The chart below demonstrates how often we plant various greens to keep them at optimal flavor and texture for our customers. Most gardeners can get away with extending these timeframes if they keep them well fertilized, don’t pick their crops super hard or don’t mind them a bit spicy, bitter, or tough. Many tender, annual greens (arugula, mizuna, tatsoi), however, can’t be extended even with extra TLC, as biology compels them to bolt after a few weeks.
Dates underlined in bold indicate that we recommend starting plants indoors and transplanting them out in 2-3 weeks. Indoor seeding is ideal when cool soil temps inhibit outdoor germination. We also start all bunching/heading greens (kale, chard, collards, cabbage, radicchio, head lettuce) indoors no matter the season, as we like to space the transplants with precision in the bed to optimize yields and harvest efficiency.
Your final planting of kale, chard, radicchio, collards and other hardy greens may survive all winter depending on the weather and microclimate. Good luck!
