From corn salad (mâche) and sorrel to rocket and collards, there are countless types of greens to try. And, when you add in all the different heirloom varieties available, you're bound to find some new crops that are perfect for your individual microclimate.
“Lettuces were developed, even in the 1600s, to be seasonal,” says William Woys Weaver, a food historian and the author of Heirloom Vegetable Gardening. “You have winter lettuces that really grow under the snow. You’ve got spring lettuces and you’ve got summer lettuces — lettuces which don’t bolt quickly in hot weather. So, it’s a year-round vegetable.”
Weaver is also the founder of the Roughwood Center for Heritage Seedways, a Pennsylvaniabased nonprofit which maintains a vast collection of heirloom vegetable and flower seed varieties. Regarding his work with lettuces, he says, “I really concentrated on gathering together the lettuces that were known to be grown here regionally in the 18th century. … Thomas Jefferson grew a lot of interesting lettuces from France, and we know what those lettuces were because there are lists. And there are advertisements for lettuces in old newspapers and that kind of thing. That’s how we go back and get descriptions of these plants, so that we know that we’ve got the right thing.”
Winter Greens
Landis Winter Lettuce is one of the most popular lettuces Weaver has collected and grown. “You plant that lettuce in September, and you will have it all winterlong,” he says. “The trick to having winter lettuce is to get it to develop a nice, strong root system before the cold weather sets in. Once it’s got a good root, then it’ll die back a little bit, but, on a warm day in the winter, it’ll pop right up.”
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Denne historien er fra January - February 2025-utgaven av Hobby Farms.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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The RISE of Opportunist WEEDS
Be prepared to see increasing changes in weeds we fight, such as poison hemlock and poison ivy, and in the crops we grow.
LIVESTOCK Health
Prepare yourself for how to spot symptoms of illness in your farm animals so that you can get them help before it's too late.
CUT FLOWER Farming
If you're considering growing flowers for sale, brush up on these five key things to know before diving in.
WINTER Survival
Keep your land, animals and yourself in good shape this winter with this helpful advice.
COVERAGE CONCERNS
Avoid common insurance mistakes for rural and hobby farm businesses.
FARMER'S GUIDE Berries
Set the stage for tasty strawberries, blueberries and brambles with these soil-boosting garden tips.
Preconditioning CALVES
Follow our step-by-step guide to get more money for your calves.
Soil Conservation
Often, outside of having a specific problem that needs to be addressed, soil conservation isn't something every farmer readily thinks about. Yet conserving the soil should be at or near the top of every farmer owner or manager's list of concerns because absent the prevention of soil erosion, we have the opportunity for another dust bowl.
Year-Round Lettuce & Salad Mixes
It's easy to think of salad greens as just a spring- or fall-garden crop, but it's possible to enjoy freshly harvested lettuces, mustards and more from your own garden year-round.
Barn Improvements
Days are never long enough for a farmer. From dawn to well into the night, tasks arise that often require immediate action. Having to search for tools or equipment is an enormous time waster and incredibly frustrating when you can't find what you need, especially when you know you have it.
