Know of any HOT weather greens?

[Wildflower]

We live in NW Arkansas......I'm going to plant New Zealand Spinach. Are there any other greens that work in a hot, humid climate? Thanks!! :)

[apoe]

Collards, but y'all must know that. I also have heard about some oriental greens that don't bolt in holt weather--trying to explore this right now myself. Swiss chard, esp. Perpetual chard, is possible with some shade and careful protection from insects (like lightweight insect barriers set down at sowing).

[Wildflower]

Thanks apoe; I've tried collards, but maybe I'll try them again w/ the barrier cloth.

[wildseed2u]

Hi, Amaranth and Quinoa both are great for Hot weather greens and they both produce a very nutrishes grain that is quite high in protein, if you plan to cook the grain from the Quinoa it must be washed first as they are coated with a soapy substance that must be washed of first. Quinoa looks a lot like our old fashioned Lambsquarter that grows wild here in Missouri and other states. Amaranth is a very nice plant that produces well and makes a great border plant some varieties can grow quite tall. Baker's Creek carries both Amaranth and Quino seeds I highly recomend them as a warm weather green.
George W. Norwood Mo.

[OzarkGarden]

Our Swiss chard does well in hot weather. It's best to keep picking it so it doesn't bolt. We also plant our rows between our corn so that it gets some shade from the hot afternoon sun. We grow the Bright Lights chard and I like it better than spinach. My husband put in a soaker hose system in the veggie garden and it's been a life saver!

[PhilosopherStorm]

I hear Malabar Spinach is supposed to be wonderful and loves the heat.. unfortunately I have not been able to get ahold of any to try it yet myself..

[Jodi]

George W.
At what stages are you using the greens on the Amaranth and Quinua? Do any of the varieties work?
And do you have any tips on growing these plants?
Thanks.
Jodi

[wildseed2u]

Hi Jodi, My Quinoa and Amararanth is about 4ft. high now and I have been using the leaves and young shoots and tops for about 2 weeks now, I may hold off a bit to let things regrow some. I notist that the Quinoa is starting to bud out and make flower heads, I'll need to watch this as the seeds are coated in sapins which is a soapy substance. This will need to be washed off the seeds and quite possibly the seed pods on the flowering areas of the plant if I add them along with the leaves when I cook them or add them to salads. The leaves and shoots I find are a bit tuff for using in salads and are much better cooked, but they are both quite tasty and are very hardy and wonderful plants. One note they make great food for rabbits and livestock also the older stocks can be chopped and added to your compost mix as it has a high fiber content to it.

[Jodi]

When you mention for livestock, do you mean both amaranth and Quinua? All? or part of the plants?

Also, is it intentional that you waited until the plants were so tall before using?

Thanks, you've been most helpful!

[begonia]

Peppers are a wonderful warm weather plant.

The leaves of the bellpepper and the chili pepper is actually quite good cooked. I would wash carefully and then add in the last five minutes of cooking to various dishes. It cooks up nicely like spinach but with a mild pepper flavor. I add it to mung bean soup or my macaroni and cheese.

[GreenZone]

Never heard that about the pepper greens. Worth a try, tho, if u say so, Begonia. Another I just found out about this year: cowpea greens. Good raw or lightly cooked ( as in stir-fry) if picked while still tender and sort of glossy. Taste a lot like bean sprouts which isn't too surprising since cowpeas are closely related to mung beans.
--Randel

[begonia]

As a follow up -- you can only eat the chili pepper leaves cooked. I tried it raw-- they were bitter.

Also, I have heard that blanched sweet potato greens tossed with salad dressing is also very good. I am growing several sweet potato plants to try the greens. I am not sure my soil is good enough to grow the tubers as it's very rocky but at least i will get the young leaves.

My mom who grew up in the Philippines offered these suggestions. My diet is largely vegetarian so it is good to find out about new veggies.

[wildseed2u]

Capsicum Plants for Greens.. hi I've tried eating the leaves from various pepper plants and they do taste ok, but unless your growing them strickly for greens I find that stripping them of there leaves tends to cause them to become very twiggy and the peppers are smaller also. the stems on Bell pepper plants become to week to hold any sizeable peppers and brake quite easily, and often the peppers get burnt from the sun. So I think I'll stick to my Amaranth and Quinoa . Ther is a close cousin to the Okra plant called A. Manihot its leaves are cooked and eaten much the same as spinach, but they become quite slimmy like boiled Okra. also some Hibiscus leaves and flowers can be cooked and eaten as a cooked summer green.

[farmgirl]

I had good luck with cirrenta and catalina spinach from Veseys seeds. Their Joi Choi also resists bolting.

[zebraman]

Hey;You guys do understand Sweet Potatoes are in the Genus Ipomoea and contain the hallucinogen Lycergic Acid amides.You might want to consider this before eating the leaves.The Tubers are berreft of this but not the plants or the seeds.Just thought you might want to know-

[tashak]

Don't forget turnip greens like 7Top. If you pick them young, they aren't quite as spicy/strong flavored. And they grow really fast.
Lucullus Swiss chard (the most tender one I've found) isn't too fond of hot NV summer sun; the regular plain green thicker chards do better.
And there is mustard, too.
Thicker leaved Asian greens do okay here in summer but tend to bolt before I'm tired of eating them.

[trudyjean]

Rutabega greens are good, the bulb part to me isn't. It will get woody in the summer, but the greens are tasty. If you want the bulb part its best to plant in the fall.

The Malabar Spinach does like the heat and will do good, at least in hot/humid S. Ga.

Interesting begonia about the pepper leaves. Last year I mistakenly picked some that was right next to the basil. The leafy parts were intertmixed and I wasn't paying attention and used them with the basil in a dish. Didn't realize it til a few days later what I had done. trudy

[TastyofHasty]

How did the New Zealand Spinach do? I've got some seed and am planning on growing it this year, in NW Arkansas.

[tashak]

Trudyjean, how do you cook/serve the rutabaga greens? Are they your basic steam or stirfry, or do you slow simmer with grease, or what? Any particular stage of growth for picking the greens to eat?

[Wildflower]

I didn't have much luck with the New Zealand spinach. I think I planted it too late (end of June)
I did plant tatsoi, mizuna and mustard greens in August and we had a great fall garden.
Thanks for all the help with this subject. I think I'll check into the shade fabric for this year.

[trudyjean]

Tashak sorry for not replying sooner. Been a few days since I've been on here. No particular stage of growth as long as they are not yellowing. I cook them just like you would turnips or collards. Some meat grease or smoked ham hock with some salty water (to your taste on the salt), cook til done to your liking. If you don't have enough rutabega greens to make a mess you can add others to it, I mixed in a few turnip greens with mine and you couldn't tell any difference in taste. trudy

[TastyofHasty]

Wildflower, to plant seeds in August, do you have to water quite a bit?

[Wildflower]

Wildflower, to plant seeds in August, do you have to water quite a bit?

Well, 2005 I had to water ALOT!! We're still in a drought here in NW Arkansas and I sure hope it starts raining soon. Old timers are comparing it to the drought in 1934.

Back to your question: in 2004, we had plenty of rain and I never had to water. :)

[don_maples]

Summer of 2033, I had Aurora and Early Splender amaranths in my vegetable garden despite their being marketed as ornamental. My neighbor from Zambia noticed and said that Aurora is the most popular green in Africa. They did well and our July highs average 92. Aurora tasted better. I also grow Mustard, Turnip, Swiss Chard and Tendergreen thru the Summer and have grown Red Malabar Spinich. I don't spare the water and I harvest them when young. The Amaranth reseeds itself in the Spring if allowed to drop seed in the Fall.

[Wildflower]

how do you eat aurora? cooked or raw? I've never grown amaranth as a vegetable. I'm interested. Thanks!!

[40lb farmer]

hot weather radish and beets produce fine greenery for raw and cooking uses. most texturize like spinach.
artichokes are good for hot and arid areas.
collards, picked young are very tender. they are even marketed in oriental markets as 'yu choi'. they should not yet have the yellow flowers' bulbs when picked. steam and eat the whole thing down to the nubb just above ground.
dandelion and dollar weed are good hot weather greens and quite edible.

[trudyjean]

Dollar Weed? I didn't know that! How do u fix them? In salads or cooked? I wanna know, I have those in abundance. trudy

[Wildflower]

Is dollar weed also known as "money plant"?

[don_maples]

Eat Aurora both ways. I grew it trying to get a yellow salad leaf but found it too tough for raw salad at that maturity. Younger lite green leaves are ok salad.

[Bellepepper]

About the only greens that I can get to survive the Southern KS summers is Swiss Chard. While young and tender, I use them in salads. The larger leaves, I cook as greens.

[don_maples]

In 2004 I rented a community garden plot and was astonished when vandals kept harvesting my okra leaves. I just thinned my recent okra and out of curiosity, boiled the leaves- wow! Mild, tender and tasty. It doesn't get too hot for okra.

[tuk50]

TastyofHasty,
How did the New Zealand Spinach do? I've got some seed and am planning on growing it this year, in NW Arkansas

Did you get the New Zealand Spinach going? I've had no luck starting from seed, but start them inside and plant outside with my eggplant sets in the warm soil and have had good luck that way. It takes a continually moist, mulched soil here and climbs my garden fence. The direct seed plants seem to never grow good even when they sprout. It may be something in my soil, but it does grow well, but slow, like I described above. Mine have been in the ground for about 3 weeks now and were planted when about 3 inches high and are now only about 5 inches high, but are doing well. :cool:

[Orgarden]

I must have the strangest New Zealand Spinach. I've read everywhere that it's a heat loving plant but when I planted it in the summer it turned spindly and seemed ready to bolt. Tried again in the cool weather of fall and the thing grew lush right up until hard frost of winter.

[Jodi]

In 2004 I rented a community garden plot and was astonished when vandals kept harvesting my okra leaves. I just thinned my recent okra and out of curiosity, boiled the leaves- wow! Mild, tender and tasty. It doesn't get too hot for okra.

Hey thanks for the tip! I know a couple years ago when we had crazy weather with all the hurricanes (we went from 20 inches of rain one week; like 16 in in one day, to heat and drought extremes several times) I noticed strong survivors. Although cracked Amana Orange, Tigerella, and Black Krim tomatoes and okra. In most garden where nothing survived okra remained strong even in the poor applachian areas. so the greans is a great tip to expand on variety.

Oh yeah, almost forgot one more strong survivor--Thai Pink tomatoes.

[goldpearl]

Hi Jodi,
Where have you been? Good to see you back around.
Carol

[tuk50]

orgarden, I've only planted the nzspinach at the edges of my garden where there is no ammendments and here the soil is a bit alkaline and it is slow growing rather thick stems, but I have black plastic with straw about 4inches thick and planted in a cut through the plastic. I still don't understand the plant. It sometimes just won't grow for me when I plant direct seed? This is the first year I've moved in over 25 years and the soil is sandyloam and never been planted in before and this years crop looks fantastic at about 6inches now, lush green color with tints of red and only an occasional fish emulsion spray at half strength on weekends. I'll follow up later in the summer when our Heat hits. We're in mid 90's day mid 60's night. This is the fourth time I've planted it over the last 6 years and I've yet to eat any. Not brave enough I guess lol.... :cool:

[G. Gordon Gumbo]

Lambs Quarter

[Rainbow Hadedah]

What about salad seedlings.

Sow your choice into a seedtray kept on a windowsill. Or direct in soil, shaded - I use home-made frames with hail netting - it allows sun to penetrate without undue pest and bird problems.

I use a combination of lettuces (whatever I have available), rocket (aragula), cress, endive, etc. They should only grow a few centimetres high and then cut with scissors. At this stage of growth the nutrient content is very high. Sometimes, depending on the weather, you can re-cut after a couple of weeks.

If you sow a couple of square metres, you could have enough greens for quite a few salads in the heat of summer. It certainly works for me in the heat of an African summer.

[Orgarden]

Tuk50, try it on a sandwich instead of lettuce, gives a nice crunch with a light spinach-y taste, not to mention the leaves can grow large enough for a whole sandwich. My favorite sandwich using it last year was egg-over-easy and cheese, gave it some much needed crunch.

I just loved the thing because it was so low maintenance. Cut half the plant and it would grow back in a couple of days, would grow up or out depending on how it was last cut, and when full it was pretty to look at. I should try growing it again this summer to see if last year was a fluke.

[TastyofHasty]

Tuk50, I planted 4 seeds in my garden. (Saved about 2 ... that's all I have left!) ... They DO seem to just disappear. Thanks for the interesting words about moisture and mulch and starting indoors. Well ... tomorrow and Monday is "plantin' time" for above-ground plants by the moon.

[OzarkGarden]

Found this recipe for Okra Greens.

http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/recipe.cgi?r=177344

[rngardener]

Last year I grew Huazontle -- sometimes referred to as "Mexican spinach." When I was in Cuernavaca, Mexico, I frequently saw huazontle on restaurant menus.
Baby leaves are good in salads. As the plant matures, the leaves turn bright red and are good steamed. The whole plant resembles amaranth. It thrives in our zone 8 (used to be 7b) summers.

[TastyofHasty]

I DO have New Zealand spinach! Plants are about 2' - 3' high, chopped off some leaves & used them in "chicken and dumplings" recipe a couple days ago; they add a nice touch of dark green and taste ... green. Hopefully it will go to seed(?) Anybody know seeding habit of New Zealand spinach?

Also -- is now about the right time to plant collard greens?

[tuk50]

t of h, I just planted my collards and kale in flats this weekend, I like them to be large mature plants by first frost so they will keep producing here in my climate through the winter. :cool:

[TastyofHasty]

Thank you, Tuk50. Next planting day for "above-ground crops" by the moon for
July, from:
http://www.farmersalmanac.com/gardening/gardening.html
20-21-22 Favorable for planting peas, beans, tomatoes and other fall crops bearing aboveground. Sow grains and forage crops. Plant flowers.

23-24 Extra good for fall cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, mustard greens and other leafy vegetables. Good for any aboveground crop that can be planted now. Start seedbeds.

What other above-ground crops should seed be started for now?

[cecropia]

Try New Zealand Spinach - takes a lot of heat

[Wildflower]

Still no luck with new zealand spinach this year where I live. (nw arkansas)


But, my malabar spinach is doing great. I have it growing in pots and on the garden fence. We eat it raw and cooked. :)

[bluelacedredhead]

I tried my Malabar Spinach on Sunday. Just nibbled on a couple of leaves while talking to my DIL. We both thought it was very mild. Not at all like regular Spinach. Haven't tried it cooked yet. Wildflower, when you cook it, how do you prepare it? Same as regular spinach??

[Wildflower]

bluelacedredhead...we use it in asian type dishes. sauteed with other stuff.

[bluelacedredhead]

Thanks! I'll have to give that a try. Never thought of stir frying them, duh!
But you know, they are the perfect shape for scooping dip. Who needs nachos, lol

[Wildflower]

LOL! Also the perfect size for a bagel or english muffin egg sandwich!!;)

[bluelacedredhead]

Mine aren't that big yet. We've not had much in the way of very warm weather this summer. :( But it's forecast for this week, so I expect to see that vine just explode..

[GreenZone]

So, are they....mucilaginous?

[bluelacedredhead]

As in do they stick to the roof of your mouth like glue??? :D
Naw..
Randel, I've heard some people say that they find them to be oooey gooey when cooked??
But raw? Naw.

[don_maples]

With a new season coming, I'll share some more experiences. Once I had a neighbor from Zambia that grew squash for greens-not fruit, and squash can sure take heat. Tho broccoli won't head up in hot weather, it grows well and makes very good greens. I planted Calabrese Green in late June of 2006 and it did well thru July and Aug. when the highs averaged 95.9F. Komatsuma/Tendergreen deals with heat well but may bolt early which is not bad- its bud stems make excellent raab.

[tashak]

Don, re komatsuma/tendergreen bud stems--are the blossoms edible too?

[zeedman]

I've grown the NZ spinach, started from transplants. Probably just as well, or I might never have recognized the seedlings. They look like weeds. Some of those who think their seedlings never came up, might have pulled them up unknowingly.

The seeds take a long time to germinate, and really benefit from soaking. I soaked them 24 hours, then drained them, and left them (still wet) in a covered bowl. At the first sign of sprouting, I planted them all in peat strips, and had excellent germination.

The plants grow slowly at first, but really take off once they get established, forming a thick ground-hugging mat. While NZ spinach is supposed to be a hot-weather green - and it will tolerate heat - mine did better in the cool days of early Autumn. The plants even showed a surprising amount of frost resistance, probably because they formed a living blanket. Seeds form in the leaf axils, from the tiny inconspicuous flowers.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n244/zeedman/GardenPictures083.jpg
NZ spinach, mature plants @ 12" spacing

I should mention that NZ spinach has high levels of oxalic acid, which some may find distasteful... but then, so does spinach. Of all the "spinaches" I've eaten, NZ spinach comes closest to the flavor & texture of real spinach.

Egyptian spinach (Corchorus olitorius, a.k.a. molokhia, Jews mallow, jute) is another hot-weather possibility. It forms an upright, heavily-branched bush 3 feet high, unless trimmed lower (which I recommend). The leaves are very mild-flavored, and are good - if relatively tasteless - eaten raw. When cooked, the leaves become very dark green, and are mucilaginous, much like cooked okra. I found them to be the perfect companion to fish; my spouse used them in soup, to thicken the broth. Supposedly, the dried, powdered leaves are good added to soups, but I haven't tried it (yet). If you intend to keep seed from it, you'd better start it early, because the seed pods ripen incredibly slowly.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n244/zeedman/GardenPictures024.jpg
Egyptian spinach, plants @ 12" spacing.

Someone mentioned the leaves of Southern peas. I've tried the young leaves of yardlong beans, which are the same species. They were OK, but I wouldn't use them if I had other greens available. However, winged beans (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) are highly nutritious as a pot herb. They are 5-7% protein. The plants look nearly identical to pole beans, and not only are the leaves & pods edible, but the flowers and tuberous roots as well. Some varieties are daylength-sensitive, so you should find a day-neutral variety, such as "Hunan", or the one sold by the non-profit ECHO. I've provided a link to more info below:
http://www.leafforlife.org/PAGES/PSOPHOCA.HTM

Another high-protein possibility for hot-weather climates is a tree - Moringa oleifera, a.k.a. "horseradish tree". The leaves are extremely nutritious; to quote Trees for Life, "...ounce-for-ounce, Moringa leaves contain more Vitamin A than carrots, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, more Vitamin C than oranges, and more potassium than bananas,” and that the protein quality of Moringa leaves rivals that of milk and eggs. The seeds are fairly hard to find (ECHO has them also) but very easy to grow.

In short-season areas like mine, I need to start Moringa early... but in warmer climates, you could probably direct seed. The trees grow very rapidly; even with my short Wisconsin summers, they reach 2-3 feet tall. This is another plant with numerous uses other than the leaves... including antibiotic properties. My wife makes a very tasty soup with the leaves; with my short seasons, we only get 3-4 pickings... but I still consider it well worth growing.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n244/zeedman/GardenPictures128.jpg
Moringa oleifera

I love greens, so I grow a lot of them - including sweet potato leaves. They haven't killed me yet. ;-) I'm not sure how many of those grown for their tubers are palatable; I tried a few, and didn't like them. There is a variety sold in Asian stores that is very pleasant, which is what I grow. They are usually sold in bunches of shoots; if you are considering growing it, pick the leaves off the stems & cook them, preserving the stems. If you like the leaves, root the stems in water & plant them.

My apologies for the length... I hope this was helpful.

[don_maples]

I'm sure komatsuma/tendergreen blossoms are edible but are probably bitter as are those or broccoli raab which is the same species.

[Emerald]

I'm sure komatsuma/tendergreen blossoms are edible but are probably bitter as are those or broccoli raab which is the same species.

I found that blanching my broccoli raab lightly before using in any of my recipes it helped with the bitterness.

[Chile]

They planted some 1000 year old amaranth seeds and they sprouted. Amaranth seeds are remarkable in being able to store them for a very long time. A big seed head can have a kilo or 2.2 pounds of seeds. The aztec indians considered it a super important food. This is a very amazing plant.

[don_maples]

One Summer I grew Tampala near Tallahassee, Florida and was pleased but I now don't know of a seed supplier. Can someone help me?

[TastyofHasty]

I googled and found this:
http://www.containerseeds.com/products/veggies/cookinggreens.html

Amaranth, Red Leaf
It is also called "calaloo" in the Caribbean, "tampala," "Chinese spinach," and other names.

BTW, I grew moringa oleifera two years in a row (kept it in greenhouse overwinter, so it survived to the next year) ... but it's a tropical. Seedman.com has it (scroll down to "Seeds"):
http://www.seedman.com/moring.htm

[Train]

Peppers are a wonderful warm weather plant.

The leaves of the bellpepper and the chili pepper is actually quite good cooked. I would wash carefully and then add in the last five minutes of cooking to various dishes. It cooks up nicely like spinach but with a mild pepper flavor. I add it to mung bean soup or my macaroni and cheese.

Who wudda thunk it?
Train GG

[Train]

Summer of 2033, I had Aurora and Early Splender amaranths in my vegetable garden despite their being marketed as ornamental. My neighbor from Zambia noticed and said that Aurora is the most popular green in Africa. They did well and our July highs average 92. Aurora tasted better. I also grow Mustard, Turnip, Swiss Chard and Tendergreen thru the Summer and have grown Red Malabar Spinich. I don't spare the water and I harvest them when young. The Amaranth reseeds itself in the Spring if allowed to drop seed in the Fall.

Geez, what did you do in 2014?
Train GG

[Rachelle]

Now Train, you made me spit my coffee. Thanks for the laugh!

Happy Gardening!
Rachelle

[don_maples]

According to the sketchy info that I have, both Red Leaf and Tampala amaranths are amaranthus gangeticus but Red Leaf is variety, melancholicus while Tampala is variety, viridis. Does anyone better info?

[javogh]

I live in NE Oklahoma, and have lambsquarter growing wild like a weed in my garden - it is tasty year round and you just can't kill the stuff. 30 seconds in boiling water is all it takes to cook, and the plants will get 15' tall, if you let them!