DIY Network

Varieties and Planting Guidelines Varieties and Planting Guidelines From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-117

Ever wondered how to go about growing greens? In this episode of Fresh From the Garden, you'll not only get the how-to for planting and growing tasty greens, you'll also learn the various types and the flavor characteristics that distinguish them....

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	Greens are all part of the same family, but collards, mustards and turnips each have different flavors.
	Turnip greens come from the tender tops of turnip bulbs.
	All greens like moist, loose soil with lots of humus and composted materials.
	Leave enough room between the rows that you can pick individual leaves without disturbing all of the surrounding plants.
	Use an index card folded in half to hold seeds while you spread them along the top of the row. The yellow card makes it easier to see the small seeds. Use the tip of a pencil to push a few seeds off the card at a time.

• Greens are all part of the same family, but collards, mustards and turnips each have different flavors.

• Mustard greens are generally a little spicy, tangy or even hot. Collards are mild and have a slight cabbage taste. Turnip greens are sweet if picked when the leaves are small they develop turnip bulbs if they're left on the plant.

• Collard greens have thick veined leaves, smooth rounded edges and a deep green color. Turnip greens on the other hand have slightly lighter colored leaves with scalloped edges. Turnip leaves are not quite as thick as the collard leaves. Mustard leaves are more varied in color and shape. Some are red, some are lacy and some look almost like spinach or lettuce.

• All greens like moist, loose soil with lots of humus and composted materials. To prepare your garden beds for planting you'll need to loosen the soil if it is compacted. Use a garden fork to turn the soil to a depth of about a foot. A garden fork works well for this. If you have a large garden you can use a tiller to break up the ground.

• The best way to ensure crop health is to have healthy soil. It makes the plants grow quickly and it helps them have good flavor. It also makes them more disease resistant. There are several key ingredients in good soil. First, there's something that breaks up the soil so it has more air pockets and better drainage. It can be sand, compost, and mulch. Second soil needs something that holds onto moisture like peat or clay. Finally it needs nutrients and minerals for food.

• Add a mixture of bagged humus and composted manure and turned it into the soil. These will work together to make the soil light, moist and full of good plant food. Also add a helping of pelletized vegetable fertilizer. Use approximately 1 cup of fertilizer to cover an entire 3' x 12' bed. Still using the garden fork, work the fertilizer into the top 4 to 6 inches of the bed.
  
  
• "Greens" seeds stand up well to cold weather, and can be sown in the ground as soon as it can be worked.

• In the prepped bed, make 3 long rows using the end of a hoe handle. Space the rows so that each one takes up approximately 1/3 of the width of the 3-foot wide bed.

• No matter what type of plant you're growing, deep rich beds will make it easier for the roots to travel downward for water and nutrients. Also, deep beds are more aerated which makes it easier to prevent root rot.

• To plant greens you need rows that are about a foot apart. Leave enough room between the rows that you can pick individual leaves without disturbing all of the surrounding plants.

• Divide your bed into 3 long rows so you can use one row for mustard greens, one for collard greens and one for turnip greens. Start by planting the mustard greens. Use an index card folded in half to hold the seeds while you spread them along the top of the row. The yellow card makes it easier to see the small seeds. Use the tip of a pencil to push a few seeds off of the card at a time.

• Spreading small seeds evenly along the top of a row is difficult. You'll want to cover the seeds with a little loose dirt, about ¼ of an inch thick. Cover the seeds with a little light potting soil to make sure the seeds have a good chance of breaking through the soil. If you cover the seeds with a heavier soil, the surface might become hard or crusted, and the tender seedlings may not be able to push through the surface.

• When you buy a mix from a seed company they've put together types that grow under the same conditions and the same time frame. If you decide to make you own mix, make sure you choose plants that will be ready for harvest at about the same time.

• Turnip greens come from the tender tops of turnip bulbs. Once the bulbs start forming they don't like to be disturbed too much. By putting them in the middle row, you are less likely to bump into them when you harvest the greens on either side. By picking the greens it'll stunt the growth of the root. If you want to grow the bulbs as well you'll need to harvest only a few leaves from each plant.