Greens

April 22, 2009

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‘Mascara’ Lettuce Seedling

I often allow some of my lettuce plants on the roof to bolt and go to seed in the late summer heat. They look beautiful and eventually produce seeds that can be collected for next year.

‘Mascara’ is a vivid, red oakleaf variety that comes back up on its own in the spring. I do collect the seeds, but since it sows itself I tend to just give them all away. I find the tiny seedlings popping up in pots scattered around the roof and carefully transplant each one where I want them. Free food! And all from one plant that I let go a few years back.

This is the first seedling that popped up this year. I thought the nasty snowstorm a while back would kill it, but its still kicking. Tough little thing.

More about ‘Mascara’ lettuce here

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March 11, 2009

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Growing Food on a Windowsill – Microgreens

Winter is slowly coming to an end around here and it is nearly time to start lettuce outdoors. Until then I’ve been growing and harvesting small batches of micro-sized greens on my windowsill as a way to keep some salad fixings coming through the darkest and longest days of winter.

Microgreens are tender and tangy lettuce and mustard greens that are chopped off young, usually when they are only an inch or so high at the most and barely a few weeks old. They’re smaller and younger than baby greens, which tend to be harvested later when the plants have grown a good three inches tall or more.

It is this short growth span that makes microgreens possible to produce on even the darkest windowsills through the dingiest months of the year. Even the most beginner seed starter can take this growing project on since the plants only need to be kept alive for a few weeks tops. Unlike growing full-sized plants, it’s not the end of the world if they grow a little leggy (thin and stretchy) in the process.

Lettuce Greens to Try

Give yourself a break on the first time out by growing readymade storebought mixes that come in mild or spicy combinations. Some companies sell mixes that include the word microgreen on the package but any salad or mesclun mix can be grown this way. I like Urban Harvest’s Oriental Salad Mix (has a slight kick) and the Mild Mix prepared by Botanical Interests. Once you’ve got a taste for what you like try making your own mixes. It’s more cost effective and you can tailor make mixes that leave out any greens that don’t suit your taste buds.

Spicy: Peppergrass cress, ‘Giant Red’ mustard, radish, arugula, daikon radish, and ‘Wrinkled Crinkled’ cress.

Mild and Tangy: Tatsoi, mizuna, kale, lettuce, miner’s lettuce, and minutina.

How to Grow

They’re not particularly attractive, but I grow mine in recycled plastic takeaway containers and clamshell packaging. They’re always on hand and tend to be the right size for the windowsill. To prepare, simply punch 5 or 7 drainage holes (I always go for odd numbers) into the bottom of a 9″ x 7″ package using an awl, sharp pair of scissors, or knife. Fill ‘er up with well-moistened container mix, potting soil, or seed-starting mix to within an inch or so from the top. Evenly distribute a thin layer of seeds, sprinkling them over the soil surface with about 1/8″ to 1/4″ of space between them. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil, about 1/8″ deep. Set it in the sunniest window you’ve got with the lid of the clamshell placed underneath as a drip tray. Water in well to get them germinating.

Sprouts at about the one week mark.

Keep the soil moist like a wrung-out sponge but not soaking wet. To avoid over-watering, dunk out any water that is still in the drip tray within an hour of watering. Microgreens can be harvested with a pair of scissors in 1 1/2-2 weeks depending on how large you want to grow them. I generally let mine grow until the moment their first set of “true leaves” begin to peek out. The first leaves you see are called “seed leaves” since they are actually a part of the seed. “True leaves” are the second set to appear and often look very different than the seed leaves.

Starting Again

Unfortunately, unlike when growing baby-sized and mature greens, you can not grow a second crop from the same stems. This is because the plants you are harvesting are essentially sprouts. Second crops grow from the upper part of the stem above the leaves, and these are harvested on the lower part of the stem below the leaves. The bad news is that you will have to start over with fresh seeds to produce another crop. The good news is that you can reuse the pot and soil if there were no problems with disease or pests on the first go-around.

To prepare for another crop, simply yank the remaining roots and stems out of the soil, toss them in the compost bin, and till the remaining soil with a fork. Sprinkle on a fresh layer of seeds, top it with a thin layer of soil and the process is begun anew.

Start a second crop of microgreens a few days to one week after the first set and you’ll have continuous crops ready for harvest through the winter.

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February 10, 2009

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Getting My Seeds Lined Up in a Row

It feels like I’m going to be able to be more forthcoming with the garden projects I’ve got going on this year so I thought I would take advantage of the freedom by posting all the seeds I buy or acquire by trade, gifts, etc.

When I bought bean seeds the other day I also purchased some assorted vegetable seed but decided against posting about them there to keep the post on topic. In the meantime a pack of Gourmet Mesclun Asian Baby Leaf (Phew that was a mouthful) seeds arrived in a press packet from Renee’s Garden. Packets of lettuce and greens never go to waste around here! I’ve had “Get some greens started on the windowsill” on my to-do list for over a week now. It’s way too early to get them going outdoors around here just yet, but there should be enough sunlight to pull off a crop of micro-greens.

When I think about it, it’s kind of amazing that I’ve managed to acquire this many seeds so early without having given barely a thought to what I will be doing in the garden this year. Perhaps this garden season will take inspiration from my trip to Cuba and just be about going with the flow.

What I Got:

‘Matt’s Wild Cherry’ Tomato – This is a classic, super prolific and easy to grow wild variety. I’m fairly certain I’ve been growing these in my community garden plot where I inherited a crop of tomatoes that self-seed every year. This is most likely the plant I have permanently tattooed on my arm so I figured it was time to try and solve the mystery once and for all. I could have easily acquired these in trade if I’d had the patience to wait half a second, but…. I don’t. So I didn’t.
‘Sparkler’ Radish – I’m always on the lookout for a good radish contender for container growing and figured this round ‘French Breakfast’ alike might just fit the bill. And since I’m a fan of that elegant two-tone variety it was hard to pass up a rounded version.
‘Golden Detroit’ Beet – I generally don’t grow beets since we can get them cheaply enough at the farmer’s market but how could I pass up a variety with such a glam rock vibe about it? Come to think about it, these last two plants could fit into a disco theme seed collection. Anyways, this variety is golden with golden veining. It kind of reminds me of ‘Golden’ Swiss Chard, another beauty.

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March 17, 2008

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Seedy Saturday Haul 2008

Photo by Gayla Trail

Another Seedy Saturday Toronto has come and gone and like last year I managed, with great effort, to make it around to a few booths and pick up some seeds. The event was more packed than ever this year making it nearly impossible to leave my brother/assistant alone at the table for any length of time or push through the crowds lingering around some of the larger seed sellers. The sellers I did manage to get to were often sold out of items on my wanted list. And forget the Seeds of Diversity trading table. I had high hopes but only managed to snag a pack of red orach seeds. Next year I plan to employ the strategy of browsing during setup, BEFORE the crowds arrive. Next year.

Here’s what I managed to bring home with me:

Red Orach – A trade pack harvested from Jackman Public School’s Learning Garden.
‘Early Yellow Crookneck’ Squash – A trade with a You Grow Girl forums member. I thought I needed squash but then got home and realized I have several varieties in my stash. This is why I should have brought a list.
‘Dragon’ Carrot – Another trade that I already have. ‘Dragon’ is a beautiful purple carrot. If I had to choose I suppose I favour it over ‘Purple Haze’ although ‘Dragon’ would crumble in a Best Name competition.
Love Lies Bleeding – I’ve been trying to grow more amaranth over the last few years and ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ is a classic that never gets old.
‘Blue Spice’ Basil – Another trade. I don’t think I have grown this variety which is kind of amazing since I’d swear I have covered just about everything in the unusual basil category at least once.
‘Purple Calabash’ Tomato – I fell in love with its ugly beauty last year. I am planning to grow less tomatoes this year and have not finalized my list as-of-yet. Who gets cut will be the hardest decision I have to make this year.
Painted Lady Sweet Pea – I just love the fragrant sweetness of sweet pea flowers but tend to steer clear of them due to their attractiveness to aphids. I decided to try my luck and grow a few varieties this year. I can always pull them out if things get nasty. This variety really does look like the runner beans of the same name. I know it seems redundant to grow them when I can just grow the beans later in the season but I can’t cut those flowers and I am really craving cut sweet peas for my desk.
Persian Broad-Leaf Cress – I have grown a number of pepper cresses but like that this variety is described as milder than other cresses.
Tendergreen Mustard Green – I’m on a personal mission to try growing just about every salad green under the sun.
‘Queen Anne’s Pocket Melon’ aka ‘Plum Granny’ – I’m planning to grow some melon this year but admittedly this one was an impulse buy and not on the list. ‘Plum Grannies’ are tiny melons known for their intoxicating fruity smell. I can not resist a good back story and the story for these citrus-sized melons is that Victorian women carried them in their pockets to fight street stench. The thought of two of these in a breast pocket has me thinking about another derivative of the colloquial use of ‘melons.”
Swiss Chard ‘Ruby Red’ & ‘Golden Sunrise’ – I’ve grown the ‘Rainbow’ mix and other coloured varieties but these two are my favourites for their saturated colours that look so beautiful in containers of contrasting colour or as a burst of brightness tucked beside boring veggie varieties.
‘Selway’ Lettuce - Brightly coloured greens are another edible trick I employ to brighten dull corners and containers. Consequently I am always on the look out for a good red variety. We’ll see how these fair against ‘Lolla Rosa’ aka ‘Lollo Rosa’ which still reigns as my favourite red.
‘Cimmaron’ Romaine Lettuce – An unusual romaine with a deep, reddish purple hue.
‘Yugoslavian Red’ Butterhead Lettuce – A really beautiful butterhead variety with shades of green tinged by deep red.
‘Black Spanish’ Radish – I’m very curious about the flavour and how to eat this root vegetable.
‘Black Jet’ Soybean – I have to admit I bought these for the dark bean colour. I’ve had a lot of success with soybeans in containers on the roof but that dang groundhog just LOVES to eat the plants as they emerge from the soil at the community plot.