Growing Greens!

By Margaret K. van Wassenaer, M.P.A.
Secretary

Greens such as lettuces, spinach, kale, collards, Swiss chard, etc., are easy to grow and a nutritious addition to your diet. In the mid-Atlantic region, you can start them from seed in the first week of March and then transplant them outside in the first week of April.

Start seeds in small pots, or specifically designed seed starting trays like in the picture below.

Seeds need lots of nutrients to get a healthy start, so using seed starting mix may be a good option, or find lightweight, moisture-retaining soil that will allow seeds to sprout easily, such as potting soil with bits of coconut coir.  Peat moss is increasingly less recommended since as peat moss is harvested from bogs it releases carbon dioxide which is a key driver of global warming!

 After about a month, greens are ready to be transplanted outside. You can see in the photos below how the plants have grown to take up most of their cells in their trays. You don’t want to wait too long to transplant as the root systems will become very dense, but be careful about checking whether any late season frosts or freezes are expected before putting your baby plants outside.

Raised beds are a great option for planting greens in small spaces or patios. The photo below shows newly planted greens.

After a few weeks outside the plants will have grown to the size shown to the right. You can start to take some leaves from plants at this time, or wait until they are larger. If you want your greens to last through the summer, only cut a few leaves from each plant at a time so that the plant has time to grow new leaves.