Vegetable Categories

Greens

Unlike Tubers, Greens shine above ground.  The members of the Greens category of veggies include:

Aster Family: lettuce and chicory

Brassica Family:  arugula, cabbage, bok choy, collards, kale, mizuna, mustard, tatsoi and watercress

Amaranth Family: spinach, strawberry spinach and swiss chard

Buckwheat Family:  sorrel

Similarities:  Of course, you eat the leaf part of greens.  I usually don’t have any issues with growing greens but if you do, you may want to give them some plant food higher in nitrogen.  After you harvest the Greens and they start to wilt, just soak them in water so they perk up.

Differences:  I usually put the Greens from the Brassica Family in the same bed as the other members under a hoop tunnel because the same bugs like them.  Some Greens are cool season lovers like arugula, Chinese cabbage, chicory and spinach.   You can find varieties of lettuce that grow better in the cold and/or warm weather.  I think Swiss chard is the most colorful – I love to grow the Bright Lights variety.

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