Moxie Gardener

Spring Salad Greens

We’ve all seen the “volunteers” popping up in expected or unexpected places in our gardens.  “Volunteers” are plants that get started from seeds produced and scattered by our “on purpose” garden plants.  Some seeds lay dormant for years before unexpectedly popping up in the garden.

So why can’t I garden that way on purpose?  Why can’t I plant spring greens seeds in fall to overwinter and produce an extra early crop in spring?  I’ve noticed “volunteers” usually germinate earlier than planting guidelines given on seed packages.  Overall, volunteers tend to bloom or produce earlier than “gardener” seeded crops or transplants started in the house.

Several plants in my garden produced seeds this year and there are other seeds left over from spring planting.  Why not experiment and plant them this fall to see if any survive winter and germinate in spring?

This afternoon I went out and planted seeds of radishes, green onions and five different spring greens:  spinach, purple mizuna greens, arugula, pak choi and a combination of two different lettuces.  Following is the general procedure I followed:

1. Removed weeds and surface mulch to compost pile.  Some seedlings of radishes were growing in the bed and I left them to see if they survive.
2. Spread about a half inch of finished compost over the bed.  Used claw to mix into topsoil and smoothed bed.
3. Planted seeds much deeper than I normally would in spring.
4. Planted seeds more thickly than usual.
5. Did not water after planting.
6. Uncovered now, will be covered before freezing weather settles in for good.

I planted the greens nine to a square foot, using the square foot method.  The radishes were planted four to each of the squares in a square foot divided into nine smaller squares.  The green onions were randomly scattered in a bed where some summer “volunteer” green onions are already growing.  This bed does not conform to the square foot method; its area is a “sort-of” rectangle of approximately three square feet.

The soil should be thawed out by mid-April at the earliest, unless we have an unusually mild March (not likely).  I predict the seeds will germinate by late April.  By Memorial Day, I should be harvesting baby greens and radishes.  The green onions will probably reach pencil size by the Fourth of July.

Of course, this is assuming the seeds survive winter and germinate.

I’ll post follow-ups for each of the vegetables and report their germination date, approximate rate of germination, and the date of first harvest.

Onions, along with garlic, shallots and scallions, are members of the Alliaceae family.  Their Latin name is Allium cepa.  Onions are classified as a cool season vegetable, even though bulb (cooking) onions need the entire growing season to reach maturity.

Bulb onions take a long time to mature—up to five months—and fall is the time to plant seeds for next year’s onion crop.  With adequate protection, the seeds will survive winter, get an early start next spring and produce onions next fall.

Onions grow best in well drained, slightly acidic soil.  They’re heavy feeders so improve your soil and top dress with additional fertilizer throughout the growing season.  Provide them with an inch of water per week.

Onions produce bulbs according to the length of daylight.  In northern areas grow “long day” onions and in southern areas grow “short day” onions.  Middle latitudes can try growing either long or short day onions or choose a “medium day” onion variety.

It is important to weed the onion patch regularly.  Onions are shallow rooted and do not compete well with weeds for water and nutrients.  Cultivate carefully to minimize root damage.  Onions often benefit from the application of a mulch to control weeds and retain soil moisture.

Good companion plants for onions include beets, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, squash, strawberries and peppers.  Chamomile improves the overall growth and flavor of onions.  They are not compatible growing near peas or beans.

Don’t plant only bulb (storage or cooking) onions in fall.  Experiment with planting scallions, shallots and garlic this fall as well.  Covered well with leaves, hay or straw, the seeds and any fall-germinating small plants should survive winter and begin to grow as soon as the ground thaws in spring. 

Onions have been cultivated for over 6000 years.  Their savory goodness adds immeasurable flavor to many different types of dishes.  The flavor of homegrown onions is noticeably better than grocery store onions so it’s worth it to tuck a few onion plants into your garden wherever there’s room.