Designer Greens

In the world of haute cuisine, the use of baby salad leaves has been taken a step further and chefs are now using ‘micro greens’. As the word implies these are very, very small leaves that are used as garnishes or as a base for a main course, such as grilled salmon, fillet or chicken. The terms used in cookery circles are designer salads or signature salads.

Last year I experimented with growing micro greens and had a lot of fun, especially in winter, because micro greens do better as a cool season crop. I particularly enjoyed growing those vegetables that normally take a long time to maturity, like broccoli and cabbage, as this was an opportunity to harvest them early (and both broccoli and cabbage proved delicious as micro greens).
This is definitely something different in the world of food gardening and you might find it hard to get your head around harvesting the vegetables at such a young stage, but do give it a go. It is a nice way of keeping busy outdoors during winter.

What are micro greens?
micro greens are any leafy vegetable that is sown from seed and harvested when the first set of edible true leaves appear. The leaves are cut off and that is the end of the crop. Of course, if you can’t bring yourself to harvest everything at this stage, you can leave some plants to grow to baby leaf stage (my wife calls them ‘teen leaves’) and even to full maturity.
Initially it is hard to cut when the leaves are so small, but just do it! The flavour changes as the leaves get bigger and the smaller the leaves, the better the flavour. Also, don’t be afraid to experiment and try different combinations and flavours.

Micro green mixes
For an interesting mix sow vegetables and herbs that provide a balance of colour, texture and flavour. I have grown most of these for harvesting as micro greens: amaranth, rocket, basil (including dark opal), radishes, beet greens, kohlrabi, broccoli, cabbage, kale, Swiss chard, spinach, chervil, coriander, cress, dill, lettuce mixes (especially the oak leaf lettuce), endive, fennel, mizuna, giant red mustard and green peas. It is best to grow the Brassicas (kale, kohlrabi, cabbage and broccoli) separately as they tend to attract aphids. I particularly like the feathery texture of fennel and dill leaves and the coloured leaves of amaranth, beets, basil dark opal and giant red mustard.

How to grow them
There are a number of different ways to approach the growing of micro greens.  Like normal vegetables they need to be grown in full sun, even those in seedling trays.

• Broadcast sowing in beds
• You can mix all the seeds together and broadcast sow them. When they reach the first leaf stage in about 10 days to two weeks you simply cut everything. The only drawback of this method is that the faster varieties outgrow the slower varieties.
• Sowing by variety in beds
• Although it takes a little bit more effort, I would advise sowing the seed in rows, keeping a specific variety to a row. By keeping notes of the germination times you can fine tune your sowing for later crops so that everything is ready at the same time. Once a crop of micro greens is harvested, work over the soil, add a little more compost and sow the next batch.
• Sowing in seedling trays
• This is my preferred option. Use the big, black plastic seedling trays filled with a proper seedling soil mix, which is weed free. I pre-fertilise by watering with Nitrosol (or any other organic liquid feed) so that the soil is damp. It is not necessary to fertilise again. Sow the seed in rows, cover lightly with soil mix, firm it down, water carefully and cover the whole tray with plastic wrap. The last step is optional but it does maintain a moist microclimate. It is much easier to practice succession sowing with this method – I sowed weekly.

Timing
Cool season micro greens can be grown from May and throughout winter. Succession sowing provides an ongoing supply. Take notes so that you don’t repeat mistakes. In areas that get frost make sure that you have frost cloth available and watch the weather report.

Pests and diseases
Birds can present the biggest problem because there is so little other greenery for them to eat. Bird netting is the most effective protection.

Using micro greens
As the chefs do, use them as a garnish, as a salad topping, on open sandwiches and in omlettes. If you allow the leaves to grow bigger they can become a mixed leaf salad or you can sauté them lightly to make a crunchy side serving (but lettuce leaves don’t sauté well).

What to sow in May
Vegetables: May is the last month before the onset of winter to sow radishes, broad beans, kale, lettuce and spinach. Also sow peas and all the micro greens mentioned in this article.
Herbs: take cuttings of lavender, lemon balm, mint, oregano, rosemary and thyme.

Information supplied by Di-Di Hoffman of Bouquet Garni Nursery, potted herb grower and marketer. Visit Di-Di at www.bloggingherbman.com or phone Bouquet Garni on 012 808 1044.