Turn a new leaf, plant leafy greens yet this fall for fresh produce.

Pak Choi

Gai ian 

tatsoi 

choy sum 

       ​Good morning.  It is a fall morning for sure on Tuesday Sept 2.  65F(18C) now at 10:00 AM high today of 75F(24C). It looks like that is the warmest day of this week. Rest of the week in the 60’s.   Another taste of fall is coming this week.   We are going to be working the West Fork United Methodist Church ice cream social this afternoon.  Serving from 5-7.  Sloppy joes, homemade ice cream, homemade bars, chips.  We have takeouts.  Great food, and fellowship.  Free will donation with all the donations going to the Vietnam Veterans of North Central Iowa.  In return they use it for gift cards for the homeless veterans at Christmas time.   Stay warm, stay safe.  
 
Australia family and friends are starting to have their spring.  This week I will post pictures of their spring plants blooming. For their Wed. Sept.3rd it will be a high of 65F(18C).  Looking at our temperature this week, we are going to have about the same temperatures.  Starting of their spring, starting of our fall.  Evelyn said this would happen as she remembers talking with her dad in spring and fall and how similar the temperatures felt.  I thought to myself this morning, the temperature does feel like in the morning when we were visiting Australia.  Stay warm, stay safe. 
I found this article about starting leafy greens now for the fall harvest.  They talk about the fabric bags to plant them in, and I have them, so will try it.  Now some of the kinds of greens they talked about I have never heard of.  How about you?  I will try to find them and try to see what I think about growing them.  With the ice cream social this afternoon, now the rest of my week I can work on planting instead of working on the ice cream social.  Glad I can do what I do for it.  We have many hands that help and do this event, so it really is a good thing for our church too.  WORKING TOGETHER.  Let me know if you have grown any of these. 
 
Growing Asian Greens: Bok Choy, Tatsoi, Mizuna, and More for Your Fall Garden
These Leafy Greens Grow Fast in Warm, Late-Summer Soil Written By: Robin Sweetser
Asian greens are the stars of many fall vegetable gardens. If you’ve never grown tatsoi, pak choi, or other Asian greens, give them a try because they will germinate fast in warm, late-summer soil. Turn over a new leaf and learn more about types of Asian greens!
Greens are the real stars of the fall vegetable garden. Leaf lettuce and spinach are the most popular fall greens, but their seeds won’t germinate well if soil temperatures are above 75°F, so start them indoors or in a container in a shady spot outside. Once they are up and growing, transplant them into their new beds.
Mache, also called corn salad, is an extremely hardy green that stands up to freezing temperatures. Eaten cooked or raw, it has a nutty flavor and soft texture. Like lettuce and spinach, it won’t germinate in warm soil either.
What to Plant in a Fall Garden: A Step-by-Step Guide
Kale is a winter staple. Most varieties give you edible leaves in about 40 days, and they can stay in the garden until temperatures drop below 20°F. Easy to grow, kale germinates fast in warm soil, popping up in 3 to 6 days.
Asian Greens
For something new and different, give these Asian greens a try. Some are sweet and mild, while others have a mustardy tang. Since they are grown in many different Asian countries, they are often called by different names, but their growth is the same. All are in the Brassica genus, related to kale, broccoli, mustard greens, and cabbage, so they will germinate fast in warm, late summer soil.
Bok Choy or Pac Choi
Author’s  favorite! We grow dwarf ‘Asian Delight’ and maroon-leaved ‘Purple Lady’. They are ready to pick in 45 days. Chopped and stir-fried in oil or broth with garlic, they are very mild-tasting and make a quick, delicious side dish.
Gai lan or Kailaan
If you like broccoli raab, you will love gai lan, which is a type of Chinese broccoli. Look for ‘Green Jade’ or its hybrids since they have the thickest stems. Cut the stalks, leaves, and flower buds and eat them lightly steamed. It is ready for the first harvest in about 3 weeks, and the more you cut it, the more it branches. Some varieties are more pungent than others.
Tatsoi
Like all these Asian greens, tatsoi can be grown in a container or grow bag as well as in the garden. With spoon-shaped dark green leaves on crisp white stems, tatsoi has a mild, peppery flavor; the young leaves are ready to pick in about 21 days and are excellent in salad. Fully mature in about 45 days, it has a buttery texture when lightly cooked.
Choy Sum (or Choi Sum)
Choy sum is a very sweet and tender flowering Brassica, like broccoli. Eat it before the buds fully open for the best flavor. Start harvesting baby leaves in 3 weeks or whole stalks in 6 weeks. Like gai lan, it produces more branches after you cut it.
Mibuna
A traditional Japanese vegetable, mibuna has clusters of 1-foot-tall, narrow, dark green leaves. They have a slight mustardy flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked. Baby leaves are ready to cut in 3 weeks.
Mizuna
A gourmet salad green, mizuna has white stems and frilly green leaves. Fast-growing, it is ready to eat in 20 days. There are varieties such as ‘Central Red’ that have purple stems and ‘Red Kingdom’, which has thicker leaves. All are mildly flavored.
Komatsuna
Often called spinach mustard, the leaves get hotter and more pungent as they mature. Popular in Japan, where it is eaten steamed or in a stir fry, it can also be picked as a baby green and eaten in salad. There are red-leaved varieties too, just don’t overcook them if you want to keep the red color. Another fast-growing green, the baby leaves are ready to pick at 3 to 6 inches tall in 3 weeks or as mature plants in 6 weeks.
Fall Planting Guide for Asian Greens
Asian Green Days to Harvest      When to Plant (Before Frost)     Frost Tolerance       Best Uses
Bok Choy (Pac Choi)          30–45 days  4–6 weeks    Light frost tolerant Stir-fries, soups
Tatsoi 21–45 days  4–6 weeks    Very frost hardy     Salads, sautéed greens
Mizuna          20–40 days  4–6 weeks    Light frost tolerant Salads, stir-fries
Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)           30–50 days  6–8 weeks    Light frost tolerant Steamed, stir-fries
Choy Sum     30–45 days  6 weeks         Light frost tolerant Stir-fries, soups
Komatsuna   25–40 days  4–6 weeks    Frost hardy  Salads, stir-fries
Mibuna         21–40 days  4–6 weeks    Frost hardy  Salads, quick cooking
Protecting from Pests
Since these greens are all part of the Brassica genus, they share the same pests as cabbage and broccoli. Thankfully, pests tend to be less of a problem in late summer than earlier in the season. Still, to protect your baby seedlings from flea beetles and cabbage worms, cover them with lightweight row covers and wrap the plant stems with protective collars to deter cutworms.
If you are trying to get more leafy greens into your diet, all these greens are extremely healthy. Low in calories they are high in Vitamins A and C, potassium, and calcium. Add something new to your diet this fall.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/types-asian-greens-fast-growers-fall
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected]  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365  Beckysgreenhouse.com  Facebook Becky Kerndt Litterer or Becky’s Greenhouse