Greens or "Potherbs" Chard, Collards, Kale, Mustard, Spinach, New Zealand Spinach

by Albert A. Banadyga.

Albert A. Banadyga is Extension Horticulturist, North Carolina State University, Raleigh.

Greens include chard, collards, kale, mustard, spinach, and New Zealand spinach. Grown for their tender and succulent leaves and stems, greens are often referred to as "pot-herbs" since they are usually cooked before eating.

Quite easy to grow, greens require a relatively short growing season. Greens are good sources of some of the vitamins and minerals. They are tasty when cooked fresh from the garden. Raw greens are often added to tossed salads to give them additional color and a different and zestful flavor.

Greens are cool season crops, with the exception of New Zealand spinach. Thus home gardeners normally plant and grow them during cooler periods of the year spring and fall.

Rapid and continuous growth is essential for both high quality and high yields. To obtain this growth, you need to provide a fairly rich soil containing adequate amounts of organic matter, a good supply of plant nutrients, and a continuous supply of soil moisture.

CHARD (Beta vulgaris var. cicla) often called Swiss chard, is a type of beet developed for its large crisp leaves and fleshy leafstalks rather than its roots. It is of quite ancient origin, first reported in the Mediterranean region and the Canary Islands.

Chard is a popular garden vegetable, particularly in the North. It will withstand warm summer temperatures, so that a planting in the early spring can be continuously harvested throughout the summer and fall.

One serving of cooked chard has 13 calories and provides 87% of the Vitamin A and 25% of the Vitamin C required daily by the average adult.

Chard thrives best in a well-drained mellow or friable (crumbly) soil, such as a sandy or clay loam. However, it will grow well in most soils if provided with nutrients and moisture. Soil pH may range from 6.0 to 6.8. Chard is a cool season crop, will withstand light frosts, and does best if planted in the early spring about 2 to 4 weeks before the last frost.

The optimum monthly average temperature for plant growth is 60 to 65 F with a monthly minimum average of 40 and a monthly maximum average of 75 . Soil temperatures for seed germination may range from 50 to 85 with a minimum of 40 , an optimum of 85 and a maximum of 95 .

Adequate soil moisture is especially important for seed germination and early plant growth. Irrigation is particularly beneficial during dry conditions.

Popular varieties include Lucullus, Fordhook Giant, Large White Rib, and Rhubarb (red stemmed). Chard has a multiple seed, as does the beet. Thus one to six plants may emerge from each seed. There are about 1,200 seeds per ounce.

Fertilizing

Before planting, broadcast about 3 pints of a complete fertilizer, such as 10-10-10, to each 50 feet of row. Mix the fertilizer thoroughly with the upper 6 to 8 inches of soil. The seed bed should be thoroughly prepared, free of clods and trash, and slightly firmed.

Distance between rows may be 18 inches. Make a slight furrow in the row, about 1/2 inch deep, and plant the seeds in the furrow 1 to 2 inches apart. Cover the seed with 1/2 inch of soil and firm lightly with the back of a rake. Seedlings should emerge in 8 to 10 days.

As the plants grow, periodically thin them out until they are about 12 inches apart. Plants pulled out in the thinning process may be used as greens.

For a very early crop, plants may be started in a greenhouse or cold-frame and transplanted to the garden after danger of heavy frosts is over. Plant the seeds in cups, or other small containers, about 3 to 4 weeks before they are to be planted in the open garden. Be sure to "harden-off" the tender plants by gradually withholding water and exposing them to outside weather conditions. Hardening-off should begin about a week before the plants are set out in the open.

Control weeds by hoeing before the weeds get a good start. Or better still, mulch the young plants with such materials as straw, grass clippings, newspapers, or black plastic film.

Be on the lookout for such insects as cabbage worms, aphids, beet leaf miner, and flea beetle. Worms may be removed by hand picking, aphids may be washed off with a fine spray of water from a garden hose, or recommended insecticides may be used. Crop rotation and sanitation will help reduce damage from leaf spots and other diseases.

Fordhook Giant Swiss chard. Swiss chard, properly spaced and with outer leaves ready for harvest. These average about a foot high, and should not be left to become coarse and overgrown.

For rapid and continuous growth, sidedress the crop about a month after planting. Repeat at 4- to 6-week intervals. At each side-dressing uniformity distribute one pint of a complete fertilizer (or one cup of sodium nitrate) per 50 feet of row. Place the fertilizer in a band 4 to 6 inches out to the side of the plants, making certain not to get any on the plants themselves.

Leaves and stems are ready for harvest about 50 to 60 days after planting. With a sharp knife cut off a few of the outer leaves, about an inch above ground, while they are still tender and succulent. Cut carefully to avoid injury to younger leaves and the central bud. Continue harvesting throughout the summer and fall. As you remove the outer stems and leaves, new ones will continue to form and grow from the central bud.

Harvesting should be continued, regardless of whether or not the greens will be used, or else new leaves will not be available later in the season.

A good yield, for the full season, is about one pound of chard greens per foot of row. A 30-foot row will supply an average family of 4 with an adequate supply of fresh chard greens throughout the season.

Some gardeners dig up the plants just before the first heavy freeze in fall, and store the entire plant in a protected cellar or coldframe for continued harvest into the winter. Plants are stacked upright, with roots in contact with the soil, and watered lightly to prevent excessive wilting and to encourage a very limited amount of continued growth.

COLLARDS (Brassica oleraceae var. acephala) originated in the British Isles and Western Europe. The collard is often called a non-heading cabbage, since it does not form a true head but rather a large rosette of leaves. It belongs to Othe cabbage family and its culture and use are quite similar to those of cabbage. It may be grown throughout the year in the South, and as both a spring and fall crop in the North.

One serving of cooked collards has 21 calories and provides 87% of the Vitamin A, 74% of the Vitamin C, and 14% of the calcium in the minimum daily requirements of an average adult.

Collards may be grown on a very wide range of soils, but sandy, silt, or clay loams are preferred. Soil pH may range between 5.5 to 6.8, with 6.0 being ideal. The plant is a heavy feeder, often growing to a height of 3 to 4 feet.

Optimum monthly average temperatures for plant growth are 60 to 65 F with a monthly minimum average of 40 and a monthly maximum average of 75 . Soil temperature for seed germination may range from 45 to 95 with a minimum of 40 , an optimum of 85 and a maximum of 100 . Collards will withstand a greater range of temperature, both heat and cold, than most other vegetables grown in the South. If the temperature drops gradually over a period of several days, collards can withstand temperatures as low as 15 .

Collard seed will germinate in 4 to 9 days even under low soil moisture conditions. The plants grow best in well-drained soils that are provided with adequate moisture by rainfall or irrigation.