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GLORIOUS GREENS

© Diana Morgan

Anyone who's grown vegetables has planted lettuce. It's one of those cool weather crops that we rush to sow in our new-turned spring soil. However, in spite of the dozens of varieties of lettuces that do well in New England, northern gardeners needn't limit themselves to a honeymoon salad, lettuce alone. There are many spring greens, most loaded with vitamins and minerals, that cool climate gardeners may sample.

The chic new rage is mesclun mixes; those designer cut and come again greens that mature all at the same rate. Mesclun needs very little space, grows quickly, provides bounty over a long time frame, and decorates the kitchen garden with assorted shape, form and color. The prepared mixes contain a varied combination of lettuces, endives, dandelion greens, chicories, escaroles, oriental greens and arugula.

Personally, I don't care for the taste of arugula. Reminds me of kale soaked in kerosene. Being an independent cuss I'd rather develop my own mix anyhow. The beauty of creating a mesclun mix is that there are no rules. Well, only one. You can invent your own concoction, customized to personal tastes, made mild, zesty or a combined palate of flavors.

Cruise through the seed catalogs and pick whatever strikes your fancy. The single rule? Maturation rates. Try to pick greens that grow at the same pace so they can be harvested together. Don't be afraid to throw herbs in the mix either. Chives and basil are excellent choices.

Plants may be started indoors in March and transplanted out as soon as the soil can be worked, usually late April to early May in northern New England. Direct sow seeds a week or two later, two weeks before last frost, depending on your zone. Start a pot earlier for use indoors. Lettuce needs quite a bit of light so you might want to leave it out of your indoor mesclun garden.

Don't choose too big a spot in your garden for your greens. A two-foot by two-foot sunny square will produce a good-sized crop. Lettuces and other greens need a steady supply of moisture and a high nitrogen fertilizer. This is probably why they do well planted where you grew peas and beans the year before. Patchy, inconsistent watering leads to stunted bitter leaves and bolting. Mulch helps keep moisture in the soil and cools the roots, which may slow down a tendency to bolt.

When your crop is about 5-6 inches high mow off the top 3-4 inches with a pair of scissors. This leaves enough of the crown to grow new greens for another harvest or two. If you succession plant your mesclun plot you should have plenty of greens all season long. One word of caution, direct seeding in high summer doesn't work very well. Try starting transplants indoors in late June for late July planting.

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