Green Crops In The Garden. Part 2

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Green crops, as a rule, are resistant to cold weather, give a green vitamin harvest in a short time, but there are also more thermophilic among them, as well as plants with a longer growing season. First, let's remember those that are not afraid of the cold and give several harvests over the summer, due to their early maturity

Mustard

Early maturing and cold-resistant

Gone are the days when the word "mustard" caused tears in children's eyes, remembering the burning mustard plasters during an illness. By the way, the Latin name for mustard "Sinapis" was born in two Greek words, which in translation mean "harm to eyesight." The source of this perception of the plant was the mustard oil contained in the seeds and causing tears in humans. In adults, mustard was associated with thick festive jellied meat or juicy dumplings. Today, mustard leaves are grown in garden beds in order to replenish their body with vitamins with the help of young leaves of the plant.

This cold-resistant plant, a couple of weeks after sowing the seeds into the soil, gives tender leaves with a mustard aroma, which are added to green spring salads, eaten like green spicy fresh grass, or stewed as a side dish for meat and fish dishes. If you want to stock up on mustard leaves for future use, it is dried or dried in ventilated rooms or under sun shades, or salted. Surplus green mass will serve as green manure.

Growing

Mustard leaves feel right at home, wherever they are planted, whether it is open ground, a container on a home windowsill, a greenhouse or a greenhouse. She will not conflict if she is not sown on a separate bed, but is added to other vegetable crops.

A short period from sowing to harvesting allows 4-5 crops to be carried out over the summer. The first sowing is carried out in early spring, planting seeds to a depth of no more than 5 millimeters, using loose humus for planting.

Mustard does not like dry soil, therefore, during periods of drought, it requires frequent moderate watering. Prefers fertile, loose soil.

Lover of crampedness

Usually, plants do not like crowding, forcing the gardener to thin out dense seedlings. Mustard greens behave in the opposite way. The less often it is sown, the less tenderness its leaves have.

Mustard leaves are very tender, they quickly lose their attractive appearance, so they must be cut off before use.

Cucumber herb

Cucumber smell

Cucumber grass in the garden culture of our country is a rare guest. More often it can be found as a weed with which they are at war. But practical Europeans grow cucumber as a vegetable crop. Young leaves, exuding a fresh cucumber smell, can easily replace cucumbers in salads, okroshka in early spring, and become a fragrant garnish for meat dishes.

The nectar and pollen of cucumber grass flowers were chosen by bees. They put pollen into honeycombs, carefully tamp it and clog it with light honey from nectar.

The smell of cucumber grass growing next to the slender rows of potato bushes reduces the activity of the voracious Colorado potato beetle, preserving the harvest.

Healing abilities

The healing and magical powers of the cucumber herb were revered in ancient Rome. Traditional medicine uses its stems, leaves, flowers today. They have the ability to calm the nervous system, help the digestive organs, and are used as a diaphoretic, diuretic and laxative.

The beautiful blue-violet flowers are transformed into natural dyes used in confectionery and liqueur production.

Growing and caring

The soil for growing cucumber grass should be light, sandy and calcareous. Sowing seeds is carried out in autumn and spring. To prolong the availability of fresh leaves "at hand", sowing is carried out in 2-3 terms. The seeding depth is 3-4 cm. The occupied area of one plant is approximately 600 square cm.

Plant care is standard. Leaves and flowering shoots are cut as needed.