Collard greens belong to the loose-leaved group of Brassica oleracea, like kales, and have been grown since antiquity. Popular in the southern US, collards are known for their heat tolerance but they are also very winter hardy and light frost will sweeten the flavour. They can be sown from Spring until late Summer. Plants are biennial so a late sowing will overwinter and produces flowers and seed the following year.
I think of them as a way to have a steady supply of cabbagey leaves throughout the season without having to grow head forming cabbages. ‘Champion’ collards produce large dark blue-green leaves which are mild in flavour. The large leaves are ideal for making cabbage rolls.
The open growth habit make collards less susceptible to fungal diseases than head forming cabbages and also doesn’t create as much habitat for slugs and snails to make home in.
Average 150 seeds per packet.
10g is more than 2,500 seeds.
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Mibuna (Brassica rapa) is considered a Japanese vegetable and named after the town of Mibu where it has grown for centuries. The long narrow leaves can be used at any stage for salads. They get a bit tougher and stronger tasting as the plant ages and are then ideal for cooking and stir frying. Grows in a clump form and is perfectly suited to pick and come again treatment.
Sow from April to September outside or almost anytime indoors. I find it very cold hardy. Can be direct sown or raised in modules. I usually prefer the latter to get a head start on slugs. Like other Brassica salads, flea beatle can be a problem – keeping them well watered in dry periods will help.
Being a mustard species mibuna produces a lot of seed. It’s a good candidate for growing seed for microgreens or baby leaf salad.
Also known as Cavolo Nero or Tuscan Kale. Easy to grow kale which has been grown in Tuscany for centuries. Very winter hardy. Other kales are more productive for leaf volume but I find Tuscan kale makes up for it in early Spring when it produces huge quantities of flower shoots that can be harvested like purple sprouting broccoli.
Wintercress (Barbarea vulgaris) is a crop for the colder months which provides very nutritious but somewhat bitter leaves. Very rich in Vitamin C. Much easier to grow than Watercress, it will tolerate poor soil and variable conditions.
Sow in August and September. The lower temperatures at this time of year can help encourage seed germination. Some leaves can be harvested from early the following year. Plants will grow taller (~60cm tall) in their second year.
Red Russian is an extremely frost hardy and tender kale. It is also known as Siberian kale and sometimes Ragged Jack kale due to its serrated and feathery leaves. The blue-green leaves are rippled with purple veining. The leaves are much softer than other kales and are particularly good for harvesting young as baby kale. Sow in Spring and again in late Summer for an overwintering crop.
The Russian kales (Brassica napus) are a different species than the other kales (B. oleracea) so will not cross if growing for seed. They are, however, the same species as Swedes (usually refereed to as turnips in Ireland and rutabagas in North America) and oilseed rape so can cross with these. As a biennial, it will flower and set seeds the following summer from planting. If you have the space you can leave it there and collect seed from around late July.
I picked seed for this up when on holidays in Thailand. It is a radish (Raphanus sativus) native to south Asia which is grown not for its roots, but for the extra long, crisp pungent seedpods. The pods are best picked when young and green. They are good eaten raw, chopped into salads, stir fried or pickled.
Being selected for quickly producing masses of long seed pods, I thought this type of radish would be a good candidate for producing seed outside in Ireland. It did so in 2022. It might be a good variety for producing seed for radish microgreens for the same reason.
If growing just for eating, I would sow just a few plants as they are large sprawling things. They fall over easily too so support is useful. Successional sowing will help spread out the harvest.
An interesting cross of mizuna and tatsoi. Mizpoona has a mild mustard flavour and young frilled leaves are flavourful without being overpowering. Resembles a giant mizuna more so than tatsoi. Very vigorous and cold hardy plants which will produce a lot of leaves. The larger leaves are ideal for lightly cooking or stir-frying. Bred by legendary plant breeder Frank Morton.
Kale ‘Dwarf Green Curled’ is recorded as a Scottish heirloom dating back to the 19th century. As the plants don’t get as large as other varieties they are ideal for smaller growing spaces or for closer planting and the harvesting of smaller leaves. Their short stature also makes them more suitable for exposed and windswept sites.
Average 150 seeds per packet.
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A heirloom Italian radish (Raphanus sativus) with bright red tapered roots that have a firm white flesh. ‘Candela di fuoco’ translates to ‘fire candle’. Quick to mature and can be harvested after 3-5 weeks.
Though in appearance like a winter daikon radish, it is a summer radish so for eating quality they are best grown and eaten fresh. However, for seed saving it is useful to overwinter them from a late summer/early autumn sowing. That way, the roots will flower early and should be ripening seed during the summer when conditions are, in theory, optimal.
‘White Icicle’ is a summer radish (Raphanus sativus) which produces medium sized pure white tapered roots. Quick to mature and can be harvested after 3-5 weeks. Can be sown indoors from March and outdoors from April. Sow in a row with seeds 1.5cm apart and 25cm apart. Thin out as necessary after a couple of weeks. It is good to sow a small row every few weeks of the season to keep a steady supply.
Though in appearance like a winter daikon radish, it is a summer radish so for eating quality they are best grown and eaten fresh. However, for seed saving it is useful to overwinter them from a late summer/early autumn sowing. That way, the roots will flower early and should be ripening seed during the summer when conditions are, in theory, optimal.
An easy to grow salad green with serrated leaves and a mild peppery flavour. Milder in flavour than rocket and mustard salads. Mizuna greens (Brassica rapa var. nipposinica) can be sown successionally to provide greens all year round. They are particularly useful for sowing early or late in the season as they are very cold hardy and can bolt in the longer summer days.
A round heirloom radish (Raphanus sativus) which produces roots with black textured skin that covers crisp white flesh inside. Medium to large variety producing radishes 5-10cm in diameter. They take a little longer to grow than other varieties but are larger, winter hardy and store better. Great for later sowings.
Tatsoi (Brassica rapa) is a fast growing cold tolerant leaf which is great for salads and stir fries. It can bolt in longer days if drought stressed. Ready to harvest in 6 weeks.
White mustard seed (Sinapis alba), also called yellow mustard, is used to make the common table mustard condiment. The leaves are also used for salad and the plant’s rapid establishment has led to it being widely used as a green manure.
‘Purple Frills’ is a mustard (Brassica juncea) variety with very fine deeply serrated leaves. As such it is an attractive addition to salads whilst also giving a little spicy kick. Mature leaves can be stir fried or blanched as a spinach alternative.
It’s very winter hardy and if sown in Autumn can go until the frosts, or all year under cover. In summer sow little and often and don’t forget to eat the yellow flowers when the plants bolt. Mustards produce abundant seed so it is a good candidate for anyone who wants to grow their own microgreen seed.
Annual Rocket (Eruca sativa) is a spicy salad leaf which is very easy to grow. Added to salads and sandwiches for a peppery kick and often lashed onto pizzas for some reason. It is best to sow larger amounts early or late in the season as the long days of summer cause it to bolt very quickly. The flowers make a nice edible garnish though and provide food for pollinators so how bad. During the summer it could be planted little and often. Very cold hardy.
