Highly Recommended Greens

[Shawn]

If you have a "Green"  That you highly recommend to others, share the variety and vendor here for others if t hey would like to try something new.

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From members:

Salad Bowl Loose Leaf(red or Green)

This makes a fantastically rewarding project for anyone trying a custom project for the first time.

Parris Island Cos Lettuce

a sturdy Romaine Variety with long leaves which do not wilt when wet.

taste is mildly bitter yet pleasant.

Salad Bowl Lettuce
about 4-5 seeds in a pod.
Machine: ANY
Germinates in 2-4 days and you are harvesting in 3-4 weeks.
Seeds are all over the internet.
use 2 ml AG nutes for all machines because lettuce hardly takes any nutrients to thrive.
Vendors are all over the internet.

Black Seeded Simpson

is a loose leaf lettuce that is not bitter like some other loose leaf lettuces.germination in 2-3 days.

EXTRA DWARF BOC CHOI

These are now my favorite variety. Crunchy, sweet stems,crisp, mild leaves(although I don't mind bitter), ready to harvest in 4 weeks.

Bakers Creek Merlot Lettuce   NEW

Thank you lynnee for your review "I am simply blown away by how well it performs in an AG Bounty. It grows very fast, and produces a wonderful red lettuce that is crisp and long-lasting in the Bounty and even when bagged in the refrigerator."

Shiro Pac Choi
Also on Amazon
You can see a project I grew under my garden space on the forum.
All seeds planted germinated and grew successfully.
Plants are small, but green and lush with watery crunchy stems..ideal for a raw salad.
Taste is on the usual bitter herb side as Choi always is.
Can be stir fried briefly and seasoned well with spices and fish sauce to disguise that bitterness if preferred.

TATSOI(TAT CHOI)

This is a SWEET relative of the Pak Choi. Eaten raw it is tender and w/o the sharp tang of the raw Pac Choi. It is also cut and come again. 1 seed per pod produces a big plant.

Seeds available all over at sites like Burpee Seed.

[Shawn]

If you have a favorite, why not have it added to the list. Be sure to tell us the name, vendor and a bit about them. I will add it to the list and then remove the original post but you will get credited for the submission

[Sher]

Rainbow Swiss chard from Baker Creek. Great in salads when small, and delicious when mature with stems, onions and garlic cut and sauteed, with chicken broth added to the chopped greens and simmered until tender.

Parris Island Romaine from Territorial Seed. Good small or large in sandwiches or salads. Sweet and very crunchy.

[waterphoenix]

Water Cress - Aqua Large Leaf from Baker Creek - thrived in the AG. Fresh peppery taste, good tossed with olive oil and vinegar. I liked growing it because it was difficult to find in stores and doesn't stay fresh for long once brought home. Would recommend devoting 1 entire Harvest unit to it. Grow lights will stay at minimum height- grows down and out in a thyme-like fashion, not up. 

Also 2nd the tatsoi posted by Shawn. This is the one I grew -
Rosette Tatsoi Bok Choy Seeds - Organic Heirloom - from Botanical Interests. Compact and played nice. Grew about 4 in a harvest unit. Beautiful dark green leaves, packs a punch in terms of vitamins. Good stir fried or sautéed with some garlic and soy sauce. Would thin to 1 seedling per pod.

[penguicular]

Have you tried re-growing greens from the stump (like bok choy)? Or do you just take the outside leaves off? I saw a picture of someone regrowing celery in their AG.

I just ordered 2 slims and am just getting boggled with all the information

[Sher]

Welcome, penguicular ! And congratulations on the two new Harvest Slims!

When I grew Bok Choy outside, I used to leave a bit of the base, and it would quickly grow a whole new plant.

Now that I grow it in Aerogardens, I harvest the individual leaves, and it produces new ones in no time!

One tip -- if you plant bok choy in every space, you will get small, crowded plants. If you skip a space or two, the plants will grow much larger and reward you with a much bigger harvest.

But I think the hardest thing for a new Aerogardener is to not plant every hole! So try it however you like at first -- and have fun!

[penguicular]

I had one of the original AG's and learned the hard way not to plant in every hole!
It seemed like the slim would make it easier to space things out, it's sort of frustrating to have a "6-hole" system that you can only plant 2 things in

But I also got the seed starter inserts so I'm going to have fun with those. Hopefully I can use those next year to cut down on the number of tomato babies that I have to transplant and give away. I always plan to grow 2 in-dirt tomato strains, then I order 4-5, then the seed company throws in a freebie.....CHAOS. My co-workers don't bother planting their own tomatoes anymore

This is getting off topic, sorry!

[Sher]

penguicular, it might be off topic, but it sure is fun!

[penguicular]

Speaking of bok-choy, have you seen these?? They would be perfect!


www.rareseeds.com/hedou-tiny-bok-choy?gclid=Cj0KCQjwl7qSBhD-ARIsACvV1X07ALWNabQ4TIyzWwHOwceTYCJob7H_hsuWeZkTLnZB7moSLAEeXoYaAk8dEALw_wcB

[Sher]

Apr 8, 2022 1:44:32 GMT -5 penguicular said:

Speaking of bok-choy, have you seen these?? They would be perfect!


www.rareseeds.com/hedou-tiny-bok-choy?gclid=Cj0KCQjwl7qSBhD-ARIsACvV1X07ALWNabQ4TIyzWwHOwceTYCJob7H_hsuWeZkTLnZB7moSLAEeXoYaAk8dEALw_wcB

Those are adorable!

[Shawn]

They are so tiny and cute

[blueglasses]

I highly recommend:

Chijimisai greens

Chijimisai is a cross between Tatsoi and Komatsuna greens
It is delicious and full of flavor, but not bitter or hot.
I love them in a sandwich instead of or in addition to lettuce and they also make a great stir fry!
The name is also fun to say and makes me smile every time 😊

I purchased seeds from Baker Creek and kept 2 Chijimisai plants in my Aerogarden Harvest for several months.

The plants kept going and going until I started having problems with tiny Diamondback moth caterpillars (which love brassicas) and I had to clean everything out to get rid of them (my Aerogarden is in a garage and it is possible for moths to get in…probably attracted by the plant lights at night).

Anyway, as long as I can keep the caterpillars away I will be growing at least one Chijimisai plant from now on 😄

[katyag247]

Greens and bok choy are two of my favorites to grow and I'm always experimenting with different things.  So for I've had good results with:

Komatsuna "Old Toyko" from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (only grown in Bounty so far).  It is a mild green and works well for me in stir fry and soups.  I add it near the end of the cooking so it wilts and gets tender.  

Wasabina Mustard from Hudson Valley Seeds (grown in Harvest).  This is a spicier mustard green and I use it like Komatsuna.  It really is delicious in a stir fry.  Hudson Valley seeds are high quality and the "art packs" are gorgeous if you enjoy a bit of art.

Bok choy "Suzhou Baby" from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (grown in Bounty).  I like the color and flavor of this medium-sized bok choy.  The stems are pale green rather than white.  I cut off outer leaves as needed or harvest when baby size.

Pak choy (bok choy) "Toy Choy" from Ferry Morse (Harvest Slim).  These are definitely baby size.  The packet says 30 days to harvest, but it was less in the AG.  
   
I'm excited to start Chijimisai (Baker Creek) and a couple of Tatsoi varieties today.  Both are new to me. 

[lynnee]

A free packet of Merlot lettuce seeds came with one of my seed orders, and I am simply blown away by how well it performs in an AG Bounty. It grows very fast, and produces a wonderful red lettuce that is crisp and long-lasting in the Bounty and even when bagged in the refrigerator.

It's on the right, next to some delicious multicolored Romaine from one of the big seed companies. This giant head has already been through some cut-and-come-again harvesting.  My husband has been asking for more in his sandwiches.  



Rare Seeds Merlot Lettuce

[Shawn]

I will add it to the list!

[blueoak]

Some lettuce observations from my new Harvest XLs purchased at the July 4th sale: Henderson's Black Seeded Simpson developed brown leaf tips and started bolting very quickly. That’s probably because my house is quite warm, especially the room where the aerogardens are located. OTOH, Little Gem and Merveille des Quatre Saisons (aka Marvel of 4 Seasons) are doing great. Red Sails is also okay.

I'm also growing two Swiss chards, Barese and Perpetual Spinach. Both are doing well. I haven't harvested any Barese yet.

[lynnee]

Love your avatar, blueoak! And I envy your success with Marvel of 4 Seasons. That's the one lettuce that I can't seem to grow--but I just bought another seed packet from Baker Creek, and will keep trying!