Beautiful, looking very healthy and happy!

Thank you for sharing the photos!

Thanks for sharing. All of my lettuce has been dead/dry/bolt. I think I need to get something to cover them like what you have.

Wonderful, John! You are demonstrating the greens' heat tolerance and I hope you can continue letting us know how that goes.

I have traveled this Asian greens' road for a few years but only as an early and late crop. The photo of my tunnel is a bit misleading (click to enlarge). This is from about 6 or 7 weeks ago and just before I closed the door on the plants for the night.

I've placed short boards between the raised beds and covered them with flats of tomatoes mostly that had been outside hardening-off. In the beds are 11 varieties of bok choy and Chinese cabbage.

The plastic was taken off weeks ago and all of those greens are gone now except for just a few of the Chinese cabbage. However, we are enjoying direct-seeded greens but that will soon end for the Summer. You are presenting the idea of possibly growing the greens in a shaded tunnel thru the growing season.

Steve

{{gwi:387005}}

Thanks Digit.

Just to clarify what you see in the pictures, I am using a very light insect barrier as a cover, not a shade cloth. I am not all to clear if the plants are benefiting from any real shade since this cloth is intended to let most light and air through it. I use it to keep larger insects and birds off of my plants.

Our temps continue to be in the 70s & 80s and comfortable. I will keep you posted on how they do when the temps heat up in August or sooner.

One observation from yesterday: one of my Indian Beet spinach plants looks like it is about to bolt. This is surprising to me since I thought this plant thrived in the heat. I am not sure what to make of this just yet since the other "spinach" plants around it have not shown any signs of bolting.

Thanks for posting, John and Digit. I'm making my own foray into Asian greens and finding it very worthwhile. You are a little ahead of me and I am very interested in your reports.

Jim

john please keep posting and let us know...I am planning on doing Asian greens too so I am very interested...

What a difference a week and a half makes! HereÂs the same {{gwi:387007}}after a short heat wave (temps in the mid 80s). They are still looking great. You would never know from the photo that I have been harvesting lots of salads in a "cut & come again" method. These greens just keep giving!

Here are some close ups of the
{{gwi:387009}} and {{gwi:387011}} and
{{gwi:387013}} and finally a close up of the Indian Beet Spinach which is beginning to bolt {{gwi:387015}}

Yields have been great and better than expected. The photo makes the area appear small, but this is a lot of greens! I intend to stir-fry a bunch up this weekend with the hopes of being able to make a dent in my supply =:^P

Posting the photos for you:

Asian Greens
{{gwi:387007}}

Mizuna
{{gwi:387009}}

Misome
{{gwi:387011}}

Shirona
{{gwi:387013}}

Bolting Indian Beet Spinach
{{gwi:387015}}

Beautiful...I can't wait to grow some...I am having trouble deciding what to try but I think lots...I was going to ask if you were using them as salad greens only or if your were cooking them...let me know how the stir fry goes...

John, those are real nice veggies!

Eat 'em! Even try those flower buds . . .

Steve

ruthieg__tx,

Asian greens are typically eaten after being cooked. The secret to Asian cooking is soft/tender/melt in your mouth meat and crisp, crunchy vegetables that have been cooked quickly (1-2 minutes at the most) or pickled. A good book is "The Key to Chinese Cooking" by Irene Kuo. It tells you exactly how to cook all Asian Vegetables and is one of the best on the topic.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Key to Chinese Cooking

ruthie's info is spot on. You'd no more over cook your green beans than over cook your asian veggies. Any over cooked veggie ends up mushy and slimy. I will wait until I am toothless and in an old folks home before I heat my veggies that way ;)

Well tonight I harvested some of my greens to try in a stir-fry method. Here's a few more pics:

{{gwi:387017}} and {{gwi:387019}} and {{gwi:387021}} and {{gwi:387023}}

Honestly, I couldnâÂÂt discern the difference in taste between the greens once they were all mixed together {{gwi:387025}} But once I stir-fried them together with some home grown garlic and some scallops, I ended up with a {{gwi:387027}} (served over rice of course ;)

I do have to say, these green have proven to be as tasty cooked as raw in a salad. In terms of yield, seed-to-harvest time, heat tolerance, and versatility in the kitchen, I give all of these greens an A+. I certainly intend on growing more of them in the future.

Thanks for taking the time to share these pictures with me! I hope you will all post some of your photos of Asian greens in the future....

Ooops, I meant to say, Violet's info is spot on.....but ya'all know what I meant ;)

john90808,

Thanks for sharing your wonderful pics, we need to get you to post them so they will display in the thread.

*wink*

John...thanks again for all the info...I am ordering seeds as we speak...haha so to speak...I just love greens of any kind and my DH does too so I am so interested in greens...and yes I know how to cook them...I was just wondering if you had tried cooking them ...

Ruthie:

Yes, I have cooked them (sautéed) and eaten them raw as a salad. The (raw) Asian greens that I have eaten are a bit spicier in flavor than the sweet lettuces that I am accustom to eating. But I balance that flavor with a sweeter salad dressing such as raspberry-balsamic vinaigrette. I also love growing sprouts to pair with the Asian greens. YaÂall are growing your own salad sprouts, not arenÂt ya? ;)

Yes John I do my own sprouts...so easy and so much better than what I get at the grocery store...

I second Violet's recommendation of the Irene Kuo book. It's my number one Chinese cook book. It's very comprehensive and Mrs. Kuo carefully explains cooking methods. In fact, the book is organized by methods, not by ingredients. I don't have much use for cook books which just give recipes with no explanations about why things are being done and what sort of results you are aiming for.

If you could see my book you would know by its condition that it has been in the kitchen a lot. It's a mess.

Jim

John, thanks for this thread with your wonderful pictures. It's feeding my enthusiasm for Asian greens.

However, I am disappointed with Indian spinach beet. It has grown slowly and bolted at a small size (3"). It was touted as a good green for hot weather. I think I would be better off with chard. Is there something I am misunderstanding about spinach beet?

Jimster

Jim, my observations of Indian Beet Spinach match yours. It was (is) slow growing, bolts quickly and for the hassle, I'd grow good ol' Swiss Chard instead.....that gives you a better yield per square foot in my experience. Still though, it has been a fun and tasty experiment and at least I am getting some kind of harvest out of it. We still have our hottest months ahead of us here so I am curious on how these greens will hold up.

So far the Mizuna has been my favorite. It grows rapidly and continues to produce. I like the crunchiness of the stalks as well as the slightly spicy flavor of the raw green. My preference in order is: Mizuna, Misome, Shirona, & then Beet Spinach.

I will be planting a few more Asian green varieties in the Fall and will probably post some more pics so we can document a few more pictures.

(Thanks to both of you for the cookbook recommendation / feedback.)

Hello everyone,

I am looking for some help. Several years ago we grew a summer green that was delicious and stood the heat of our Mississippi climate.

The plants were about three feet tall and had purplish leaves which turned bright green when stir fried. I want to say it was called Mira or something like that. Unforturnately we grew them for one summer and then forgot the name and where we got the seeds.
\ Ring any bells?