3 Leafy Vegetables to grow in your backyard

Taken from: https://www.nparks.gov.sg/-/media/nparks-real-content/gardening/gardening-resources/what-to-grow/know_10_leafy_vegetables_(readable).pdf?la=en&hash=31951CCE9580A9A38683BFE2FE4ADDDF758D3F5B

Why Grow Leafy Vegetables?

Leafy vegetables can often be harvested in a short time period. From seed to harvest, the edibles in this brochure take only three weeks to three and a half months to grow!

Differences Between Fruits and Vegetables

We often refer to the raw, plant-produced whole foods that we eat as fruits and vegetables, with savoury produce like edible leaves and roots commonly called ‘vegetables’, and sweet produce usually called ‘fruit’. However, in botanical terms, a fruit is actually the mature ovary of a seed plant, usually developed from a flower. So foods like gourds, tomatoes, chillis and beans, which we might normally call vegetables, are technically fruit. 

Vegetable 1: Caixin

Brassica rapa (Parachinensis Group)

Caixin is a herbaceous annual. It takes three to five days to germinate, and 30 to 40 days to be ready for harvest.

This plant grows best in well-draining soil. It requires full sun and moderate watering. It can be propagated by seeds but the seeds should be dried for at least a week before sowing.

The leaves are eaten raw, stir-fried, lightly boiled or steamed. The mild flavour of the crunchy stems and soft leaves make them a good match for many different foods.

Vegetable 2: Ceylon Spinach

Basella alba

Ceylon Spinach is a creeper. It takes about seven days to germinate, and 42 to 56 days to be ready for harvest.

This plant grows best in well-draining soil. It requires full sun and moderate watering. It can be propagated by seeds and stem cuttings, and requires a trellis to climb on.

The tips of the leaves and stems are eaten raw or cooked. They have a pleasant mild flavour, and a sticky quality which also make them an excellent thickening agent in soups.

Vegetable 3: Chinese Mustard

Brassica juncea

Chinese Mustard is a herbaceous annual. It takes three to five days to germinate, and about 40 days to be ready for harvest.

This plant grows best in well-draining soil. It requires full sun and moderate watering. It can be propagated by seeds.

The entire plant can be eaten, from its flower to its roots and seeds. The leaves are eaten raw in salads or cooked. Oil extracted from the seeds is used as mustard flavouring. The seeds are also used in curries and pickles.