Grow Leafy Greens

Everyone should know how to grow leafy greens in their fall garden. Greens do so much better as the weather cools down. Here in Texas during the final days of September, the temperatures are still going as high as 95° during the day. Even though it is now fall, it is really still summertime here for at least another month.

Grow Leafy Greens - 9/29-10/5/2025

Grow leafy greens like red leaf vegetable amaranth in your fall garden.

Hey friend, let’s talk about greens. They taste fresh, they cook fast, and they make your body happy.

You can grow leafy greens right at home. It’s easier than you think, and fall is perfect for it.

You’ll start your greens from seed to control exactly what you want to grow to get variety. I like heirloom seeds from David’s Garden Seeds for flavor and vigor. You will love them as well. They are wonderful people who live in Texas and have been providing seeds to Americans for over 16 years now.

Fall growing is kind to greens. Cool nights and mild days make leaves sweet and tender.

When you plant a fall garden, you dodge summer heat and bugs. Your greens last longer and taste better. The heat gives greens bitterness but the coolness makes them taste a bit sweeter.

Check your first fall frost date. Count back the days to maturity, then add 7 to 14 “short-day” buffer days.

Shorter days slow growth. So seed a little earlier than the packet suggests for fall.

Order seeds early from David’s Garden Seeds. Choose quick growers (20 to 60 days) and cold-hardy types.

Grow leafy greens like Southern Giant Curled Mustard Greens.

Prep your soil with a shovel and a rake. Mix in 1 to 2 inches of compost so the soil is loose and rich.

Greens love raised beds and big containers. Good drainage is key, so avoid soggy spots.

In fall, plant seeds about 1/4 inch deep. Sow thick for baby leaves or give plants room for big heads.

Water right after you plant. Then keep the seedbed evenly damp each day until you see sprouts.

After germination, give about 1 inch of water per week. In warm spells, water more and do it in the morning.

Fertilize when plants have 2 to 3 true leaves with a gentle feed. A light fish or seaweed mix every 2 to 3 weeks keeps growth steady.

Greens like full sun in fall, but part shade helps in warm zones. A bit of shade cloth keeps leaves tender.

Row cover is your best friend if it gets cold. It blocks pests, holds moisture, and adds a few degrees of frost protection. Here in Texas at the end of September and beginning of October, it is still in the 90s so no row covers are needed.

Grow leafy greens like Chicory Dandelion Italian Felix.

Most greens sprout between 45 and 75°F. Arugula pops in 3 to 5 days; mache can take 10 to 14 days.

Thin seedlings so they have air and space. Eat the thinnings as baby greens.

Keep weeds out early, since they steal water and light. A thin mulch of straw or leaves works well when the colder weather finally comes.

Watch for flea beetles, slugs, and cabbage worms. Use row cover, beer traps, handpicking, and BT for caterpillars.

Prevent disease with airflow and clean habits. Water the soil, not the leaves, and don’t crowd plants.

Harvest often. For baby leaves, cut at 3 to 5 inches; for heads, cut above the crown so they regrow.

Dunk leaves in cold water, then spin or pat dry. Store in a box with a paper towel for up to a week.

How do I cook leafy greens? Sauté with garlic, toss into soup, add to noodles, or blend into smoothies.

Want to grow leafy greens all winter? Blanch and freeze in bags, make pesto, dehydrate or freeze dry for flakes, or ferment for tangy jars.

For fresh winter picking, use low tunnels, cold frames, or a sunny window for microgreens. A little cover goes a long way.

Asian greens are fast, tender, and versatile. Think tatsoi, mizuna, komatsuna, hon tsai tai, and more.

Plant 1/4 inch deep and keep the bed moist. Harvest baby leaves in 20–30 days or bigger rosettes in 40–50.

Malabar spinach is a heat-loving vine. In warm zones, it keeps producing into fall when others slow down.

Plant 1/4 inch deep near a trellis and water well. Snip young tips and leaves for sautés, curries, and stir-fries.

Grow leafy greens like spicy arugula.

Pac choi which is slightly smaller than bok choy, loves cool weather and grows fast. It can be ready in 30 to 55 days.

Sow 1/4 inch deep and space 6 to 10 inches. Use row cover for flea beetles, and harvest baby pac choi at 5 to 7 inches tall.

Cress brings a peppery kick. Garden cress is extra speedy; upland cress loves cool temps.

Plant 1/4 inch deep, keep evenly wet, and cut often. Toss on eggs, sandwiches, and soups.

Purslane is a crunchy, lemony succulent. It thrives in heat and poor soils.

Plant 1/4 inch deep and don’t overwater. Harvest tender tips for salads, tacos, and quick sautés.

Arugula is the fall speedster. It’s ready in as little as 20–40 days.

Plant 1/4 inch deep, thin to about an inch, and keep moist. Cut at 3–5 inches, and try arugula pesto on pizza.

Grow leafy greens like Mache Vit in your fall garden.

Mustard greens grow big and bold. A touch of frost makes them sweeter.

Plant 1/4 inch deep and space 6–12 inches. Feed lightly, harvest outer leaves often, and braise with garlic and a splash of vinegar.

Chicory includes escarole, frisée, dandelion, and radicchio. Bitter notes shine with citrus or heat.

Plant 1/4 inch deep and give 8–12 inches of space. Band or cover heads near harvest to blanch, then grill or toss into salads.

Mache (often sold as “Vit”) is a cold champion. It stays sweet and tender in chilly weather.

Plant 1/4 inch deep and keep the soil moist. Harvest whole rosettes for soft, nutty salads.

Vegetable amaranth (callaloo) loves warmth. In the South, sow late summer for lush fall greens.

Plant 1/4 inch deep, thin to 8–12 inches, and pinch tops. Cook like spinach with onion, thyme, and a little chili.

Grow leafy greens like sorrel which tastes sort of lemony. Make it fun.

Sorrel is lemony and perennial. It shines in spring and fall.

Plant 1/4 inch deep and thin well. Pick often for sorrel soup, sauces, and fish.

Claytonia (miner’s lettuce) is mild and juicy. It thrives in cool, shady spots.

Plant 1/4 inch deep and water to keep the seedbed moist. Snip the round leaves with stems for tender salads.

Greens mixes give you colors and flavors in one bed. Mesclun blends are great for quick harvests.

Broadcast (sow the seed), rake in to 1/4 inch, and water gently. Once they start growing, cut every 10–14 days for a steady bowl of salad.

Red Malabar Spinach has magenta vines, so pretty. Grow leafy greens for your family's health. This is growing on our farm in the back.

Zone 3–5 timing: seed hardy greens 8–10 weeks before first frost. Add row cover to harvest after frost.

Zone 6–7 timing: sow from August into early October. Use low tunnels to keep picking into winter.

Zone 8–11 timing: sow September to November. Grow cool lovers all winter, and start warm lovers like purslane earlier. Here in South Central Texas, we are zone 9A.

My first fall bed changed everything: I could harvest leafy greens after work, even in a hoodie, although that was never necessary in Texas. Grab heirloom seeds from David’s Garden Seeds, plant them 1/4 inch deep, water steadily as needed, feed with fertilizer once a month after they come up, and you’ll grow leafy greens you love, from seed to skillet.

Monday, September 29, 2025

Grow leafy greens like our Elegance Mix with several kinds of leafy greens for you to enjoy.

Good morning. I have been trying to pay my personal electric bill online, as well as the business electric bill. Apparently, it is down because neither account will allow me to log in. That is ridiculous. I will probably forget to try another day because in my mind, it is paid along with the other monthly bills.

What a great start to the morning, right? I started a new loaf of sourdough bread. The loaf already made is amazingly fresh in the beeswax lined bread bag. I made toast with it this morning. I am impressed!

It is already 9am so I need to get ready and get out there. I wasted a lot of time trying to pay those stupid electric bills.

This is one of our pomegranate trees in the orchard.

I had to handle a lot of Monday things this morning before I started pulling orders. Our helper was here and left just after noon. Matt left here at 11:20am for a doctor's appointment. David left just after to buy a tree. When he got there, the owner was not there so he came back empty handed.

So I was alone here for a while getting orders done. Then Matt got back and David about two minutes later. We had several customers and I waited on all of them.

My understanding was that some workers were supposed to come and help put up the back fences but no one ever showed up.

It is now 5pm and just 87° which is amazing. It was 61° when we got up this morning. It is time to go in and make dinner.

Little George is sick again. I guess he gobbled up too many pine needles over the weekend again. He does not like to share food. He is a bit of a piggy goat. Yes, I gave them all pine needles yesterday morning to enjoy. They love them. Just a few weeks ago, he had the same problem and then we did not give pine needles to any of them for a while.

I finally wrote checks for the electric bills, my first time to do so. It is 9:30pm and I am baking a loaf of sourdough. The house smells so good! Why did I wait so long? Because it took that long for the dough to rise. The bread was delicious. Of course, we had to have some.

It's evening once again here at David's Garden Seeds®.

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

They took the red truck back to get the fence closed off, just a temporary fix until we can get some help to repair the double gate.

Good morning. David, and Matt are out back putting the wooden gate back up so we can close the fence once again. David actually requested a helper to come from the employment agency for this morning. The guy called him to say that today is not a good day but that he could be here tomorrow. David said no and they did a temporary fence job, just the two of them. People just don't want to work out here.

I woke up late which is very nice. I had some checks and articles to write so I got those done.

Now the person who was arrested for Charlie Kirk's murder is saying he was not even on the campus and has never set foot on the UVU campus. His parents deny turning him in and say they don't believe he is guilty. So why would the government lie about who killed Charlie Kirk when he is not a government official? And why would they be holding someone who did not kill him?

We live in a crazy mixed up world.

Matt has gone to the dentist. I had some customers and am now counting seeds. David just got back from buying an oak tree to replace one that succumbed to the heat and dryness.

Wednesday, October 1, 2025

The sky looks like it is on fire this morning.

Good morning. We have been trying for two days to deposit a business check on the phone. This morning, after three tries, the bank finally took the deposit. That is crazy.

We realized that we had not put up any articles on the David's Garden Seeds website since May so both David and I have been putting them up. In three days, we have added six between the two of us. The Mrs. David's Garden Seeds website was set up to be a complement to our original website where we sell seeds. Of course, I write on it every day but now that I have to do so much more, I just don't have the time to do everything that needs to be done.

It was another busy day of orders and seeds. We had one set of in person customers today but it was a very good sale that I personally handled. Most of the time I handle the sales in our store.

David grilled the most amazing chicken for lunch. We ate the rest for dinner.

This afternoon, I had to count seeds, a lot of them. Our helper had already gone and she is done for the week. I also sealed about 200 packs of seeds that needed to be sealed.

This fig tree was given to us by a customer 3 years ago. It has grown huge!

This evening, Matt discovered that little George is sick again because he was eating pine needles through the fence. Matthew raked them all away from the fence but more will fall in the night and with the wind's help, they will be where he can get at them again. The goats love pine needles but George eats way too many. He is actually getting very big like his father, also very hairy. I think he and Gracie, along with their mother will have to be shaved soon.

Thursday, October 2, 2025

I have 4 persimmon trees that have a lot of fruit on them.

Good morning. There are people in the store this morning building a wall. Every single customer who walks into the store turns left to shop and there are no seeds on that side anymore. It is all printers and seed counters. We definitely need a wall put up so the people on that side can work without being distracted by customers asking them questions.

At 7am today, they started. We have to leave here in two hours for some doctor's appointments so Matt will be in charge. Our helper is not here today.

Matt grabs some plywood for the wall.

David saws a board for the wall frame.

I just went over to open the store and put some fresh eggs in it. They are going to cut away part of my store counter for this wall. That is upsetting to me because it was such a nice counter and we paid a lot of money to have it built. The frame of the wall is going up right now.

The wall is going up this morning in the Farm Store.

Matt cleaned all of the tall grass growing on the waterfall of our pond and it looks amazing. The one thing that does not look amazing is that stupid snake just won't go away. He is living in a fold of the pond lining and comes out for photos.

Most of the grass is gone now and see the thing on the water hose...

Here is a closeup of the resident snake.

The wall is done for today. Here is what we ended up with. Eventually, there will be a door. for now, we will hang some curtains up.

For now, here is the wall in the farm store with some curtains. We will add a door later but for now, it should keep most folks out as we count and pack seeds.

We had quesadillas and chips and queso with brisket tonight while we watched Hell's Kitchen and it was scrumptious! I put salsa in with the cheese when I made the quesadillas--just so so good!

Friday, October 3, 2025

The sun is coming up and here is the dog yard with the new see through fence so they can see more of what is going on out back.

David and Matt loaded the truck up with wood yesterday evening--all of the wood scraps we had.

This morning, they left here at 6:30am to drive it about an hour or more away to a friend who is building something. It is now 9:30am and they still are not back although I heard they are on the way.

Some of my pine trees. We planted them right next to the goat pen long before we got goats.

That means that I had to go out and feed the chickens and goats this morning. When I got to the goat pen, George was in a corner area and could not turn around. He refused to walk backwards out of it. I grabbed both hind feet and pulled them up in the air and then pulled him out. Just a few minutes later, he was right back in there. When Matt gets back, I will have him move the little shelter in there over to the wall so he doesn't get stuck anymore. Silly goat.

This is George today with his twin, Gracie behind him. Matt tells me that this afternoon, he managed to squeeze his way between the shelter and the wall again.

Neuropathy Update

I would like to tell you something. Last week, I saw a post that was not an advertisement. A woman was saying that because she has neuropathy, she started using an epsom salt lotion on her feet and now her feet don't bother her anymore. If you have been following me for a while, you know I get neuropathy in my feet very badly several times a week, sometimes two or three times a day (or night) and that is while taking magnesium supplements.

When I read that, I looked up a lotion containing epsom salt which actually has magnesium in it. There are several. I had no idea. So I ordered a bottle and it arrived this past Saturday morning. As soon as I got it, I opened the bottle and applied it to my feet. I have been using it twice a day all week long. Apparently, the skin on the bottoms of feet is very absorbent and neuropathy is the result of a magnesium deficiency.

Since last Saturday, I have not had one neuropathy episode. That is an amazing thing!

For now, we've hung some curtains to keep customers out of the workspace in the store.

Matt got us some Filipino food for lunch. It is pretty good. I got rice noodles with pork.

We have had several customers today. This morning, we just started a new sale. All root crop seeds are 25% off. The leafy greens are no longer on sale.

Matt moved the little goat shelter against the wall so now George can't get stuck anymore. He doesn't realize that he has grown a lot and is almost full grown. He is about seven months old now.

Saturday, October 4, 2025

This is the first time I have seen Sammie on the roof.

Good morning. It is time for another work day. No neuropathy again last night. Why haven't the doctors told me about this Epsom salt lotion with magnesium in it instead of letting me suffer for five years? That is amazing. All of the knowledge they learn in school, yet they did not know about magnesium and neuropathy?

One medical doctor told me there was nothing that could be done and every time it hits, I should put Icy Hot on my foot and wait it out. That is when I was getting awakened almost every night at least twice a night for several years. I will never go back to him.

Grow leafy greens that are purple. This is Miz America, a purple mustard green.

One week ago today, two of the three sheds one man bought were supposed to be moved but no one ever came. We have not heard one word. All three have to be off of our property before the end of the year so we can get a property tax break which is why we sold them all at a loss, yet the guy hasn't texted or called since more than a week ago.

Well, guess who just showed up a week late? Some guys to move the two little buildings. They got here at 9:40am and are waiting for the guys bringing the equipment to move the buildings.

Two buildings...how many hours are we talking? No one has ever moved two in the same day before.

They are still taking off skirting, porches, and the covering on top of the porches so these 2 buildings can be moved.

Now the two men have been here for over three hours and they are still taking all of the outside wood off of the two buildings. No one else has shown up yet to move the buildings. I guess it will be a very long day.

We had one customer who came to pick up an order that she placed earlier this week. She also bought two dozen eggs. If you want some eggs today, I still have three dozen. We will be open for another 90 minutes.

We just had three more folks stop by to shop.

Here is what it looks like in the store workroom where David sits now.

It is now 2pm. The mailman did not make it today before the gate closed. Somehow, we did get mail and David took the mailbag to the gate to give to him. The men have been here over four hours and they are still taking wood down from the buildings. Their buddies with shed moving vehicles still have not arrived. Looks like they will break the five hour and 43 minute record that the longest shed took to get out of here just a few weeks ago.

I am going to the house to do some cleaning and laundry. I guess we won't be going anywhere this afternoon.

From our front porch, you can see the skirting was taken off of the 2 small buildings.

So the two men were here for seven hours taking apart the three sheds that their boss bought. None of them got moved. The big one is definitely not ready to go. The porch cover is still attached as well as a PVC pipe with electric wires that run from the Production building to Fulfillment. I have no idea how they will detach that. I just wish it were all done.

I vacuumed most of the house and now I am tired.

It is now 6:30pm and I have been prepping for tonight's dinner. We will be having taquitos, rice, chips, lettuce, salsa, and guacamole that I just made. I cannot wait!

Sunday, October 5, 2025

Grow leafy greens like watercress and make those cute little sandwiches for tea like they do in Great Britain.

Good morning. It is humid out there. I went out to feed all of the animals. When I got to the goat pen, the little shelter inside the bigger shelter was all taken apart, blocking the door. George moved it and then somehow flipped it and it came apart. He jammed part of it up in the doorway. I know it was George because he keeps moving it around.

George ripped apart the little shelter inside the goat house. He dragged it in front of the door and could not get out until I moved it.

Here is more of the shelter taken apart.

The girls were all standing in front of the shelter so they came out as soon as I opened the door. We close it at night to keep them safe. I guess George got bored this morning before I got out there and ripped it apart. Matthew will have to put some screws in it tomorrow when he gets here.

Here is the guilty party--George. He is always shoving the little shelter over and going between it and the wall and then he gets stuck.

Silly George. They are all out in the yard playing now. I moved the pieces out of the way until Matt can get to it tomorrow.

I started the dough for a new loaf of sourdough bread to be baked late this afternoon.

We went to church and came back. Matt came over and got all of the fallen shelter walls out of the goat pen. George had knocked them all down again. He is such a little charmer.

Return from Grow Leafy Greens to Our Seventh Year On The Farm

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