Edible Salad Garden. Rosalind Creasy

      Arugula grown as a cut-and-come-again crop.

      ARUGULA

      (rocket, roquette)

      Eruca vesicaria (E. sativa, Arugula sativa)

      RUSTIC ARUGULA

      (wild arugula, rucola)

      E. selvatica (Diplotaxis tenuifolia)

      Arugula leaves are lobed, pungent, and nutty; they taste a bit like horseradish. The most common arugula is the domesticated one. However, there is another, usually called rustic arugula, that is perennial and has a more intense flavor.

      How to grow: The standard arugula is grown in cool weather in early spring and again in the fall. The plants are short-lived; they get quite spicy and bolt in hot weather. Rustic arugula is a tender perennial that if started in spring and kept cut back, grows throughout the summer and fall and will winter over in mild-winter areas. Common arugula is planted in the fall for a winter harvest in these same mild climates. Broadcast seeds of both types over rich soil in a sunny area of the garden and lightly cover the seeds with soil, or plant them in flats and transplant the seedlings out into the garden. In the fall in cold climates, plant common arugula in a cold frame or greenhouse for winter salads. For succulent growth, keep arugula well watered and fertilize lightly. Both arugulas have few pest and disease problems. Harvest individual leaves or cut back the plant and leave a few inches of growth for a cut-and-come-again crop. Common arugula comes back more quickly than rustic does. Arugula flowers attract beneficial insects, so I usually keep some going for much of the spring. If allowed to go to seed, both arugulas reseed readily in your garden.

      Varieties

      Arugula: 40 days, lobed green leaves, plants grow to 1 foot tall, white flowers

      Wild rustic arugula (Italian wild arugula, ‘Sylvetta’): 55 days, finely cut leaves, plants grow to 8 inches, yellow flowers

      How to prepare: When they’re only 2 or 3 inches tall and very mild, arugula leaves can be used in fairly large amounts to add a peppery and nutty flavor to a salad. Combine them with other assertive greens, especially the fall and winter ones such as cresses, mustards, or chicories, and complement them with strong cheeses, meats, and fruits. Later, as the leaves become much more pungent, use arugula as an herb in a mixed salad, dressing, or main course. Good companions are anchovies, duck breast, chicken livers, capers, olives, and fruity olive oils—in other words think “gusto.” Long after the leaves become too strong, the flowers are great in salads or as a garnish.

      CABBAGE and CHINESE CABBAGE

      Brassica oleracea, var. capitata, and B. rapa, var. Pekinensis

      I find the cabbages to be quite splendid in all their variety. The puckery Savoy types with their handsome crinkled leaves and rich texture are real eye-catchers, as are the red and purple ball-like smooth cabbages. Then there are the Chinese cabbages, which are tall and stately and have a milder flavor and a more tender leaf than their cousins. The ornamental cabbages, which look like giant reclining peonies, are spectacular: their foliage is crinkled and comes in shades from pink to purple.

      How to grow: Cabbages are best grown as cool-season annuals and will bolt and go to seed in extremely hot weather. In cold climates cabbage is started in early spring or early summer, depending on the variety. In the South and warm-winter parts of the West, it is started in late winter or midsummer. The colorful flowering cabbages prefer a frost or cool nights to turn their deepest purple, so they are best planted in summer for a fall display. Cabbages need full sun, although they prefer light shade in hot climates. Plant seeds ¼ inch deep, 4 inches apart in rows. (Cabbage seed does not germinate well in cold temperatures.) Or buy small plants at a local nursery, or start seeds indoors about eight weeks before your last average frost date. Transplant your seedlings out into the garden in rich soil about two weeks before the last average frost date. Seeds or plants can also be planted in midsummer for a fall crop. Space small varieties 12 inches apart, and larger ones 24 inches apart, in rows spaced no closer than 2½ feet. When transplanting cabbages, place them lower in the soil than you would most transplants—up to their first set of true leaves (the first leaves after the seed leaves). As these plants tend to be top-heavy, planting them too high results in plants that are not sturdy enough to support their interior weight as they develop. Chinese cabbages do not transplant well, tending to bolt if disturbed. As they grow best in fall, you should probably start them from seeds planted directly in the garden in midsummer so they can mature in the cool weather. Cabbages are heavy feeders and need soil that contains a good deal of organic matter; in addition, add a balanced organic fertilizer: 1 cup worked into the soil around each plant at planting time. Cabbages need regular and even watering. They seem to grow best where the soil has the capacity to hold on to the large amounts of moisture they require for the development of firm heads. Mulching helps retain this necessary moisture. The biggest problem in growing cabbage is keeping ahead of the pests, and the Chinese types seem to get more than their share. The white cabbage butterfly has flitted its way across the entire continent, and its green caterpillar offspring chew on cabbages all season long. As soon as the plants are in the garden, prevent the butterfly from laying eggs by covering your cabbages with floating row covers. If you get a severe infestation, the pesticide Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) controls the caterpillars very effectively, but it also can kill all other types of butterflies (as any kind of caterpillar eating the Bt would be affected). Instead, I usually pick the eggs off the underside of the foliage, where the butterfly deposits them every few days. These eggs are cream-colored and about the size of a large pinhead. Cabbage root fly is another troublesome pest. You can use floating row covers to prevent the fly from laying her eggs on your plants, or you can prevent the larvae (maggots) from entering the soil by placing a 12-inch square of tar paper or black plastic directly over the roots of the plant. To do so, cut a slit about 6 inches long from one edge directly to the middle of the square and then slip it around the plant. Cutworms often attack young cabbage plants. A good preventive measure is to place a collar of cardboard around each seedling. Club root is a serious fungus disease of the cabbage family, as are black rot and aster yellows. Good garden hygiene is your best prevention here. Buy disease-free plants and do not accept plants from friends who have had the problem. Rotate members of the cabbage family with other vegetable families so that they do not grow in the same area for more than one year. And pull up all cabbage family weeds; mustard and shepherd’s purse are the most common. Harvest head cabbages anytime after they have started to head up well and before they become so large that they split. Mature cabbages can take temperatures as low as 20°F, so do not rush to harvest all of them before a frost. The Savoy types are the most hardy. If a hard freeze is expected, harvest all the cabbages and store them in a cool place, stacking them in straw if possible.

      Ornamental cabbage and the edible ‘Alaska’ nasturtiums make good bed mates in a fall garden.

      Savoy cabbage

      ‘O-S Cross’ giant cabbage

      Varieties

      There are many different types of cabbages: red-leafed ones; Savoy types with their crinkly leaves; diminutive varieties suitable for one meal; Chinese cabbages, both the tight cylindrical heads called Napa cabbages

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