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FrontRangeLiving.com -> Garden -> Asian Greens
FAR EASTERN GREENS GO WEST: Growing Asian Vegetables in a Colorado Garden
by Niki Hayden
 We’re
so successful at growing lettuces and spicy greens in Colorado that many
gardeners have become adventurous, dipping into exotic produce from Asian
climates. Not only are gardeners developing a loyalty to spicy mustards such as
the Japanese mizuna, a few are attempting a green soybean called edamame.
"Popular plants are still our best selling seeds," says Curtis
Jones, president of Broomfield-based Botanical Interests seed company, "but there’s a
trend in Asian and unusual greens--red mustard, New Zealand spinach (which is
not a true spinach), beet greens, pak choi (or bok choy). People are trying a
greater variety of edible greens."
Seed packets with names like shiso, perilla, or gai choy mustard line up
alongside the standard crisphead lettuce and baby mesclun mix. Whether or not these
newer Asian greens capture wide interest, they’re an easy experiment because the growing
habits are similar to leafy cabbages. Most adore the cooler Colorado climate
and, with a few exceptions, remain relatively pest-free in our arid growing
conditions. Many of the cool-loving Asian greens also will grow in light shade.
GROW ASIAN VEGETABLES LIKE YOU WOULD BROCCOLI
Most of the Asian greens are from the mustard rather than the lettuce family.
That puts them in the brassica family -- the same family of broccoli and cabbage
that boosts nutrition. Take a close look at the seeds. Perfectly
round, they’ll remind you of radish seeds. Radishes are in the same family and
share a love for cooler temperatures and a tendency to become sharply spicy with age
and heat.
Like cabbages, they will be sensitive to similar pests, like the flea beetle
or cabbage worm, so crop rotation is vital. But if you take simple precautions,
Asian greens can form the backbone to a delicious survey of Far Eastern
cuisines.
One of the most beneficial tools for any brassica crop is a floating
row of poly spun fiber stretched over small arches. Floating row covers will
protect the seedlings from steep temperature drops in the spring, modify brisk
winds and waylay the worst pests. Place row covers over new seedlings just as
they have emerged and after
they have been thinned. Anchor the loose fabric with heavy rocks. Keep the
covers on for four to six weeks. Cabbage worms
won’t be able to lay their eggs on the newly emerging seedlings. After the egg
laying period is over, remove the floating row and you’ll have perfect greens that
are pesticide free.
Keep in mind that if you haven't rotated crops and pests crawl from under the
soil, they'll be having a free lunch with no predators to bother them.
Most Asian greens like fertile soil. Like cabbages, they’ll require a loamy
soil of compost, aged manure (or cover crop like rye grass planted
previously) and fertilizers such as blood meal (for nitrogen), and bone meal
(phosphorous). Most Colorado soils possess potassium in abundance, so you can
skip that nutrient.
Water judiciously. That means that soil should be moist at all times, but not
soggy. Sow seeds about four to six weeks before the last frost date, just
lightly in the soil, about one-quarter-inch deep.
Mizuna, bok choy (pak choi) and red mustard share the same requirements. Thinly plant the seeds
6 inches apart about
six weeks before the last frost. That puts Colorado gardeners in the first
of April or last of March. The seeds germinate quickly with our spring snows and
prefer a cool temperature.
Chinese cabbage, or michihli, comes from the south of China, so this Asian
green prefers to germinate in warm weather. It’s not recommended to sow seeds
until the temperatures remain above 50 degrees. That means that planting should
take place no earlier than May 15 and probably later. The plants can take cooler
temperatures in the fall once they are mature, so it won’t hurt to plant these
seeds in June.
Otherwise, the conditions are the same as for the cooler Asian greens. In
general, none of these brassica veggies like to be transplanted. It’s better to sow
the seeds directly in the garden soil.
EDAMAME: "BEANS ON BRANCHES"
If you’ve sampled edamame at a farmers market, the crunchy, salty green nut
is familiar. Edamame is a Japanese word for "beans on branches," a
kind of green soybean.
Since edamame is a member of the pea family, it also is a nitrogen-fixing
plant, which means it gives more nitrogen to the soil than it takes away. That
alone makes it valuable. It’s also virtually pest free.
Here’s how to grow edamame: sow in ordinary garden soil, or slightly poor
soil. Avoid over watering; the seeds hate soggy soil. Plants will take at least
63 days to maturity.
Since soybeans are frost sensitive, don’t plant them directly in the soil
until after our last frost date, which is about May 10. Even if the frost date
passes, but the soil is soggy and cold, hold off until the garden is warmer and
drier. That’s because bean seeds have a tendency to rot in cold, wet soil. And
since they are quick to germinate, it’s not worthwhile to plant them unless
conditions are ideal. Plant seeds about one inch deep and two inches apart.
Soybeans like full sun and require less water than most beans. Try to water just the
soil, not the leaves. It’s recommended
that you buy new seed each year because the germination success with soybeans
may be low with year-old seed. Green seeded soybeans are suitable for edamame,
black seeded are used for dried beans and yellow seeded are recommended for
soymilk.
Edamame is harvested while it’s plump in the green stage. Sprinkle the pods
with salt and let stand ten minutes. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and
add the beans uncovered for five minutes, or longer if you prefer a softer bean.
Drain and serve. Sprinkle the pods with a coarse salt if you like them Japanese
style. Squish the pods and the beans will pop out.
Also, check out our story on preparing for a vegetable
garden in Colorado. If you're looking for edamame seeds in Colorado, try www.seedexseed.com
in Longmont or www.botanicalinterests.com
in Broomfield.
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