In the quest for self-sufficiency, it is best to start with growing foods that are easy to grow. This builds confidence in the homesteader. When you put simple, tiny seeds in the ground and then harvest lovely greens a few weeks later, you feel like “I can do this!” Not only that, but through little effort, you will be able to nourish your family.
I planted all of these greens at the end of March. We did not have drip lines installed at that point, but it was still raining quite a bit here. Ever since early May, I have been harvesting a couple of salads per week off of these plants.
These are the easy greens that I planted this spring:
Green Onions I started these from sets from the local feed store. I do not intend to get big onions from these sets because of the time of year that I planted them. Instead, I keep harvesting green onions over and over. I planted 2 6′ rows of green onions, about 2″ apart from each other. There are too many green onions for our family to eat. To harvest, I simply cut the green onion off. Another green onion grows in its’ place! They keep growing and growing! This time of year, I use less yellow and sweet onions and use more green onions in my recipes.
Kale I started my kale from seeds from Baker Creek. To harvest my kale, I simply cut it off with scissors, and more will grow in its’ place. I do not serve kale raw because of the anti-nutrients. I always cook it. I planted about 4 kale plants, and I think that is a good amount for our family right now.
Spinach Again, I started this from heirloom seeds from Baker Creek. I started about 4 plants, and have harvested a little each week. I could have planted more of this. I serve spinach raw only rarely. I cut off the leaves with scissors to harvest it. More spinach keeps on growing.
Lettuce I have a variety of heirloom lettuce seeds from Baker Creek. I planted about 3 plants of each type. I think next year I will plant more. I have not started more lettuce yet, but I wish I had! I cut leaves off with scissors and then more lettuce grows in its’ place. It’s amazing stuff!
Arugula I LOVE arugula! Some people are not crazy about it (like my kids) because it is a little bit spicy. I think that it adds a nice dimension to salad. I have an Arugula Salad recipe here. I planted 6 plants in 2 different boxes. One box got attacked by Flea Beatles and the other was still good…and then it was attacked, too. So sad! 🙁 I have ripped out my arugula and fed it to the rabbits for now. I have more starts going and I hope to manage the Flea Beatles better in the future. (Note, Flea Beatles will create little holes all over the leaves of the plant. You might see tiny black, jumping bugs). I cut arugula with scissors just like the other greens.
What greens are you growing in your garden?
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