It is time to get the winter greens going in the garden. In the middle of August I start two 1020 trays of arugula, hearty greens and winter lettuces that I will transplant by mid-September. Around Labor Day, I start plugs of individual greens, Swiss Chard, kale, Claytonia (miner’s lettuce) and Verte de Cambral (corn salad). The last two are more for harvest in the early Spring than for this fall or Winter.
I have learned that by planting in trays and transplanting, predation by slugs, birds, squirrels and other creatures is minimized (though I do net the greens for a few weeks until they better establish themselves.
Ready to go into the ground, I carve out a small clump of plants and delicately place them into the ground. With heavy watering over a few days, they are no longer in shock and should be providing us with greens to eat within a month or so. With any luck that will last through the early part of the winter.
