Friday, April 13, 2012

Tips for growing cold weather greens and Salad Bowls

Our "salad bowl" planters are ready to put on your deck or porch. Here are some quick tips.
Buy one before Mid-May, as they love cold weather and won't be bothered by frost, but do not do well in heat. Harvest about half of each plant when the plant is around 6" high or so. Lettuce will be fairly long-lasting if you keep using it. Harvest often, by pinching off outer, bigger leaves.
Here are a few veggies that may be in your bowl:
  • Mustard (Osaka purple, mizuna or komatsuna, ruby streaks): short-lived, eat leaves while small.
  • Kale and chard: eat leaves while small, do not let it get big or it will take over the whole bowl.
  • Spinach or Arugula: short-lived, eat small young leaves.
  • Chives: a long-lived perennial. Harvest by clipping or pinching. Replant outdoors when bowl is done.
  • Garlic Greens (sometimes marked by a stick if they haven't come up yet) Pinch off leaves and use in salads or with rice, eggs, stirfries, soup, etc. Bulbs will be tiny and not fully formed- not worth waiting for.
  • Italian Red Bunching Onions - eat green part, or wait and use little bulbs like scallions
Keep the bowl well-watered in a place where it gets at least a half day of sun. It will probably be finished growing in June. Bowls can be re-used for years or returned to us.