Has anyone ever tried growing collard or mustard grees? Every time I go to feed the kids and the mustard greens are starting to get slimy, I think of growing my own. I was considering but a couple of long flower boxes on a rack in my bedroom window. I figure it has to be cheeper and healthier then store bought. When it warms enough I'll plant some in the garden also.

I know they thrive better in cooler temps. here in Virginia we plant the first batch in early spring to harvest in summer, and batch 2 in mid-summer for fall/winter harvest. They can basically grow year round here.

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Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

Collards are slow to bolt and cold weather loving, grown in the winter in GA and are usually good until hard frosts. Never had luck growing them. I've grown them for a full summer in both the Metro Detroit area and the St Louis area not until I had to return to school did they ever bolt and actually get large.

Mustard and the like are better in warm weather and faster.

Alfalfa is a good one to grow, slow at first but once established great to have on hand and a constant producer.

I also collected dandilion seeds and started those.

Winter squash was fun too.

A window box will not be enough to support them. Think larger planters or in the ground.

Meijer has always been my primary source when in MI, great selection in all the stores I have been in.

Store bought will have to be the primary source of greens.

Depending on what area you are in you will have different levels of luck. I know the sandy soil has not supported much at my dad's place in Caseville but move further inland and you have some of the best soil in the country.

Here is some squash I was growing a few summers ago: If you look closely near the window you can see some collards that were mixed in.

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~ Mark

Every year my husband plant an organic garden in the back yard. We have had luck with other varieties of lettuce (usually a spring and fall crop), so I though maybe.... He alway plants a variety of squash, peppers, tomatoes, cukes, etc. Dandelions take over the yard from about April to September. We have sprouted Alfalfa and eaten the sprouts. So I guess I could introduce alfalfa sprouts to the iggy.

Don't use sprouts. Sprouts are useless bulk. For a plant to be of any use you need it to grow to maturity. I bought the seeds for sprouting from a health nut store and I use them as a ground cover around my potted plants. All of my plants grow with the help of Monsanto and Scotts products.

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~ Mark

I think we are probably in similar gardening zones (i'm a zone 6b Canada or 5b USA) as I grow similar veggies and leafy greens as you do without any problem during our summer months. I've grown collards and mustard greens for the last few years without any problem at all.

I usually plant the collard seeds in mid to late april, and the mustard seeds a bit later (if I remember correctly, perhaps mid-may). Both grow well throughout the summer. The mustard greens last at least until the first frost (end of October or so), and the collards last well into November.

I don't see why you couldn't try planting both of these indoors near a sunny window.

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Tricia