Nothing beats harvesting your own greens for a salad. They are very easy to grow and compared to supermarket prices, quite economical.
You can start your greens from seed or plant starts. We offer a large selection of mixed greens and lettuces, you can check out our varieties under the ‘Classic Vegetables’ and ‘Heirloom Vegetables’ pages . Greens prefer a well-draining soil that is rich in organic matter. They can be grown in pots, raised beds or directly in the ground. Try to stick to a consistent watering schedule and water deeply at the base of the plants. Drip irrigation is ideal! Watering from above can encourage some mildews and molds. Our favorite fertilizer for greens is diluted liquid kelp. We sometimes use fish emulsion, but you really have to be careful not to get it on the leaves because of its strong taste and smell. Nobody wants that in their salad bowl! The cooler months of spring and then in the fall are the best times for growing greens. We’ve had good luck growing some greens even in the hotter summer months by choosing varieties that are bred for bolt resistance and providing some shade.
Successively planting is the key to keeping yourself in a steady supply of greens, about 10-14 days works well. Many of the Asian greens are a cut and come again crop. Harvest the outermost leaves first and they will continue to produce or simply harvest before all the leaves reach maturity and they are the most tender.
Slugs and Aphids are the biggest pests problems for greens. Slug traps filled with stale beer work really well. We’ve recently been interplanting alyssum with our lettuce to help keep the aphid population down. You can read more about that here https://hopemtnnurseries.com/2014/04/alyssum-lettuce/.
Happy Planting,
I purchased a poblano pepper plant in the spring. I live in Klamath Falls. The plant grew beautifully and flowered. It did not produce fruit, only little ” peppercorn ” like seeds. I had other poblano plants in the garden that produced very well. What might my problem be?
I look forward to your response.
Hi Debi: You stumped me with this one! I did some research and I’m not sure why it did that except that every once in awhile you just get a plant that just does something weird! I’m glad to hear your other plants produced well. We planted a whole row of poblanos that did great this year. I’m looking forward to some chili rellenos soon :).