11 Best Greens for Green Smoothies
This comprehensive guide includes 11 of the best leafy greens you can grow and use for green smoothies. You will learn about cultivated and wild greens that you can use in your smoothies, as well as how to grow these plants. Use this guide to help you add more greens to your life.
Looking to add greens into your life? A green smoothie is an easy way to introduce more greens into your diet. Leafy greens grow in excess throughout the world. Whether they grow intentionally in your garden or they grow wild in a park, edible greens are present in most spaces.
Finding these leafy greens is a simple activity with the right information. If you think you have a black thumb, think again! This guide will help you learn which plants are edible, which greens you can grow yourself, and which greens you should use for your smoothie.
So without further ado, here are 11 greens for green smoothies. I’ve selected these plants based on their taste, their growing success, and their nutritional value. Click on the buttons below to jump ahead to each plant.
11 Best Greens
Cultivated
TRUE SPINACH Spinacia oleracea
Spinacia oleracea growing in my garden.
Spinach is a perfect green for cool weather. It is tender, succulent, and full of goodies that help your body and mind. Spinach tastes mild, making it a perfect green for smoothies. It will thrive when grown in cool, wet weather during fall and spring.
Spinach contains a healthy amount of iron, a necessary mineral for regulating blood flow. This green also has lots of Vitamin K, with one cup of spinach providing the recommended daily intake of Vitamin K. I highly recommend adding more spinach to your life, as it has lots of other health benefits for your body.
How to Grow Spinach
Spinach requires consistent soil moisture and cool temperatures to grow well. I recommend growing it in the fall or spring, and in the winter in areas that do not have hard frosts. Spinach does not grow well in extreme cold, as in temperatures lower than 45°F for extended periods.
Spinach germinates at 50°F and should be sowed in spring after the last frost has passed. Thin seedlings 3-4” apart after they germinate. “Thin” means pluck the seedlings out so that there is only 1 seedling every 4 inches. This allows each plant to grow to its mature size and bear full size leaves.
It takes about 3-4 weeks for spinach to grow to a good size for harvesting. Harvest by cutting off individual leaves or by cutting the entire spinach clump at ground level.
Sometimes spinach has issues with leaf miners and aphids. For leaf miners try protecting your crop with row cover or greenhouse plastic over the top. You can also look for leaf miners’ small, white eggs on the undersides of the spinach leaves. They lay them in groups. Simply squish those eggs with your fingers to slow down the population's growth. For aphids, spray the aphids with a strong stream of water to knock them off.
With due diligence you should not need any pesticides. Most pesticides and herbicides of any sort can negatively affect the surrounding ecosystem, which is why the methods above are preferred.
KALE Brassica oleracea
Red Russian Kale in full sun.
Kale is one of my all time favorite greens. It is mild in flavor, super crisp, and the perfect green for a green smoothie. There are many different varieties of kale, and each variety has its own unique qualities. Two cool looking and easy growing varieties are Red Russian kale and Tuscan kale (aka dinosaur kale).
Kale has many health benefits that make it a great addition to a smoothie. Its mild flavor means that you can add plenty to your smoothie without it altering the taste too much. A good serving size of kale will depend on the person, although a good starting point according to Medical News Today is one cup. In just one cup of kale there is a wide variety of nutrients including fiber, vitamin K, beta-carotene, and various antioxidants.
How to Grow Kale
Kale, like spinach, grows best in cool conditions with lots of sun. In hot climate regions kale benefits from partial shade. The easiest way to grow kale is by sowing seed in late summer. This allows for the kale to grow to a mature size before fall frost arrives. Kale is extremely hardy to cold temperatures of 5°F at maturity, but it can be susceptible to cold as a seedling.
To sow seeds, plant them no more than ½” deep in the soil. Keep the soil moist for the first two weeks until the seeds germinate. Once the seeds sprout, thin the young plants to 2-3 feet apart for best growing success. This space allows the kale to grow to its full size, as certain varieties grow bigger than others. You can also plant kale from a local nursery into your garden. Space the adult plants the same distance of 2-3 feet apart.
Kale will grow throughout fall and some varieties will grow into winter. Frost actually improves the nutrient content of kale, according to a study in the Food Research International Journal.
You can harvest kale throughout the growing season. To harvest, simply cut individual leaves off of the central stalk starting from the bottom up. If you need a lot of kale you can also harvest the entire plant. To do this, cut the kale stalk at its base. You will then have a full bunch of kale.
LETTUCE Lactuca sativa
Butterhead type of lettuce.
Lettuce is a great green for those with little growing space. A head of lettuce can grow almost anywhere, and there are varieties that are drought and cold tolerant like ‘New Red Fire.’ With so many different types of lettuce there is sure to be a type for you. Lettuce can be grouped into these following categories:
Crisphead
Most difficult for home gardeners to grow
Forms large heads of tightly packed lettuce
Butterhead
Loosely packed head
Smooth, soft leaves
Loose Leaf
Forms a rosette of lettuce leaves
Biggest selection of varieties
Romaine
Heat tolerant varieties
Forms an erect head of lettuce
Outer leaves green, inner leaves white and crunchy
Lettuce is chock full of health benefits. It is a good source of fiber, iron, folate, and vitamin C. It is also incredibly easy to grow.
How to Grow Lettuce
Like spinach and kale, lettuce will perform best with full sun in cooler regions. In areas with hot summers lettuce will perform better in partial shade (3-6 hours of direct sunlight). Lettuce is a perfect crop for spring and fall, and it will grow best when temperatures are mild between 55°F and 65°F.
To grow lettuce, plant lettuce seeds on the surface of the soil and cover lightly with dirt. Be sure not to cover the seeds with too much soil, as lettuce seeds require light to germinate. Lettuce seeds also require consistent moisture while they sprout. After a week or two of watering the lettuce should have sprouted. Continue to keep the area well watered while the plants are growing.
You can harvest your lettuce in two different ways. If you only need a few leaves of lettuce you can cut each leaf off the plant individually. If you need a lot of lettuce, you can cut the entire lettuce head at soil level. Crisphead varieties of lettuce should only be harvested whole. Their leaves curl up to form a tight bunch, and would be difficult to harvest individually.
The best lettuce varieties for home gardeners have been bred to be “bolt-resistant.” This means they will resist the urge to grow flowers in the summertime. When lettuce “bolts” it grows tall and produces flowers, and this action can cause the leaves to taste bitter. By growing bolt-resistant lettuce you will have better growing success. One other issue lettuce can have is aphids, which you can wash off with a strong stream of water. After a rinse each day for five days the aphids should be completely removed.
SIBERIAN KALE Brassica napus
Brassica napus “Siberian kale” growing in early spring.
Have you tried kale and would like something a little milder and softer? Look no further than Brassica napus, a cold-hardy biennial commonly known as Siberian kale. This kale is in the Brassica family and is more closely related to rapeseed than kale. Siberian kale tastes like a mild mix of broccoli and kale. It grows long, flat, succulent leaves that have frills at the end. Siberian kale blends very well in smoothies, and is a great substitute for other types of kale and collards.
Siberian kale is also incredibly healthy! According to Harvard’s School of Public Health, Siberian kale is rich in Vitamins A, C, and K. It is also rich in fiber. Eating leafy greens each week is important for digestive health, and having a cup of chopped Siberian kale in a smoothie is a great way to get those nutrients.
How to Grow Siberian Kale
Siberian kale performs best in full sun. It can handle light shade, so long as it gets 6+ hours of direct sunlight. Siberian kale thrives in cooler temperatures, and it will grow best as a fall or spring crop. It is hardy to 10°F, and it can be grown throughout the winter if temperatures stay above 10°F.
Siberian kale will grow best if sown for a fall harvest. Plant seeds about ½” deep in the soil in mid summer, at least 60 days before your first fall frost date. This will allow the plants to grow to maturity and be ready for a fall harvest. If you live in a region with mild winters, you can sow seeds 6 weeks before your first fall frost date. This will allow the kale to grow big and strong before colder temperatures arrive.
Harvest Siberian kale when the plant has grown at least 4-5 big leaves. You can harvest each leaf individually by cutting the leaf stalk as close to the main trunk as possible. You can also harvest the entire plant by cutting the trunk at soil level.
Siberian kale typically has less pest and disease issues than kale. My Siberian kale will sometimes get aphids, but this usually happens in the heat of summer. If you grow this plant in the fall or spring there should be no growing issues.
BEET GREENS Beta vulgaris
Freshly harvested beet greens.
Did you know you can eat the leafy greens that grow out of beets? Beets are tasty, and their greens are similarly tasty! They have a mild, earthy flavor and can be eaten raw, blanched, or blended up into a green smoothie. Beet greens are a great fall and winter crop as they grow best in cooler conditions. They are also present in abundance when growing beets. Growing beets is a win-win, as you can eat the greens while the beetroots grow big and thick.
Beet greens are super healthy! According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture just one cup of raw beet greens has nearly 50 milligrams of Calcium and over 1.5 grams of fiber. One study found that a diet rich in beet greens can prevent liver damage from a high-fat diet in mice. Although this study was on mice, it proves that beet greens have healthy compounds that can help living things.
How to Grow Beet Greens
Growing beet greens requires the same conditions as does growing beets for the beetroots. Beets prefer cool and moist conditions and full sun. Plant them in an area that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. Beets will grow best in fall, winter, and spring, and generally do not grow well in the summertime. If your climate gets below freezing in the winter you can sow beets in late summer for a fall harvest, or you can sow them in early spring for a late spring harvest. If you live in an area with mild winters you can plant beets in the fall for a winter harvest.
To grow beets, direct sow seeds in your garden. You can also plant seeds in containers that are at least 8” deep. Sow each seed 1” apart and cover them with ¼” of compost or soil. Seeds should sprout within a week, although they can sometimes take up to two weeks. Beets do not need much compost and will grow happily as long as they receive consistent moisture.
Harvesting beet greens is the easiest part. When your beetroots have more than 4 leaves you can harvest each individual leaf. I recommend only taking a few leaves from each beetroot, that way each plant will still have enough leaves to photosynthesize and make more leaves. If you chop them all off of one beet it can stunt the growth of the beetroot. Once you’ve cut the leaves you can chop them up and add them to your smoothie.
Beet greens can attract leaf miners, and I do sometimes encounter these insects on my plants. They like to hide on the underside of beet greens, as this is where the leaf miner moth lays her eggs. To reduce their population simply squish the white eggs with your fingers and wash off the residue. You can also plant beets under row cover (greenhouse plastic) and cover the plants at night. With the beets covered the leaf miner moth is unable to lay her eggs on the leaves and your beets are protected.
MINT Mentha
Spearmint fresh growth in spring
Mint is a powerful herb that can be used like a green for smoothies. It adds a minty fresh taste that blends well with berries or tropical fruit. There are many varieties of mint available, and they all taste and smell slightly different from each other. Some commonly grown varieties are:
Apple Mint Mentha suaveolens
Spearmint Mentha spicata
Peppermint Mentha x piperita
Each mint variety has its own unique use. Spearmint is tender and has a light, sweet flavor that works well in cocktails like mojitos and mint juleps. Peppermint is another popular mint that works best in tea. It is a very strong tasting mint and so I recommend using a little bit and adding more if needed. Apple mint is a fuzzy mint that can be used like sage. It goes well with savory dishes and adds a sweet, minty freshness to any meal.
Mint is a powerful green with many health benefits. A study of mint from 2021 notes that mint may prevent cancer formation. It also notes that mint may have anti-obesity, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic properties. Because mint is so strong, you only need to use a little bit in your smoothies to receive the health benefits. I recommend two sprigs in a smoothie, or about 10 leaves. This should be plenty to add both a delicious flavor and the powerful health benefits.
How to Grow Mint
Mint grows incredibly easy. In fact, mint is one herb that I routinely cut back to prevent it from overrunning my garden. Mint spreads through seeds and through thick roots underground. It can invade any area so long as it receives sun and water. To prevent it from overtaking your garden try growing it in a pot or a raised bed away from the garden soil. I grow mine in raised beds that are a few feet above the ground. This keeps the mint above the ground and away from the soil, but it also allows the plant some room to grow.
Mint grows easily from cuttings. Take 6 inch cuttings of mint stems with leaves. Strip the bottom half of the cutting of its leaves. Place the cuttings in a cup of water out of direct sunlight. Within a week your cuttings should have roots. After two weeks, take the cuttings out of the water and plant them in soil. And that’s it! If you do not have access to mint plants for cuttings you can find various mints growing at your local nursery. Transplant them into containers or raised beds and water well. Keep mint moist throughout the growing season.
Harvesting mint is as easy as growing it. Simply cut off a stem with leaves and use the leaves as needed. Because mint grows exponentially you cannot hurt it by cutting too much. Cutting the stems will also encourage the plant to grow bushier and fuller, as each stem you cut will sprout two new ones.
Mint’s only growing issue is its invasiveness. As mentioned earlier, the best way to avoid this issue is by growing mint in a pot or container. If you plant mint in the ground in your garden it will continuously spread.
BROCCOLI GREENS Brassica oleracea
Broccoli greens growing with a tightly packed head.
Broccoli is a tasty vegetable, but did you know you can eat the leaves of broccoli plants too? These leaves are similar in texture to kale and can be cooked just like kale. They can also be eaten raw, and make excellent additions to green smoothies. Broccoli greens taste slightly like the flower clusters that are commonly eaten. They blend well with other greens, vegetables, and fruits.
Broccoli greens are incredibly nutritious. Their nutritional content is very similar to kale and cabbage, which makes sense as they are also in the Brassica genus. One cup of broccoli greens is a good source of calcium and potassium. Broccoli greens are also a great source of vitamin C, which can help your body repair wounds and tissues more efficiently.
How to Grow Broccoli Greens
The best part of using broccoli greens is that if you already grow broccoli, you will inevitably have broccoli greens on hand. Broccoli will grow best in full sun and requires at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. Broccoli grows best in cooler conditions.
Broccoli is best grown as an early spring or late fall crop. In areas with mild winters plant broccoli in late summer, fall, or in winter for an early spring harvest. In areas with cold winters (below freezing), start seeds indoors and transplant the young plants in late winter. Broccoli plants are cold hardy but only when they have grown a bit. The teenage plants will resist frost, but they cannot survive hard freezes.
To harvest broccoli greens simply cut the leaves off the stalk. I recommend only cutting a few leaves from each plant and leaving some on the plant. This will allow the plant to photosynthesize effectively and produce enough energy to keep growing. You can chop the leaves up before adding to your smoothie, as this will help them blend easier.
Broccoli can face some pest issues during the growing season. Pests like cabbage loopers and cabbage root maggots can eat the roots and stem of the plant before it has a chance to grow. To prevent soil pests try rotating your broccoli crop each year. This will make it more difficult for the pest populations to grow. You can also put a paper cup or metal can with its bottom cut out over the plant. Bury part of the can in the soil around the young plant. This method will prevent the pests from reaching the roots underground.
AMARANTH GREENS Amaranthus caudatus
Amaranths with red blooms
I consider amaranth to be summer’s spinach. Not only does it survive in high heat, it thrives! The young leaves of this plant also known as “love lies bleeding” are tender, and they can be used just like spinach leaves. Pick them when they are young and sauté them, or chop them up for fresh eating in salads and smoothies.
Amaranth is one of the world’s oldest food crops, and for good reason. The Sunset Western Garden Book shows that amaranth seeds contain a lot of protein and can be used like other grains (oats, wheat, etc.). Amaranth is considered a “pseudograin” as the seeds come from a flowering plant and not a grass. Other grains like wheat and oat are grasses, and thus their seeds are considered grains. Because amaranth has both edible seeds and leaves, it is a nutritional powerhouse!
How to Grow Amaranth
Amaranth is easily grown in warm weather. It performs best as a spring and summer crop when the days are long and the sun is hot. Plant Amaranth in a location that gets more than 6 hours of direct sunlight.
Sow seeds outdoors in places where you want the plants to grow. Do this once temperatures have reached 70°F as that is the optimal germination temperature for amaranth seeds. Cover the seeds with a light dusting of mulch or compost, and water well. Once established amaranth is drought tolerant, although it will need regular water while the plant is young.
In areas with short growing seasons start seeds indoors in 4” pots and transplant outdoors once the danger of frost has passed. They’ll get right to where they need to be once the warmth of summer arrives.
As the plant grows the young leaves can be harvested for smoothies and fresh eating. Simply snip off individual leaves for consumption with herbal scissors. If you do not have scissors you can pinch the leaves off of the stem.
Amaranth can face some fungal issues if grown in a really wet environment. Try not to water this plant unless the ground is visibly dry. Other than fungal issues Amaranth is a relatively pest free and drought hardy plant.
Wild
Do you not have the space or time for a garden but still want to add greens to your smoothies? Consider wild greens! These plants grow wild in almost every continent and are easily accessible. Because of their weedy nature, they spread and reproduce with ease in most environments. Try searching in parks, on hiking trails, or in your neighborhood. Be sure that the plant you collect is the plant you intend to consume. Some plants look alike, and so a little extra caution will go a long way.
DANDELION GREENS Taraxacum officinale
Photo by Lorenzo Ranuzzi on Unsplash
Dandelion greens are an excellent and abundant source of fresh greens for smoothies. They are villainized by lawn owners everywhere, and they are the bane of many a gardener’s existence. I am here to tell you that dandelion greens are nature’s gift to humanity! Not only do dandelion plants grow easily without irrigation, they also grow in the most unlikely of places. Look for them in the cracks of sidewalks, in lawns, and in meadows.
The greens have a slightly bitter taste, especially when mature. Try to harvest the young leaves that emerge in spring, as these will be more palatable than the mature leaves. To counteract this bitterness in your smoothie add frozen or fresh fruit. The sugars in the fruit will mask the bitterness, and the fiber from the dandelion greens will help with digestion.
Not only are dandelion greens easily found, they are also full of vitamins and minerals. A study from 2003 found that out of 100g of dried dandelion content, proteins made up 15.48 g and fiber made up 47.80 g. The researchers determined that the fiber, fatty acid, and protein content of dandelion greens make them a food source of high value.
One of my favorite early spring treats is dandelion flowers. Because the entire dandelion plant is edible, both the flowers and the roots can be eaten as well. The flowers are a slightly sweet treat and they also make an excellent addition to green smoothies.
How to Identify Dandelions
Dandelions are incredibly common, and they have certain characteristics that you can use to identify them. At their base is a rosette of lanceolate leaves. The leaves have deep lobes and grow up to 14 inches long. From the center of the plant grows long, hollow stems with flowers at their tip. If the stems or leaves are broken they exude a white, milky sap like Plumeria, Euphorbia, and Lactuca. The flowers are yellow, composite flowers like other plants in the daisy family Asteraceae. When the flowers are pollinated they form round balls of seeds that have white hairs sticking out from them. This is the iconic dandelion seed head, and when blown on the head disperses the seeds into the wind.
How to Grow Dandelions
Dandelions will grow whether you want them to or not! If you’d like to cultivate them there are a few methods that can help.
If you are trying to propagate dandelions in the summer then it is likely they will have the famous seed head sitting atop a skinny green stalk from the center of the plant. These seed heads sport hundreds of seeds and can be collected for propagation. To germinate the seeds, scatter them in the area you’d like them to grow. You can cover the seeds with a light layer of soil, although this step isn’t entirely necessary as dandelion seeds have a high germination rate. Water the seeds well, and in a few days you should start seeing baby dandelion plants.
Dandelions can also be spread with root pieces. If you have a dandelion you can dig up, try this method. Simply cut the root into four or five pieces, and bury the pieces top side up in the soil. Water the area well. In a few days you should start seeing new growth from each root piece.
To harvest dandelion greens and flowers, simply cut the leaves at their base close to the soil. Dandelions are tough plants and so you can harvest all of the leaves of the plant if you wish. The plant will push out new growth after a few days.
Dandelions' only issue is that they are ridiculously hard to get rid of once they are established. The root of mature plants is a long, deep taproot that anchors the plant in the soil. Even if you manage to dig up the top of the plant, if there is any portion of root below ground the plant will grow back. Other than their steadfastness this plant has relatively few growing issues. In especially shady areas they can get powdery mildew. Plant dandelions in full sun to avoid this issue.
MALLOW Malva
Young mallow plant growing in December.
Yes, mallow! Believe it or not this wild weed from Europe has been an edible food for thousands of years. Also known as cheeseweed, this plant has been with humanity for so long it is no wonder it has both nutritional and medicinal value. The herbal guide Wild Remedies from Rosalee de la Forêt and Emily Han shows that, “Mallow’s mucilage wonderfully soothes hot, dry, and irritated lungs.” When the heat of summer is nigh or there is wildfire smoke in the area, mallow is your best bet for easing irritated lungs.
Mallow’s gel-like consistency (called “mucilage”) when crushed or blended is one major reason why it is an excellent plant for smoothies. When blended with other ingredients, mallow will bind everything together and give the smoothie a cool, gooey texture. This texture is extremely soothing for the throat. Also, because mallow is extremely mild in taste, you will hardly notice it in smoothies.
How to Identify Mallow
Mallow is easily identified by its leaves, flowers, and seeds. Though there are a few different species of mallow they all have some commonalities. Malva neglecta is the mallow that grows freely in my garden. It has round leaves with 5 to 9 shallow lobes. This type of mallow grows close to the ground and sprawls as it grows. Malva sylvestris is the other commonly found mallow. It grows more upright, and its leaves are more deeply divided. This mallow can get bushy. There are other types of mallows that are less common like Malva alcea and Malva moschata. All of these types of mallow are edible and can be consumed as food or medicine.
Mallows can usually be found growing in areas with disturbed soil. The leaves of mallows are slightly fuzzy. Mallow flowers range from white to purple, and each flower has five petals. The flowers can be found growing at the base of leaf stalks. The seed pods that form are round and resemble cheese wheels, hence the name cheeseweed! If you pull up mallow, you’ll notice it has a long and woody taproot that holds it in the soil.
How to Grow Mallow
Mallow is best grown from seed. Plan to plant it in an area with average soil and good drainage, as this plant likes it on the drier side. Mallows appreciate full sun, and they will have more blooms the more sun that they get.
Note that if you already have mallow in your garden or yard, simply letting it be is the best way to have mallow year after year. This plant readily self-seeds itself and will grow year after year. I have a spot in my garden where mallow pops up without fail every spring. I do not propagate it, I just let it do its thing.
To germinate and grow mallow you’ll need to do two things. First, you need to cold stratify the seeds. This is fancy language for putting the seeds in your fridge for two weeks. Put the seeds into a bag with a slightly damp paper towel, and then put the bag into your refrigerator. Cold stratification tricks the seeds into thinking they’ve lived through winter so that they germinate. Not all plants require this process, but there are many that do that have evolved in cold winter areas.
After you’ve cold stratified your seeds you’ll need to take them out of the fridge and prepare them for soil. Nick the seeds with a nail file or something similar. Do not cut the seeds or dig too deep, but make a slight opening in the seeds’ outer coats. Mallow seeds are incredibly tough and have a protective covering. Nicking this covering allows water to reach the seeds and start the germination process.
Place your nicked, cold stratified seeds ½” deep in the soil. I recommend planting the seeds directly in the soil and not in pots because mallows grow long taproots that can be disturbed if the plant is transplanted. You can plant the seeds in pots if you’d like, just know the plants will not perform as well as if they had been planted directly in the ground. Water the planting area well, and keep the area well watered as the seeds germinate. Once the plants have sprouted, have a few leaves, and are readily growing you can cut down the amount of water you give them. Start harvesting the leaves after the plants have grown five or more leaves.
PURSLANE Portulaca oleracea
Common purslane starting to spread out.
You know that fleshy, weedy plant growing everywhere in the garden in the summertime? That “weed” is actually an edible food source that has been used by humans for centuries. Portulaca oleracea, commonly known as purslane, grows in most places in the world both temperate and tropical. It grows like a ground cover and will quickly spread out over the soil. In the summertime it bears tiny, inconspicuous yellow flowers on very hot days.
Purslane has some incredible health benefits when used as food. It can be used in smoothies, salads, soups, and sauces. Purslane has a sour, acidic taste. Like mallows, purslane is mucilaginous and will give your smoothie a gel-like, thick consistency. It’s ironic that purslane grows in hot, dry conditions and that it helps alleviate hot, dry conditions in the body. Like aloe vera gel, this plant can help with sunburns and dry skin. According to a study from 2014 purslane also contains a ton of omega-3s and is a good substitute for fish oils. It is packed with vitamins A, C, and E and nutrients like magnesium, calcium, and potassium.
How to Identify Purslane
Purslanes grow close to the ground and form a spreading mat of bright green foliage. The leaves are succulent, fleshy, and flat in Portulaca oleracea. In the high heat of summer this plant will open its small, yellow, five-petaled flowers. The flowers close around mid afternoon and stay closed throughout the night. When the flowers are pollinated they form small capsules that are full of tiny, round, black seeds. Like mallow, purslane has a long, central taproot that digs deep into the soil. The stems of this plant readily root as well.
How to Grow Purslane
Purslane grows best in hot, full sun conditions. Plants that receive adequate moisture will grow better tasting and more succulent leaves than those that grow in extremely arid conditions. Purslane grows best from seed.
Collect seeds in late summer as the fruit capsules harden and dry. They should be full of little, black seeds. Save these seeds until spring, or if you live in an area without frost you can plant them in the fall. Simply scatter them on top of the soil to plant. Do not cover the seeds as they require light to germinate. Plants should sprout and grow within a week or two.
Purslane can also be grown from cuttings rooted in water or soil. Take cuttings and strip the bottom of the cuttings of their leaves. Place cuttings on top of the soil in a pot and press down. Water and keep moist until the plant roots, which should happen within a week. Transplant into the garden or into a container when the plants are fully rooted in their pots.
For best results, give purslane rich soil, compost, and regular moisture. These conditions will ensure your purslane grows big, succulent leaves that cook well.
Conclusion
There are so many edible greens in the world that it would be difficult to list them all here. I hope this guide gives you a good idea of some common greens you can start using today. If you use other greens besides the ones listed here, I want to know what they are! Let me know in the comments below. Thank you, and happy growing!
