HO-29
630.76
In2mHO
Leafy Greens
for the Home Garden
HOME YARD & GARDEN • COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE • PURDUE UNIVERSITY WEST LAFAYETTE, IN
B. Rosie Lerner and Michael N. Dana
Leafy vegetables are more nutritious and less caloric than most other vegetables, and they’re also easy to grow. Most greens can be grown in relatively short, cool growing seasons, making them available for fresh harvest earlier than most other crops. If properly planned, fresh, leafy greens can be harvested all season long.
Leafy vegetables adapted to cool Indiana spring and fall growing conditions include lettuce, spinach, mustard, collards, endive, and kale. Many new cultivars of these cool season crops have improved heat tolerance, making them productive into early summer. Root crops such as beets and turnips may also be harvested for their young, tender foliage. Greens that produce in the heat of summer include New Zealand spinach and Swiss chard.

Planning
Plan your garden on paper before you plant. Specify which crops and cultivars will be planted where and when. Replace early maturing crops with summer crops, and follow summer harvested greens with a fall planting to make the most of the growing season. Leafy vegetables are well-adapted to band planting, which makes more efficient use of garden space (see HO-124).
Leafy greens grow best in an open, level area where the soil is loose, rich, and well-drained. Although leafy crops tolerate shade better than those grown for their fruits or roots, at least 6 hours of sunshine daily will help ensure a high quality harvest. Avoid heavy clay or sandy soils. Soil pH should be between 5.8 and 6.8.

Planting
Most leafy vegetables can be planted as early in spring as the soil can be worked. Soil is ready for tilling and planting if a handful of soil crumbles when squeezed. If soil forms a muddy ball
when squeezed, it is still too wet and will form hard, longlasting clods if worked.
Get greens off to a good start by incorporating fertilizer when you work up the soil. A soil test will indicate proper rates. In the absence of a soil test, 2 to 3 pounds of a balanced, low-analysis fertilizer such as 12-12-12 can be applied to 100 square feet of soil.
Seed of most leafy vegetables may be directly sown in the garden. Most leafy crops have very small seed and must be planted at the proper depth to ensure good germination (see Table 1). Crops such as lettuce, kale, and col-lards, may be transplanted to get an early start. See HO-32 for more general gardening information.

Culture
Thin seedlings to their proper spacing (see Table 1) while they’re small; crowded crops compete with each other for water, light, and nutrients and cause a poor yield. Weeds must also be controlled for the same reasons. Many leafy vegetables have shallow root systems, so be sure cultivation is shallow. Organic type mulch applied around the plants will help control weeds, conserve soil moisture, and cool soil temperature. A few materials that make good mulch are compost, bark chips, grass clippings, clean straw, and hay.
Plants need a steady supply of water throughout their growing season. If rainfall is inadequate, irrigate with 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water per week in a single application. Frequent light sprinklings encourage shallow roots, making plants more susceptible to drought.
Longer season leafy crops such as spinach, kale, collards and turnip greens will benefit from a side-dressing of nitrogen fertilizer when plants are about one third grown. Apply one-third pound of actual nitrogen per 100-foot row