Do you want your home-grown greens to be better than store-bought ones - juicy, aromatic and always at hand?
Here are five proven tricks that will turn your garden bed into a green paradise.
Sow in stages
To have greens on the table all summer, sow them every 2 weeks. Start with dill and lettuce in April, add parsley and cilantro in May. This way you will stretch the harvest until autumn. Sowing depth is 1–2 cm, the distance between rows is 15–20 cm.
Nutrient soil
Greens love loose, rich soil. Add compost or humus (a bucket per 1 m²) before sowing - this will give the leaves juiciness and taste. If the soil is poor, feed once a month with nettle infusion (1 kg of grass per 10 l of water, leave for 3 days).
Morning watering
Water the greens in the morning, 2-3 liters per 1 m² every 3-4 days. By evening, the leaves should dry out, otherwise fungus will start. In hot weather, water more often, but do not flood - the roots do not like a swamp.
Trimming the tops
When the greens reach 10-15 cm, cut off the tops - this will make the bushes thicker. For example, dill and parsley will have new shoots coming from the leaf axils. Do not pull out the plant entirely - let it grow further.
Sun and shadow
Greens love light, but direct rays dry them out. The Royal Horticultural Society recommends planting them where the sun shines for 4-6 hours a day (rhs.org.uk). Lettuce and spinach will do well in light partial shade, while dill and basil should be planted in an open spot.
Use these techniques and your greens will be so tasty and fresh that store-bought ones will seem like a pale shadow. Plant, care for and enjoy!
Author: Valeria Kisternaya
