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Seed-Starting Mastery #3 - Kale, Collards, Swiss Chard & Asian Greens: The Indestructible Leaf Machines
- Jodi McKee
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
How to Grow a Mountain of Greens
Welcome to Post #3, the moment the training wheels officially come off.
If radishes were your instant gratification crop and lettuce taught you patience and finesse, this is where gardening gets downright generous.
Kale, collards, Swiss chard, bok choy, tatsoi, mizuna, komatsuna, and their leafy cousins are the closest thing gardening has to a cheat code. These are plants that seem almost offended by how little they ask of you, and how much they give in return. I believe this group of greens is underutilized, and gardeners should grow more of these varieties. They offer big bang for your buck.
They:
Germinate in 4–10 days
Grow happily in cold, heat, partial shade, and mediocre soil
Get sweeter after frost
Regrow after every harvest
Live 6–18 months when managed correctly
Shrug off pests that obliterate more delicate crops
If lettuce whispered, “be gentle,” these crops shout, “LET’S GO.”
This is abundance gardening at its finest.
Why These Greens Are Basically Immortal
Let’s talk about why these plants behave like superheroes instead of divas.
These crops, many of them brassicas, evolved in harsh, temperate climates. Cold winters. Long seasons. Heavy grazing. Their survival strategy? Grow fast, regenerate endlessly, and defend themselves chemically.
Here’s what that means for you:
Trait | What It Means for the Gardener |
Large seed size | Easy to handle, excellent germination even from older seed |
Cold-hardy to 5–10°F | Plant early spring or late fall without fear |
Heat-tolerant varieties exist | Summer sowing is absolutely possible |
Regrow after cutting | One plant = 6–20 harvests |
Heavy feeders but forgiving | Even “meh” soil still produces food |
Natural pest resistance | Mustard oils deter most insects |
These are the plants you grow when you want results.
Meet the Greens: A Quick Orientation
Before we plant, let’s orient you to the players.
Kale & Collards – Long-lived, upright plants with thick leaves and serious cold tolerance.
Swiss Chard – Technically a beet cousin, not a brassica, but behaves like one. Extremely forgiving, wildly productive, and beautiful.
Asian Greens – Fast-growing, versatile greens ranging from mild and buttery to peppery and bold.
Leafy Green Types, Quick Definitions
Kale - Kale is a cold-hardy brassica grown for its thick, nutrient-dense leaves. It grows upright from a central stem and regrows continuously when harvested from the outside. Kale becomes sweeter after frost and can produce for 6–12 months.
Collards - Collards are closely related to kale but have broader, smoother leaves and thicker stems. They tolerate heat better than most brassicas and are traditionally grown as long-season crops. Flavor improves with cool weather, and plants can persist for a year or more.
Swiss Chard - Swiss chard is not a brassica; it’s a beet relative grown for its leaves and colorful stems. Chard is exceptionally forgiving, heat-tolerant, and slow to bolt, making it ideal for summer production when spinach and lettuce struggle. It's the jewel in my fall garden.
Asian Greens - Asian greens are a broad group of fast-growing brassicas selected for tender leaves and mild to peppery flavors. Most mature quickly (20–45 days) and can be harvested young or full-size. Many tolerate cold and partial shade.
Bok Choy (Pak Choi) - Bok choy forms an upright rosette with thick, crunchy stems and tender leaves. Baby varieties mature quickly, while full-size types prefer cool weather. Bok choy is highly productive but more prone to bolting in spring heat.
Tatsoi - Tatsoi grows as a low, spoon-shaped rosette and is one of the most cold-hardy Asian greens available. It thrives in fall and winter gardens and has a mild, buttery flavor ideal for raw or lightly cooked dishes.
Mizuna - Mizuna produces deeply cut, feathery leaves with a mild mustard bite. It grows rapidly, tolerates both heat and cold, and excels as a cut-and-come-again green.
Komatsuna - Komatsuna is a smooth-leaf Asian green with thick stems and a flavor similar to spinach. It tolerates heat better than most brassicas and resists bolting, making it a reliable summer green.
Baby Leaf Greens“ - Baby leaf” refers to the harvest stage, not the plant type. Any of these greens can be harvested young (3–6 inches tall) for tender leaves and quick regrowth.
Cut-and-Come-Again Greens - This term describes harvesting outer leaves while leaving the growing point intact. Many brassicas and chard respond by producing new leaves for weeks or months.
The Two Best Ways to Start Them
You’ve got options here, and unlike fussier crops, both methods work beautifully.
Method A: Indoor Starts
(Best for earliest harvests and giant plants)
Timing
Spring: 4–6 weeks before last frost
Fall/Winter: Late July through August (earlier for hot climates)
How to Do It
Fill 50- or 72-cell trays with seed-starting mix.
Sow 2–3 seeds per cell, ¼–½ inch deep (they like being buried).
Bottom-water thoroughly.
Cover with a humidity dome for 5–7 days.
Germination temperature: 45–85°F (yes, really).
Day 4–8: Seedlings emerge like popcorn. Remove dome.
Thin to one plant per cell (snip, don’t pull).
Grow at 60–70°F under lights until 4–6 true leaves form.
Optional Power Move - Pot them up once into 3–4” pots, burying the stems up to the first leaves. Brassicas love deep planting and respond with thicker stems and stronger roots.
Transplant outdoors when plants are 4–6 inches tall. Light frost doesn’t faze them.
Method B: Direct Sowing
(Minimal effort, still wildly successful)
Perfect for gardeners who want food without fuss.
Rake the bed smooth.
Sow seeds ½ inch deep, either in rows or broadcast.
Water gently.
Thin seedlings to:
8–12 inches for full-size plants
4–6 inches for baby leaf harvests
Harvest outer leaves regularly and let the center keep growing.
My Favorite Varieties List
These varieties perform year after year across climates, soil types, and skill levels.
Kale
Lacinato (Dinosaur) – Dark, blistered leaves; sweetest after frost
Red Russian – Tender, purple stems; handles heat better than most
Scarlet – Curly, deep red, ornamental, and edible
Premier – Fast-growing and bolt-resistant for warm seasons
Collards
Georgia Southern – Classic heirloom, massive leaves
Flash – Hybrid speed demon, uniform growth
Morris Heading – Forms loose heads, excellent flavor
Swiss Chard
Bright Lights – Rainbow stems; the prettiest edible plant you’ll grow
Fordhook Giant – Old reliable with thick white stems
Ruby Red – Deep red veins, dramatic and delicious
Lipstick- Beautiful, bright pink stems.
Asian Greens
Bok Choy – ‘Joi Choi’ (full-size) & ‘Win-Win Choi’ (baby)
Tatsoi – Spoon-shaped rosettes, ultra cold-hardy
Mizuna – Feathery leaves, mild mustard kick
Komatsuna – Thick stems, spinach-like flavor
Vitamin Green – Lightning-fast and heat-tolerant
How to Turn 10 Plants Into 100 Pounds of Greens
Baby Leaf Harvesting
Sow thickly. Harvest entire plants at 4–6 inches. Many varieties regrow 1–3 times.
Continuous Cut-and-Come-Again
Never remove more than ⅓ of the plant at once. Harvest outer leaves, leave the center intact. Plants keep producing for months.
Frost-Sweetening
Let kale experience repeated nights at 20–25°F. Cold converts starches into sugars. The flavor difference is unreal.
Overwintering Trick (Zones 6+)
Plant August 15–September 15. Mulch heavily in November. Add row cover or a low tunnel. Harvest all winter long.
Stem Harvesting (Zero Waste)
Peel thick kale and collard stems, and sauté them like broccoli stems. Mild, sweet, and criminally underrated.
Pest “Problems”
These plants protect themselves with glucosinolates, sulfur compounds that insects hate.
If pests appear:
Cabbage worms → Hand-pick or one Bt spray
Flea beetles → Usually cosmetic damage only
Aphids → Blast with water or harvest heavily. I'll do another post on all-natural pest control in the future.
Most of the time? The plants outgrow the damage.
Troubleshooting (Just in Case):
Issue | Likely Cause | Solution |
Slow germination | Soil too cold or dry | Warm soil or wait a week |
Purple leaves | Cold stress or phosphorus lock-up | Wait or add bone meal |
Holes in leaves | Worms or beetles | Hand-pick or spray with Bt |
Spring bolting | Long days + heat | Choose bolt-resistant varieties |
Woody Stems | Overmature Plants | Harvest Younger or add Shade |
Flavor & Cooking Hacks
Massage kale with salt and lemon for 2 minutes → silky and mild
Sauté chard stems first, leaves last
Braise collards low and slow with some smoked meat like pork hocks or sausage. (or use smoked salt for vegans)
Eat tatsoi raw — buttery and tender
Add mizuna to stir-fries 30 seconds before serving
The Skills You Just Unlocked
By mastering these crops, you now know how to:
Pot up seedlings confidently.
Grow plants for months instead of weeks.
Harvest continuously instead of all at once.
Use frost as a flavor tool.
Direct sow successfully in imperfect conditions.
That’s not beginner gardening anymore. That’s food security, which is awesome!!
What’s Next
Next week in Post #4, we finally leave the leafy greens behind and meet the first heat-loving crops: beans and peas — seeds big enough for toddler hands and fast enough to hook even the most impatient gardener.
But first? Go sow a flat of kale and a packet of Bright Lights chard right now.
In 30–40 days, you’ll be drowning in glossy, nutrient-dense leaves and wondering how you ever lived without them.
Tag me when your rainbow chard forest appears. I’ll be waiting.
Happy sowing 🫛🥦
-Jodi @ Healwise
Grab a copy of my book, Harvest & Herb, a great guide for gardeners wanting to grow herbs!
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