Greens in the Summer Heat

tlintx · September 7, 2013

Just wanted to report that I had decent success with the greens I experimented with this summer.

My goal was to grow "cut and come again" style greens for salads, not heads or full grown plants. In our heat and humidity, most of what I considered salad wouldn't even germinate.

I started seeds for transplant in mid-June in a shady outside spot. When I transplanted those seedlings a few weeks later, I also direct seeded. I used some 6" deep "trough" herb SWCs in afternoon shade, morning sun, and a raised bed in full sun (very little watering).

Komatsuna. The clear standout. Germinated easily, grew well in the trough SWCs or raised beds, and stayed relatively mildew free.

Tokyo Bekana. Germinated well and grew well in the SWCs, but not at all in the full sun location. Otherwise, almost as hearty as the komatsuna, but a lot of the crop was unusuable due to mildew.

"Spicy" Mesclun Mix (from the Sample Seed Shop). A great mixed crop, with what looked like mizuna? Very attractive and hardy, given that I grew it in a 9x13x3 tub over August.

Swiss Chard. I had poor germination, and about half of what did start died. But the survivors are just about ready for harvest. So next year I'll start it a lot earlier, in the spring, and plant a lot more!

Cabbage, Tronchuda. Not sure what this IS actually, but I'm going to try it in a stirfry tonight. Nothing seemed to bother it much -- poor soil, infrequent watering, full sun.

Misc Greens. I put kale, indian mustard, chioggia beets, and 7-top turnips in a couple of the trough SWCs. I'm not sure how well they would do in August, but they were fine for leaf harvest during June and July.

I'm glad to be going into lettuce season again, but it was fun to see if I could keep us in salads over the summer, too! Are there any good, heat tolerant greens I missed?

September 7, 2013	#1
tlintx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: SeTx Posts: 881	Greens in the Summer Heat Just wanted to report that I had decent success with the greens I experimented with this summer. My goal was to grow "cut and come again" style greens for salads, not heads or full grown plants. In our heat and humidity, most of what I considered salad wouldn't even germinate. I started seeds for transplant in mid-June in a shady outside spot. When I transplanted those seedlings a few weeks later, I also direct seeded. I used some 6" deep "trough" herb SWCs in afternoon shade, morning sun, and a raised bed in full sun (very little watering). Komatsuna. The clear standout. Germinated easily, grew well in the trough SWCs or raised beds, and stayed relatively mildew free. Tokyo Bekana. Germinated well and grew well in the SWCs, but not at all in the full sun location. Otherwise, almost as hearty as the komatsuna, but a lot of the crop was unusuable due to mildew. "Spicy" Mesclun Mix (from the Sample Seed Shop). A great mixed crop, with what looked like mizuna? Very attractive and hardy, given that I grew it in a 9x13x3 tub over August. Swiss Chard. I had poor germination, and about half of what did start died. But the survivors are just about ready for harvest. So next year I'll start it a lot earlier, in the spring, and plant a lot more! Cabbage, Tronchuda. Not sure what this IS actually, but I'm going to try it in a stirfry tonight. Nothing seemed to bother it much -- poor soil, infrequent watering, full sun. Misc Greens. I put kale, indian mustard, chioggia beets, and 7-top turnips in a couple of the trough SWCs. I'm not sure how well they would do in August, but they were fine for leaf harvest during June and July. I'm glad to be going into lettuce season again, but it was fun to see if I could keep us in salads over the summer, too! Are there any good, heat tolerant greens I missed?