The skinny about growing lettuce and other leafy greens

This spring has been an ideal climate in the mid-Atlantic for growing lettuce. Lettuce should be planted by seed in early spring. It thrives when the weather is cool in the evening and in the 70s during the daytime. Other leafy greens love this weather as well. This spring my spinach, kale, and Swiss chard are thriving.

The secret to producing delicious greens in your garden is knowing when to harvest them. A common mistake is to leave the plant untouched and wait to harvest the leaves until the plant is large and bolting. Bolting means that the interior of the plant shoots up and starts to flower. When this happens, the plant is finished producing tasty leaves and they get bitter and inedible. Start harvesting the outer leaves of the plants by cutting off the exterior leaves with scissors and leaving the plant to produce new leaves from the center. Once mother nature turns on the heat, you should harvest the whole plants. The heat will kill the plants.

A misconception is that lettuce and leafy greens have no taste. I will tell you emphatically that is not true. Besides the crunch that leafy greens provide for salads, each variety has its own flavor. Arugula has a peppery taste. Swiss chard (the leaves must be harvested when young and small to consume raw in a salad) has a slightly bitter spinach like taste. Butter lettuce is mild and creamy. Baby kale has a light cabbage flavor. I like to mix them all together in a salad to even out the bitter and peppery leaves.

Furthermore, leafy greens are quick-growing crops, making them an environmentally friendly choice. By opting for locally sourced greens or growing them yourself, you can reduce your carbon footprint and support sustainable farming practices. Thumbs up for leafy greens!