Dark Green Leafy Vegetables

Larry Kies with Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe, wrote, “Thanks so much to Grace Ju for the excellent article on Dark Green Leafy Vegetables. Here in Zimbabwe, kales and collard greens are so important that when people say ‘vegetables’ they mean the leaves of these plants. “What Grace didn’t mention is that these greens are easily reproduced vegetatively, using the lateral shoots. Especially during the warm season when pests make caring for seedbeds very difficult, this method is easy, inexpensive and fast, especially for home gardens. The 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 inch) lateral shoots are planted in situ, and harvesting can begin about six weeks later.”