T he K itchen Ga rden By Jan L eitschu h

Pot ’o Green

Light up your early spr ing

By Ja n l eit SChu h What’s prettier than a pot of pansies, satisfies our primal March longing for St. Paddy’s Day green, and is edible too?

’Tis the leaf y st uf f ! Fr illy, lac y, colored, savoyed or f reck led g reens.

It’s the cusp of spr ing. Sure, and isn’t it time you scratched that g rand gardening itch and treated yourself to a sa lad g reens planter?

Granted, “pret tier than pansies” is a wee stretch, but pansies won’t shake of f their w inter doldr ums and hit their glor y days until later in the month. Don’t we just need some fierce ver na l cheer f ulness? Cheaper than a bouquet of flowers, a g reens t ub or planter can light up your spr ing time f ront-step pots or w indow boxes.

Most spr ing g reens such as spinach, var ious cheer f ully hi- colored let t uces, k a le, ar ug ula, candy-stemmed chards, collards and more — herbs such as parsley or mint, even broccoli, onions or cauliflower — are mov ing onto the shelves of loca l plant vendors. Available in 4 - or 6 -pack s, the g reens are well-star ted and of fer instant g ratification and usef ul desig n elements.

T hose of you with a patch of good ground can sk ip all the container folderal and save some money by buying a seed packet or t wo. Till up the spot, add lots of compost (or well-aged manure — most greens are heav y feeders) and sprink le your seeds. Pat them into the soil with the flat of your hand and keep lightly watered if the rains don’t fall.

You should have g reens o’plent y in your cut ting garden in Apr il. May the rows r ise up to meet ye!

However, not ever yone is blessed w ith that g rand patch of good g round, and why should you miss out on one of the oldest r ites of spr ing? Mi x lots of mat ure compost into the soil of your planting vessel. A premi xed pot ting soil w ith fer tilizer included w ill surely br ing the luck of the Ir ish.

A s long as it has good drainage and holds an adequate amount of soil, the container doesn’t much mat ter, does it?

Humble or classy? You can spark up a fanc y gla zed ceramic pot for the f ront step, populate a wooden w indow box, st uf f a whisk y bar rel ha lf, hide a lined laundr y basket among some sma ll shr ubs, or just use some larger black plastic planting pots.

Just mind the three aspects of good container desig n: thr iller, filler and spiller.

Your thr iller element w ill of fer some height and an upr ight ele ment to catch the eye, won’t it now? Pick a ta ll, strong-leaved and substantia l plant such as dark g reen dinosaur k a le to anchor your sa lad pot or planter. A t w ig f ramework anchored in the middle might suppor t spr ing time’s garden candy, edible-podded sugar snap peas.

A nother ver tica l option might be a ta ll tr io of rainbow Sw iss chard, w ith its candy- colored sta lk s. Romaine or cer tain young collard plants might work, if you can find them. Onion and garlic g reens g ive a similar upr ight ef fect.

T he middle layer, or “filler,” is your work horse. St uf f in plants of nutr itious spinach, let t uce and spic y ar ug ula. So many pret t y let t uces to choose f rom! Pinch of f a few leaves to fill out your sa lad or g reen smoothie.

A nother option — add in the dif ferent text ures of herbs that favor spr ing temperat ures. Dark g reen parsley is a per fect companion, handsome set against the f r illy lime g reens and burg undies of lett uces, and usef ul in cook ing. Mints and cilantro a lso do well in the spr ing before the days heat up.

T he “spiller” layer that sof tens the pot edges and drapes over the side will be a little harder to find for a springtime pot. Perennial herbs such as thyme droop nicely but are barely leafing out. Edible flowers like nastur tiums might work. You could deploy a small pot of iv y for its draping ef fect, and let it grow in situ for your summer pot creation.

W hen the temperat ures heat up, g reens tend to go gagg ing about the place and t ur n bit ter, sw itching f rom the vegetative to the reproductive stage. Diehard gardeners might per mit this and save the seeds (or a llow for a less-reliable self-sow ing). T he sma ll yellow flowers on sta lk s have their ow n delicate beaut y.

But it’s perfectly fine if you pull out the spent greens and toss them on the compost heap. Then plant yourself a summer tomato, a bell pepper — or go f ull floral for your summer display. Until then, sláinte! PS

Jan Leitschuh is a local gardener, avid eater of fresh produce and co-founder of Sandhills Farm to Table.