Growing leafy greens
Unfavourable weather conditions, and subsequent shortages with high prices for staples such as lettuce, has forced a rethink on growing our own leafy greens.
The recent, and more commonly occurring, extreme weather events have been yet another wakeup call to us humans that climate change is making our living environment more unpredictable.
One of the consequences of the recent heavy rainfall events was the detrimental impact on the growing of fresh food, and the subsequent supply issues and ridiculously high prices for staple food items such as lettuce.
Soft-leaved salad and stir-fry vegetables are susceptible to excessive and constant moisture on their leaves, and when rainfall lasts for more than a few days, they will tend to be affected by leaf diseases.
Couple this with cold to freezing temperatures and inaccessible, muddy paddocks and the supply chain is interrupted at the source.
During this shortage, it wasn’t a surprise to find nurseries depleted of leafy greens and lettuce seedlings and seeds.
This shortage is still evident right up to this current day, so it’s a good time to have a squiz at growing common and not-socommon leafy green vegies in your patch, both annual and perennial varieties.
Let’s start with the ubiquitous lettuce (Asteraceae family – Genus Lactuca).
No doubt the most widely consumed and grown of the lettuce group are the “crisphead” types, often called iceberg lettuce.
These lettuces boast solid hearts formed by crisp, crunchy light green leaves.
They’re best grown in the cooler regions, or during the cooler months in warmer regions, as some varieties may “bolt” (run to seed early) or rot during prolonged hot periods.
Varieties preferring cool temperatures include ‘Winter Triumph Iceberg’ and ‘Red Iceberg’, while ‘Great Lakes’ and ‘Yatesdale’ should be tolerant of the warmer months and regions – 12 weeks to maturity.
Butterhead lettuce don’t form the really tight heads of crispheads but are widely grown as they don’t tend to bolt in warmer climates.
Many have a nutty flavour and can have green or reddish leaves.
Look for ‘Buttercrunch’, ‘All Year Round’, ‘Tennis Ball’, and “Mignonette’ (red and green) – 9-10 weeks to maturity.
Cos or Romaine lettuce are probably the most sought-after varieties as they grow quickly and take up less room in vegie patches.
They are characterised by forming elongated heads of crispy, mid-green, nutty-tasting leaves, some of which can be harvested while the lettuce is growing.
Best varieties are ‘Parris Island’, ‘Little Gem’, ‘Freckles’ and ‘Brown Romaine’ – 1011 weeks to harvest.
Loose-leaf lettuces have grown in popularity as they can be harvested gradually through their growing period by removing a few outer leaves at a time.
They don’t form hearts and are generally heat resistant and can be grown all year.
Great loose-leaf varieties are ‘Red Tango’, ‘Darwin’, ‘Australian Yellow Leaf’, ‘Frilly Mix’ and ‘Goldrush’.
Remember to add plenty of organic matter when preparing a lettuce patch and provide consistent moisture as the plants grow to prevent bolting and bitterness.
Always water around the base of lettuce plants and avoid wetting the leaves.
There are many leafy greens in the Brassica family (Brassicaceae) that add a peppery flavour to salads and other dishes.
They are sometimes known as mustard greens.
Mizuna is regarded as the mildest of the mustard greens.
It’s more tolerant of temperature extremes but does best in autumn and spring.
Maturity happens quickly, usually in as little as six weeks.
Leaves can be harvested as the plant grows or as a clump on maturity.
They grow best in partial shade and need consistent moisture through the warmer months.
Look for Mizuna ‘Red and Lime Streaks’.
Salad rocket (or arugula) is also a mustard green, boasting both a nutty and peppery flavour.
It’s fast growing and prefers all the same conditions as mizuna.
Soil needs to be moist and enriched with compost, manure or organic fertiliser to produce leaves that aren’t too bitter.
It’s regarded as an annual plant and can self-seed easily if left to flower and fruit.
A more unusual salad leaf vegie is sorrel (Rumex acetosa), an herbaceous perennial with tangy, lemony leaves.
It’s tolerant of a wide range of soils but needs to be kept moist in full sun or part shade. Fresh leaves are harvested to add zest to salads or fish dishes.
The leaves can also be used in soups and stews.
It may die down in winter and the clump is best divided every few years.
Self-seeding every spring in my patch every year is Malabar or Ceylon spinach, Basella alba.
In our climate, it dies down in winter, but may continue to grow in subtropical or tropical regions.
Being a climbing plant, it’ll need a frame or trellis up to 1.8m high.
In my garden the plants disappear during winter, but having dropped copious seed in late
summer, they reappear in mid to late spring to produce vines that bear small, spinach-like leaves which are best picked young but regularly through the growing season.
One of the lowest maintenance perennial leaf vegies is Okinawa spinach (Gynura crepiodes).
Sometimes called Hong tsoi, this plant is more closely related to lettuce than spinach.
It will need a warm, sunny spot in our region for year-round production, thriving in a wetter subtropical climate such as Brisbane.
Leaves and young shoot tips are eaten raw in salads and have a crisp, nutty flavour with a hint of pine.
They can also be lightly steamed or used in stir fries, stews, soups and even fried as tempura. It’ll need consistent moisture to grow well and can be an attractive plant in an ornamental garden as well.
GARDEN CUTTINGS
I am available for garden consultations and would love to help you with plant selection, identification, soil health, plant health, irrigation and design ideas. Please contact me at wellsleyhorticultural@gmail.com, or via my Facebook page – Wellsley Horticulture.