand our selection of lettuce, chard and Russian Kale, Spinach and Arugula, I've ordered a selection of interesting sounding greens from Johnnys -

Purple Mizuna
Red Mustard
Magenta Spreen
Osaka Purple Mustard
Red Choi F1
Upland Cress
Yukima Savoy
Radiccio Chiogga Red Preco #1
Kumatsuna Summerfest F1
Broccoli Rabe

has anyone tried some or all or any of these? Easy to grow? Harvest tips? Ones they particularly like or don't like?

[Suze]

I'm growing Magenta Spreen. I got a plant from Bob, who attended our tomato tasting last year and brought several of these plants in gallon pots to share. I got around to planting it about mid-July, and it got close to 6' tall before frost.

I let it bloom and go to seed towards the end of the year, but never collected the seed. No problem - it resowed itself just fine, and I now have all these babies coming up.

We've used it in salads a couple of times. It's also good steamed.

Pretty plant, easy care, moderate water needs.

[tjg911]

many if not all of these are in the mustard family. i have grown many different varieties of asian greens from the mustard family years ago, some you mentioned and some you did not. if you have flea beetles then you'll really make them happy. i gave up on all these, i like them but they are decimated by flea beetles and not worth the trouble. i have a packet of tatsoi that i bought a few years back but never planted as i know what will happen. i've fallen back to beet greens and swiss chard as these aren't bothered by flea beetles. i never tried frc that might help.

tom

[saltmarsh]

Life is full of surprizes and some are good. Last fall I planted Purple Top Rutabagas for the first time. I planted them a little too thick, so when they were about 4 inches tall I thinned them and cooked the greens. They are the best greens you'll find anywhere. I continued to cook the rutabega greens throughout the winter and into the spring and the flavor stayed the same. They're good with the rutabagas diced in as well.

Pick a grocery bag of leaves, remove the stems and wash in cold water 4 times. I normally fry 4 slices of bacon until crisp using a 4 quart pan. Remove the bacon and add a quart of water and salt and pepper to taste, bring to a boil and add the greens to the pot. Cover with a lid and allow to cook down for a minute or two, then add the rest. Bring back to a boil, then reduce to a slow boil and cook covered for an hour or more. A pone of cornbread and a slice of fresh onion and you're on your way to a meal. Claud

[mensplace]

If you are going to grow greens in the south, you will need to get them in the ground ASAP. Many of my cole, brassicas, and Chinese veggies are all beginning to bolt due to the 85 degree temps. Too, many taste better in the cooler days of fall and winter. I love them all but many don't like summer. That said, collards generally do well when the others will not cooperate.

[Frog]

I grow Mizuna, it is a rapid grower and not quick to bolt, the leaves are still tasty even when it has bolted, it can be eaten young in salads or grow large and be cooked. It is tough as nails and easily survived temperatures down to 5°F this winter. When it starts to set seed you can eat the flower heads which have a tasty peppery flavour. There are many oriental greens eaten with the flower stalks attached, it doesn't mater if they start to flower as long as you eat them before they pod up.

[nctomatoman]

So far, so good - the only thing near bolting is arugula....we are using the mustards and mizuna and rabe with chard and kale as stir fried greens...waiting a bit for the savoy and choi to get a bit bigger before we start using it....no flea beetle issues at all.

Experiment thus far a success! We made it to first week in June last year before the lettuce bolted.

one thing that surprises me is how long it is taking for the garlic to scape and bulb...picked an Ajo Rojo yesterday, looks like a scallion - and the foliage is yellowing a bit. The German White Hardy is still very green.

Beets and radishes still tiny (bulb wise), though the greens are tasty!

[slo-toma]

I adore greens ... and they are so healthy (I've read the book Green for life by Boutenko). Lorelay, Matador and Bloomesdale long standing spinach are already growing, later I'll sow different kales, bok choi, pak choi, mizuna, mustard (Miike), komatsuna etc. I made a little shopping spree on ebay and bought some interesting asian greens.

[tuttamatta]

Suze,
I like the sound of that plant, who is Bob?
I'm planning (with my friend Geri) to come to the Tomato festival in Washington on the Brazos next month and would love to have some too if he's coming and bringing some, maybe I could PM him if I knew his name.
Paola

[garnetmoth]

Sounds great saltmarsh!

I am trying komatsuna this year, and its planted a bit close but we both like the taste. I also got Komi shungiku salada (edible chrysanthemum) from Evergreen and they are nice and mild! I havent cooked them, but Ill pinch a leaf (Im trying to eat a few raw things from the garden every day) and munch away!

we love our kale, I just had a few plants overwinter but theyre podding like mad and we still have gotten some food from them.

I think I need to top dress the chard, its in slow motion (we have kept rabbits, lots of bunny beans to use!)

[mensplace]

Two days ago I made a batch of kimchee from a large batch of Pak Choi. It should be ready to go in jars in another two days, but not sure if I should process the jars as in other canning, or whether, like the saurkraut that still has another three weeks, it can be put into baggies and frozen. The Tatsoi, mustard, radishes, lettuces, arugula and several others have now bolted completely. Didn't care for the Tatsoi in salads! One bed of greens made some wonderful humus when tilled under for a bed of peanuts. BOTH should help that garden plot. The cabbages have amazed me this year and been a source of many a good meal, plenty of kraut, and several garden wagon loads of leaves for the compost pile. Still have plenty still coming. The kale is apparently unaffected by the heat thus far. DO wish I had done better with the Bok Choi. Frise must also be an acquired tase.