Hardy, productive, and delicious, growing greens is one of the easiest decisions you can make when you’re putting in a vegetable garden.

In the Living Lab we’ve gone green!  Follow along with our progress here and on Facebook as we grow and harvest this years produce for the Lake Stevens Food Bank.

Greens must be just about the easiest possible crop for the home gardener to grow and prepare. Not only do the tasty leaves—which range in flavor from pungent to mild— practically raise them selves, but they’re also extremely economical (a small packet of seeds can keep you stocked with fresh produce for months!).

Greens: How to Grow ‘Em

Most greens seeds can be sowed as soon as the soil can be worked (just as the seed packets say), which—in many parts of the country—will turn out to be six or eight weeks before the anticipated date for the last spring frost.  Sow the seeds in rows that are a foot or more apart. And be generous when you spread those pellets. (That way, when your thickly sprouted rows need thinning … you’ll actually be gathering your first batch of young, juicy greens!)

Greens: How to Harvest ‘Em

Although greens are simplicity itself to grow, there are a few tricks to stretching their harvest season in order to keep your yields plentiful and succulent for as long as possible. For one thing, be sure to pick some of the growing leaves off your greens plants (after the blades are large enough to harvest, of course) each and every week …

With all that wide variety of greens to choose from—and all the tasty ways to prepare ’em—I think every home gardener should have some of the leafy plants in his or her diet. And not just the “same old greens” you may have grown (or even foraged) before, either. Experiment with new greens. It’s fun, healthful, and—best of all—delicious!