Replacement greens

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footprints

Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 234
Location: North Wales

Posted: Sun Jan 14, 07 5:16 pm Post subject: Replacement greens

We have ground that is infected with club root.
We are looking for greens that we could tryas replacements.

I am looking for fat hen seeds as I'm sure I read somewhere on Downsizer that they are good to eat. Then tonight I read somewhere else that they can be toxic!!
We would normally have the tunnel full of spring cabbage now, but the ground is now infected. We desperatley need a good replacement green even if its a hardy weed

Anybody else have this problem?

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sun Jan 14, 07 6:02 pm Post subject:

I can't say I've tried it yet, but one of the odds and sods I bought this year is turnip greens, I forget the variety, but I'm sure it came from real seeds. They do turnip broccoli as well.

I'll happily send you some to play with, if you like. What about beetroot, or spinach (is spinach a brassica?)

Edit: turnip greens 'rapa senza testa'
turnip broccoli 'cima di rapa 40' both from real seeds
https://www.realseeds.co.uk/

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Sun Jan 14, 07 6:47 pm Post subject:

I've never come across people being poisoned by fat hen.

First suggestion would be chard/spinach/leaf beet. All basically variations on a theme, and all very handy to have in. 'Leaf beet' varieties tend to be the hardiest. Then of course theres chicory, endive, lettuce, good king henry (very like fat hen)... Loads to choose from.

Sorrel is a marvellous perennial green. Might be my favourite green veg.

Some people really love amaranth.

I'm growing alexanders as a green, originally introduced to the UK as a veg but now considered a weed. Sowed some seed out in Autumn, some more to sow in Spring. Fab tasting thing, but unless you go and gather seed wile its difficult to get hold of.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45432
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Jan 14, 07 8:57 pm Post subject:
Orach is really great, and fat hen is my favourite green. All the chenopiae (spinach, fat hen, orach) are mildly toxic, it's the oxalic acid, just don't have them 3 times a day and you should be fine. New zealand spinach is pretty good, tried salsola lst year, that was pretty good too. Also never waste your greens off root veg; radish,turnip, swede, carrot all have edible greens.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Sun Jan 14, 07 10:40 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

New zealand spinach is pretty good, tried salsola lst year, that was pretty good too.

Got some seeds of salsola for this year. Never had it before; whats it like?

Quote:

Also never waste your greens off root veg; radish,turnip, swede, carrot all have edible greens.

Although they're not all great; early carrot tops are okay I find but the main crop leaves aren't to my tastes at all. Tried eating salsify greens today, they're pretty much tasteless. Had swede leaves with our mince and dumplings and roast veg this evening, very good they were too. Although swedes get club root, don't they?

I'd also say don't underestimate nettles, chickweed, dandelion, common mallow, etc. Loads of the weeds you'll get on a plot are good eating.

I think that the risk of oxalic acid poisoning from fat hen and co. is rather more theoretical than practical. Theres no such thing as non-toxic, remember.

supersprout

Joined: 07 Jan 2007
Posts: 66

Posted: Mon Jan 15, 07 4:07 am Post subject:

If your ground is seriously affected by club root, I believe it might affect other plants in the same family e.g. turnip, radish, broccoli, and some Oriental brassica. Can anyone confirm whether that's true?

For robust leafy greens: Spinach Beet, Spinach, Perpetual Spinach and Swiss Chard. All these can be eaten young as tender greens. PM me if you'd like to try some Spinach Beet. These have the advantage that you can grow them most of the year, like cabbages.

For tender greens: another vote for Fat Hen, nettle tops, broad bean tops (before the blackfly come), beetroot leaves (Burpee's Golden and Bull's Blood), and pea shoots.

Have you tried baby broad beans in their pods, when they are about the size of your little finger, like mangetout? We never grow enough, so this year I'm going to grow in succession from February through to May for an adequate supply. Lightly steamed, 5-10 minutes.

footprints

Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 234
Location: North Wales

Posted: Mon Jan 15, 07 6:58 am Post subject:

Many thanks for you valuable advice and generous offers of seed.

I have saved all your suggestions and will now consult with the head of planning

I am certainly going to look on some of the plants mentioned in a new light. We grew (it grew itself) large areas of chick weed which we fed to the hens several times a day.
The smell of chickweed is fabulous, and although my Father warned me that I would live to regret allowing it to flourish, I used the hens as the excuse.

What we now know to be fat hen grew all over the place, and we composted it.

You live and learn.

lottie

Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 5059
Location: ceredigion

Posted: Mon Jan 15, 07 9:14 am Post subject:
Don't know if it's any help but there is a cabbage called kilaxy which is supposed to be clubroot resistant i am going to try this year. I've grown texel greens succesfully on a clubroot infected bed as well-----also going to try the oldwives tale of putting a piece of rhubarb in with my cabbage plants this year as an experiment---hope you get some greens to enjoy lottie

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Mon Jan 15, 07 9:17 am Post subject:
Dobies have a Swede called 'invitation' that is meant to have some resistance to clubroot and powdery mildew.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45432
Location: Essex

Posted: Mon Jan 15, 07 10:25 am Post subject:

cab wrote:

Got some seeds of salsola for this year. Never had it before; whats it like?

Slightly reminiscent of samphire (only slightly mind), great in fish pie

James

Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 2866
Location: York

Posted: Mon Jan 15, 07 12:02 pm Post subject:
how about leaf amaranth?

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Mon Jan 15, 07 8:12 pm Post subject:
Oh bugger - I didn't realise turnips were brassicas!

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue Jan 16, 07 9:16 am Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

Oh bugger - I didn't realise turnips were brassicas!

They are brassicas, but they're a different brassica. Basically the same plant as rape, and I think (although you'd need to check) that they're less prone to club root.

Dunc

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 134
Location: Lancashire

Posted: Wed Jan 17, 07 9:34 pm Post subject:

supersprout wrote:

For robust leafy greens: Spinach Beet, Spinach, Perpetual Spinach and Swiss Chard. All these can be eaten young as tender greens. PM me if you'd like to try some Spinach Beet. These have the advantage that you can grow them most of the year, like cabbages.

They are great aren't they - as long as there's no frost, you can pick 'em.

They grow really well in pots too, for the smaller garden

Sally Too

Joined: 14 Sep 2006
Posts: 2511
Location: N.Ireland

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 07 11:09 am Post subject:

James wrote:

how about leaf amaranth?

I've an amaranth to try.... I think it's the seed one, but apparently you can eat the leaves too - best of both!

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