Greens
Why greens?
Mixed leaf lettuce, lettuce, spinach, chard, kale, rocket, and lamb’s lettuce can all be grown in our Scottish climate.
Where?
Small mixed leaves and baby spinach leaves can be grown in troughs on windowsills or doorsteps and regularly harvested. Larger leaves, such as whole lettuce, chard and kale, need more growing space and greater soil depth, requiring open ground growing or a raised bed. Regularly sowing seeds in the right setting will keep you munching something green all summer.
When?
Sow: March, April, May, June, July, August
Grow: March-October
Eat: May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, January
Indoors in small pots or trays towards the end of March to be transplanted outside by mid-April. Remember, any plant grown indoors needs time to ‘harden off’ outdoors so it doesn’t panic at the sudden temperature change; you can help plants adjust by moving them outside and covering them up for a few nights- a bit of old bubble wrap will do.
Outdoors into pots or open ground from the start of April. Covering your pots or soil with clear plastic will help warm the soil acting as a mini greenhouse, speeding up the germination process and having you munching on greens sooner.
Growing tips
Wherever you are growing leaves, in a raised bed, or container, sowing small amounts every couple of weeks and regularly picking the larger leaves is the secret. Pick and sow.
Lots of growers recommend growing young plants or plugs in small pots first and then planting them into their final growing place once a bit more resistant to slugs and snails.
Regular watering in dry spells (three times a week) ensures the soil is damp under the surface, NOT wet. Ideally, water (dishwater is fine), first thing in the morning to keep slug damage down as they are most active at night.
If you see little black flies jumping about in your container (sciarid flies), this is most likely due to overwatering-its easily done. Cut back on the watering, and if after a few days, they don’t go away and your young plants aren’t flourishing you might need to start again.
Every growing space and every season is different and changes how we grow. Grow 6 is a place to start practising and learning how to grow and adapt to these changes.
Let some plants go to seed
All greens, if left unpicked, will eventually produce flowers and set seed. It’s always good to leave a few plants to do this, welcome in more pollinators and save a few seeds for your growing space the following year. This helps you build your own seed bank of plants that are suited to your specific location.
Grow 73 share their in depth knowledge and inspiration in this handy guide here.
Start your seed bank with trusted open-pollinated greens from Seeds of Scotland.
