greens for hot summer?

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habitat-gardener
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greens for hot summer?

#1

Post: # 41425Unread post habitat-gardener
Fri Feb 19, 2021 5:30 pm

I don't really like spinach (!), but I do like crunchy greens, and I'm looking for suggestions of good leafy vegetables to try.
For instance, I'm intrigued by the other greens, not in the spinach family, that are touted as similar to spinach for hot climates: Malabar spinach, New Zealand spinach, etc.
Would some of the "heat-resistant" lettuces survive days in the mid-90s or above (with nights at least 20F cooler), on the north side of the house?

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root_grow
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Re: greens for hot summer?

#2

Post: # 41442Unread post root_grow
Fri Feb 19, 2021 9:06 pm

I was recently reading reviews for Thousand Head Kale, a couple people in Phoenix mentioned that it's one of the few things that grew well all year for them, which is pretty impressive!

A former neighbor let me sample some of his molokhia one day, so tasty and such a pretty plant that I've wanted seeds ever since. I saw True Love Seeds sells it now.

When I lived in NM I used to grow amaranth, lambs quarters and huazontle for summer greens, all very much like spinach and fine in hot dry conditions. Of course those can get weedy though, you probably already have the small-leaved weedy versions... which reminds me - purslane!! Love that stuff.

zendog
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Re: greens for hot summer?

#3

Post: # 41444Unread post zendog
Fri Feb 19, 2021 9:18 pm

If you grow sweet potatoes, the greens are pretty good as well. I usually take about 2 feet off the ends of the vines, which are the newest, most tender growth.

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Nan6b
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Re: greens for hot summer?

#4

Post: # 41453Unread post Nan6b
Fri Feb 19, 2021 11:53 pm

I'll second lamb's quarters; the leaves, and later the leaves plus flowers or seeds. Good taste and consistency. How can it get "Weedy?" Strip off the good parts and throw out the stems.

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Re: greens for hot summer?

#5

Post: # 41455Unread post Cole_Robbie
Sat Feb 20, 2021 12:07 am

Malabar tastes like dirt. If you like it, you would call it earthy. It loves hot weather and vines like crazy. I didnt like it at first, but you could say it grew on me.

I have been told that a variety of lettuce called nevada does well in heat, but have not yet grown it.

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Re: greens for hot summer?

#6

Post: # 41458Unread post root_grow
Sat Feb 20, 2021 12:59 am

All I meant by "weedy" was that they re-seed themselves so easily and abundantly they can become annoying. Not that they taste bad. They're easy to pull up when they're small, but at some point they start breaking off near the ground and sprouting a new stem so it's even harder to get the root up. Amaranth especially was a really common volunteer in my old gardens, but the volunteers were almost always the smallest-leaved, spikiest version around with thorns in the seedheads and on the stems under each leaf so it was unpleasant to strip the stems. Lambs Quarters doesn't get mean like that, but they both have larger-leaved cousins that give more food for the effort, that's what I was actually trying to recommend.

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Re: greens for hot summer?

#7

Post: # 41460Unread post karstopography
Sat Feb 20, 2021 4:57 am

https://specialtyproduce.com/produce/Lo ... s_9646.php
Chinese long bean greens. Not had them, but they are a thing. Chinese long beans thrive in heat.

https://steemit.com/gardening/@jenncape ... turk-s-cap

You could try growing Turk’s Cap. It definitely loves hot weather. I eat and enjoy the flowers and the fruit, but haven’t yet tried the leaves. The leaves are reportedly used in recipes that call for spinach or for dolmas.
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Re: greens for hot summer?

#8

Post: # 41464Unread post stone
Sat Feb 20, 2021 6:52 am

Lambsquarter does self-sow, and... that's definitely a plus, rather than a problem. I always make certain to leave several plants standing through the winter... not only is it good eating for us, it also provides winter forage for the cardinals.
I saw an episode of Les Stroud's 'wild harvest' where the lambsquarter was featured in one of their gourmet dishes... Looked pretty good!

I eat sweet potato leaves in my stews, but rather than clipping the vines, I just collect handsful of leaves that I cut from the vine.

Re turks cap... I've tasted the flower, the fruit, and the leaves... but I haven't found a way to prepare any of it to my personal taste preference yet...

Re bean leaves... Have been reading up on eating the leaves from field peas... Was going to try them last summer... but unfortunately it was a poor year for them at my house... so... maybe this year!

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Re: greens for hot summer?

#9

Post: # 41467Unread post bower
Sat Feb 20, 2021 7:23 am

In discussions elsewhere, it seemed that Swiss Chard is the ultimate survival vegetable because it tolerates everything from the most extreme cold to summer heat. And so easy to grow, it just keeps coming. We're not crazy about the earthy taste, and in recent years found that sugar beet greens are a bit lighter tasting especially the young tender growth. Just like chard, you can keep cutting them and they never stop coming back from the root. Extremely cold tolerant as well, but the leaves will get tough if it's too cold or too dry. They don't have the fat stems of chard. I let some chard and some sugar beet go to seed together last summer, in hopes of crossing the milder flavor into the crunchy stem.
Another good option for summer heat could be Kailan. I was amazed how long these kept producing sweet tender 'broccoli' sprouts. The leaves are sweet too but not as abundant as the budding sprouts once they get going. It takes about sixty days for them to start producing but I kept mine going all summer long and then brought back in the greenhouse after several frosts, it's still trying to do its thing. My only problem with Kailan is that I should never let it open any flowers - they're so pretty that I don't want to cut and eat them.
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Re: greens for hot summer?

#10

Post: # 41480Unread post Nan6b
Sat Feb 20, 2021 9:41 am

1. What about broccoli raab?
2.There's a new hybrid vegetable I'm trying this year called chijimisai. Baker Creek sells it. Here's their blurb:

"Average 55 days to maturity. A runaway winner of the Baker Creek tasting and growing trials, this stunning new superfood contains four times as much vitamin A as carrots! It is also a great source of minerals and protein. A cross between two of the most delicious and hardy greens -- tatsoi and komatsuna -- the lightly savoyed leaves of Chijimisai have a velvety texture and lightly umami flavor that make it a remarkable spinach substitute. This innovative “new” heirloom Asian green is both heat and cold tolerant, making it suitable to grow year round in most growing zones, save for the extreme seasons of some climates. This quick and easy-to-grow green is phenomenally tasty and more versatile than other greens. It is equally happy in stir fries and soups as it is in salads, lasagna or atop pizzas. Sure to be the next culinary craze and must-have market gardeners’ green, no patch of greens should be without Chijimisai!"

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Re: greens for hot summer?

#11

Post: # 41483Unread post Gardadore
Sat Feb 20, 2021 10:25 am

I just finished organizing my list of Asian Greens and thought some of these would be a possible alternative. I apologize for its length but hope you find it useful. I had Nan6B’s Chijimisai on the list as well but won’t repeat it. Mine came from Baker Creek too and I can’t wait to try it. Some are better for early spring or fall, not heat.

Asian Greens for 2021
Found at Fedco, Baker Creek and Hudson Valley Google for other sources

Bok Choy Hedou Tiny (Baker)
Miniature Bok Choi. Can be eaten raw out of the garden. Grow very fast. Reviews suggest succession grow as there is a short time before they bolt. Can grow to 4-5 inches so harvest early. Good raw, in soups, sautéed. Produce lots of seed.

Bok Choy Purple Lady (Baker)
Its strong-tasting purplish leaves have an almost garlicky flavor that perks up winter stir-fries and steamed vegetable plates. Purple Lady bok choy is a striking plant with strong purple leaves and bright green stems. It is uniformly sized. It is loaded with high levels of antioxidants with anti-aging properties as well as a sweet, rich flavor that is perfect for the wok, grill or in salads. Has highly refined, uniform heads, averaging 6-7 inches tall. The neat little plants make a perfect presentation tucked into the tidy kitchen garden or displayed at the farmers market stand. A beautiful variety, the antioxidant-rich plum colored leaves really pop against the lime green stems. Crunchy, juicy and flavorful.

Chinese Cabbage, Chirimen Hakusai
Loose leaf cabbage for cool weather; an old variety from Japan popular for its beautiful crepe textured and light green leaves. Plants grow to 12" tall. In temperate climates, sow in summer, but avoid planting in the middle of a hot summer. In other areas, sow in spring or fall. 50 days


Komatsuna Tender Green (Hudson Valley)
Japanese mustard spinach (Brassica rapa var. perviridis) It is a versatile vegetable that is cooked and eaten in many ways. has a fresh, sweet taste and a crunchy texture. It is a very versatile vegetable and can be eaten raw, pickled, stir-fried, boiled, used fresh in salads, or added to soups. It is popular in soups as it can stay firm after being simmered. It is an excellent source of calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin C. Can be harvested at any stage and prepared like spinach in the early stages and more like cabbage as they mature. The flavor grows stronger and hotter the longer the leaves mature

Lady Murasaki Mustard Spinach (purple komatsuna) (Fedco)

(45 days) Open-pollinated. Brassica rapa Lady Murasaki, the courtly author of The Tale of Genji, considered one of the world’s first and finest novels, is an apt namesake for this elegant komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach). Murasaki means ‘purple’ in Japanese—and this variety is very purple.The slow-growing 8–10" deep purple rounded leaves stand as beautifully as a lady-in-waiting, without bolting, and are mild and delectable all the way through the season.

Maruba Santoh Chinese Cabbage (Fedco)

(35 days) Brassica rapa (pekinensis group) Open pollinated. With Maruba you get four vegetables in one. The loose round vibrant chartreuse leaves provide a mild piquant mustardy flavor while the flat white stems impart a juicy crisp pac choy taste. High-end chefs like to use the blossoms. Market grower Scott Howell finds the flavor more subtle and complex than that of other greens and cuts Maruba small for his mesclun. Fairly bolt tolerant, so plant after the early spring flea beetle invasion subsides.

Tatsoi Asian Green Fedco)
It is a variety of Chinese cabbage that is commonly known as spoon mustard, spinach mustard and rosette bok choy. It is treated as a cut-and-come again leafy vegetable, allowing for multiple harvests on a single plant.
One of the richest sources of vitamin C and it is replete with other incredible vitamins, minerals, and health-promoting compounds! Its glossy and tender leaves pack 2 times as much vitamin C as that of an orange and twice as much calcium as an equal serving of milk! Tatsoi also boasts glucosinolates (which science shows are converted to cancer fighting compounds in the body) and carotenoids, which promote eye health. Great for salad; can replace spinach; cold hardy; versatile to cook with. Flea beetles love it;
Plant late summer for fall; sweeter when cool.

Tatsoi, Rainbow (Hudson Valley)
Lovely, deep green tatsoi with vibrant splashes of purple, red, and pink. Mature heads develop to a rosette of sweet and mild leaves that can be used in salads and sautées. The plants develops a burnished purple hue when touched by frost. 


Yod Fah, Broccoli,
Very easy to grow broccoli-like plant from China. We can’t get enough of the crisp stems and shoots, which are about as thick as a large asparagus shoot, with a perfect snap and crunch. Nothing goes to waste with this crop; all parts of the plant are delicious. The tender blue-green, glossy leaves are similar to kale but better, and the broccoli-like inflorescence are buttery soft and nutty in flavor.

Yokatta Na Chinese Cabbage (Fedco)
(21 days baby; 45 days mature) Brassica rapa (narinosa group) F-1 hybrid. The heads grow well larger than a foot tall you can eat the 2nd growth heads whole like young bok choy. Quick-growing and versatile, tolerating both heat and cold, Yokatta can extend your season at either end, while simultaneously broadening your culinary range. Use it either raw in salad mixes or cooked in stir-fries. The deep green tender leaves, though flavorful, lack the mustard “bite” found in so many Asian greens and can be harvested as a cut-and-come-again crop or at maturity.

Yukina Savoy Mustard - Organic (Fedco)
(45 days full size; 21 baby) This Asian green has a Japanese name that could be written ‘snow, vegetable’ or ‘fortune, endure.’ The auspicious tatsoi look-alike can survive those early fall freezes. Grows in rosettes like tatsoi, but bigger, more upright at 16" and with less shiny and more puckered leaves. Harvest young as a mild salad green or when mature for braising. The thick deep green spoon-shaped leaves are born on pale green stems. Vigorous, easy to grow.

Purple Pac Choi (Fedco)
(48 days) F-1 hybrid. Adds versatility to mixes. Vigorous early growth and darkest hue. Purple leaf tops contrast with green veins and stems. Quick growers; harvest them within three weeks as 4–6" baby-leaf greens, their best spring use. For fall crops you may allow them to grow 8–10" full-sized heads. Along the way they lose some of their deep color and mature to a greenish purple. The purple coloring in vegetables such as this comes from anthocyanins, which improve memory and cell health. ③

YELLOW HEART WINTER CHOY (Baker)
A Chinese edible ornamental, it's also called “Golden Flower in the Snow” and is a nod to the incredible cold tolerance of this variety. ... The plants are super cold-loving, great for extra late season planting and ornamental design. Extra tender leaves are delicious cooked or in salad.

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Re: greens for hot summer?

#12

Post: # 41490Unread post PNW_D
Sat Feb 20, 2021 10:54 am

celtuce is one I have seed for ...... didn't do much last year, but looks intriguing so will try again; also orach

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Re: greens for hot summer?

#13

Post: # 41500Unread post Shule
Sat Feb 20, 2021 12:12 pm

Nan6b wrote: Fri Feb 19, 2021 11:53 pm I'll second lamb's quarters; the leaves, and later the leaves plus flowers or seeds. Good taste and consistency. How can it get "Weedy?" Strip off the good parts and throw out the stems.
Remind me to send you a picture of my garden between April and June, and I think you'll get the idea. :) It'll coat the ground here, if you let it, and more just keeps on sprouting when the soil gets wet. You could have lambsquarter salads to your hearts content. It's way more of a problem than Amaranth (which is also a major weed here), because it sprouts in cooler weather (while still sprouting when the Amaranth weeds do). Most of my weed pulling is lambsquarter, actually. It's somewhat easier to pull up than Malva neglecta, though, and doesn't keep growing back from the roots like morning glory (unless you leave part of the stem in the ground).

It gets about six feet tall, if you let it. Plenty of leaves to eat. I've only actually tasted them once or twice (I haven't always known what they were, and it took me a while to try it after finding out they were edible); they were good, but there was a hint of a fishy kind of flavor, or something (although it's easy to ignore, and not nearly as strong as that of seaweed).

Purslane has a lemony taste. It's supposed to have omega-3s in it. Easy to grow. The seeds can be dormant in the soil for like 45 years, I think. When I first saw some as a child, I was very fascinated by its succulent nature.
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Re: greens for hot summer?

#14

Post: # 41517Unread post root_grow
Sat Feb 20, 2021 2:27 pm

Purslane is amazingly tough. In NM I had a community garden plot that was in full blazing sun, no trees nearby at all, and while they supposedly had water rights, there was some sort of conflict in that extra hot year that left the community garden with zero water access. Pretty much everything died, but there was plenty of delicious purslane. :) I think it's pretty, very lemony, crunchy and healthy. Great in salads, as garnishes, sandwich toppings, and it cooks nicely too. Plus the stems have the same texture as the leaves so all you have to do is wash it.

Now I have the opposite problem, 100" of rain in the winter kills everything. No fun weeds. I'm off to order purslane seeds, I hope it'll like it in the tunnels under the tomatoes!

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Re: greens for hot summer?

#15

Post: # 41523Unread post Tormato
Sat Feb 20, 2021 3:28 pm

The only things I'll recommend are Maruba Santoh (sweet tasting, one leaf makes a salad, good heat tolerance, the only green that gets a spot in the garden every year), and New Zealand spinach (great heat tolerance, takes a month to germinate, tastes somewhat like spinach, it sprawls).

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Re: greens for hot summer?

#16

Post: # 41592Unread post Nan6b
Sun Feb 21, 2021 12:35 pm

Is Maruba Santoh the round-leaved stuff? I grew it last year and tasted a bite of a full-sized leaf. So bitter I had to spit it out! The plant didn't bolt, so I don't know what I did wrong. Will give it one more try this year.

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Re: greens for hot summer?

#17

Post: # 41595Unread post Gardadore
Sun Feb 21, 2021 1:24 pm

If you read about Maruba Santoh in my above posting listing a number of possibilities with descriptions it should be mild and is round. However in many cases these kinds of greens can get bitter if allowed to get too big. They are best when young. My problem is getting to them in time before any of the greens get too large, tough or bitter.
I highly recommend the Tatsoi. It, too, is round leafed but never has gotten bitter for me. It is really delicious and lasted all summer for me in 2020.The purple Pak Choi is another favorite. I do use row covers to help control bugs. Flea beetles and sometimes cabbage worms love these greens!
I will be planting all in my above list this summer and will keep better track so I can report on how they did. Sometimes I forget which is which since some look like others and I misplace the markers. will pay more attention in 2021!

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Nan6b
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Re: greens for hot summer?

#18

Post: # 41597Unread post Nan6b
Sun Feb 21, 2021 1:32 pm

Gardadore wrote: Sun Feb 21, 2021 1:24 pm However in many cases these kinds of greens can get bitter if allowed to get too big. They are best when young.
That explains it. Thanks!

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Re: greens for hot summer?

#19

Post: # 41611Unread post stone
Sun Feb 21, 2021 3:45 pm

Shule wrote: Sat Feb 20, 2021 12:12 pm
Nan6b wrote: Fri Feb 19, 2021 11:53 pm I'll second lamb's quarters; the leaves, and later the leaves plus flowers or seeds. Good taste and consistency. How can it get "Weedy?" Strip off the good parts and throw out the stems.
Remind me to send you a picture of my garden between April and June, and I think you'll get the idea. :) It'll coat the ground here, if you let it, and more just keeps on sprouting when the soil gets wet. You could have lambsquarter salads to your hearts content. It's way more of a problem than Amaranth (which is also a major weed here), because it sprouts in cooler weather (while still sprouting when the Amaranth weeds do). Most of my weed pulling is lambsquarter, actually.
Have you tried covering the soil with a nice mulch?
Anyone lucky enough to have soil as fertile as you describe should take steps to keep productivity high... supposedly letting seeds sprout costs us in loss of fertility.

Alternatively... my chickens love lambsquarter and amaranth...

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Re: greens for hot summer?

#20

Post: # 41648Unread post habitat-gardener
Sun Feb 21, 2021 11:08 pm

WOW!! Thanks for all the recommendations. Lots to try out! I will have to try some brassicas; I assumed it got too hot for brassicas in midsummer.

Another Asian green that I grew in a cooler-summer climate several years ago is Tokyo Bekana. It's as mild as a lettuce, iirc, and productive! I love Fedco's Asian Greens pages! I restrained myself from ordering too much; all I got a couple months ago was the purple Lady Murasaki.

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