Garden greens in our area need the cooler soils of autumn to grow their best. Luckily, there are a number of other tasty greens to grow this month. Best of all, there is no back-breaking gardening! All of these can be grown in large pots on the patio. Seeds need cool soil to germinate and then the plants need the short days of fall, winter, and early spring to stay vegetative―producing leaves but not flowers. Once the weather heats up, these greens will become bitter and begin to flower.

Leafy greens need a rich, well-drained soil, with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Add ample compost or aged manure to the soil before planting for healthy growth. Containers full of potting soil are just fine. Plants will need full sun for six hours a day. Keep the soil evenly moist for best flavor.

Leaf Greens That Grow Well In The Southwest

Here are some of the greens you can grow, including some varieties that do well in the Southwest.

European spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is just fine to plant and does well in cool soils. Don’t grow the New Zealand spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides) – it’s a warm season green.

Orach (Atriplex hortensis): Also called wild spinach, I prefer it over European spinach as it has a sweeter flavor and no gritty feel.

Sorrel (Rumex acetosa): Eaten raw or cooked, adds a tangy lemony flavor to food.

Mizuna (Brassica rapa var. japonica): with a mild mustard flavor; this is good in salads or cooked.

Mustard (Brassica juncea): Southwest’s own ‘Mostaza Roja’ is mild enough for salads or used as a cooked green. Avoid any variety with “giant” in the name; they do not do well here.

Tatsoi (Brassica rapa var. narinosa) with a mild mustard flavor; it is good in salads or cooked. Tatsoi is included in many salad mixes and is easy to grow.

Lettuce-Like Greens

Mache (Valerianella locusta): also called corn salad or or lambs lettuce, once you grow this you will never eat lettuce again. It simply melts in your mouth.

Mesclun Mix: mixed seed that generally includes lettuce, orach, mache, and some of the mustards. Cut to harvest, generally within 3 weeks of sowing.

Microgreens: mixed seed that you cut and consume when they are still “micro,” a bare 3 to 4 inches tall.

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa): There are four types of lettuce: crisphead, butterhead, romaine, and looseleaf. Looseleaf and butterhead are most successful in our climate. ‘Black-Seeded Simpson’ and ‘Simpson Elite’ are two good green-leaf varieties. ‘Red Sails’ and ‘Lolla Rosa’ are red-leaf varieties that are easy to grow. Try ‘Buttercrunch’ if you want a heading lettuce.

If you cut off the head of lettuce to harvest, rather than pulling it up, it may re-sprout.

How To Harvest

Greens are most easily harvested using scissors to snip off leaves ½ to 1 inch above the soil line, or along the stem for taller greens. Usually, plants will grow additional leaves. If you can, harvest in the morning when the water content of the leaves is highest. Invest in a good salad spinner to wash your homegrown greens.

Don’t be shy about adding some pansies or calendula to your garden planters. Your garden will look pretty, plus these have edible flowers, as mentioned here. Have fun with your garden in our dry climate!