Looking for the best leafy green varieties to grow? Which selections in lettuce, spinach, mustard greens, kale, and more) are a good fit for your farm? Scan the photo gallery for fresh choices from leading seed breeders and distributors.
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Acrux (BASF/Nunhems)
‘Acrux’ is a spinach variety that has a medium-fast growth speed and an upright plant shape. It has an oval-leaf shape with medium-thick leaf texture. ‘Acrux’ has great uniformity, with quarter savoy, and good petiole length.
‘Black Jack’ is a Tuscan hybrid kale with an erect habit and slender leaves. High production will give multiple harvests of uniform leaves. Matures in 60 days.
Our most popular Lacinato kale has exceptional uniformity and high productivity. ‘Black Magic's’ leaves are large, wide, straight, and resist curling inward. A uniform dark-green color and upright open habit makes for easy harvest. The plants have a sweet flavor and vigorous growth. Organic and untreated seed are available. Matures 60 days from transplant.
Bluerock (Vilmorin-Mikado USA, Gowan Seed Company)
A great, versatile, full-season romaine variety for carton, processing, and heart use. ‘Bluerock’ has a medium, dark-green color and low core. It’s adapted for all Eastern growing conditions to harvest from spring to fall. Upright growth and shape enables easy and efficient cut, trim, and packing. Matures in 65 days.
‘Bopak F1’ is a pak choi, flexible for baby pak choi as well as full size heads. It matures earlier than other varieties and offers a compact upright habit. The tender leaves and crisp sweet stalks are excellent for cooking or eating raw. A strong performer for all seasons, ‘Bopak F1’ holds quality and flavor even in summer heat. Matures in 45 days.
A fall to winter mustard spinach crop, vigorous growth and high yields, ‘Early Mizuna’ can withstand a light frost. It’s light green with serrated leaves and has a very prolific branching habit. Mild and tasty when young, it adds a nice flavor to salads and becomes only mildly mustardy when mature. Matures in 40 to 50 days.
A strikingly beautiful, fully red swiss chard for baby leaf and full size bunching. Surprisingly fast growing for such rich color, with narrow, upright petioles. ‘Firebird’ is faster growing than ‘Bulls Blood,’ with glossier, more savoyed leaves for baby leaf production. At full size, strong petioles and shallow root systems can require care when harvesting. Matures in 32 days for baby leaf, and 60 days for bunching.
A very uniform and adaptable crisp head iceberg lettuce with good heat tolerance,’Glendana’ also performs well in cooler climates. It has excellent internal characteristics with a dense heart and a very low core. It is a medium size. Matures in 78 days.
‘Gourmet Blend’ is a lettuce blend of multiple colors, unique types and flavors. It makes for a beautiful presentation at fresh market. Matures in 60 days.
In a proprietary blend, this baby salad mix blend has been carefully formulated to offer a complementary collection of colors, textures, and flavors. Flavors range from mild to lightly spicy, and colors include deep green, bright green, and wine red for striking presentation. ‘Harris' Mesclun Mix’ includes green and red lettuces, green and red mustards, Asian greens, red kale, and spinach. Plant in blocks and harvest when plants are 3 to 5 inches in height.
Hirst RZ (Rijk Zwaan, Santa Maria Seeds, Holaday Seeds)
‘Hirst RZ’ is a red butterhead multi-leaf lettuce that features strong, slightly-larger-than-average dark red leaves, adding an attractive contrast to salad mixes. ‘Hirst RZ’ maintains good vigor in colder periods and is ideal for high-density plantings and machine harvesting. As a member of the Salanova family, it separates into numerous ready-to-eat leaves with one cut, benefiting from the KnoxTM trait to reduce pinking and extend shelf life. Matures in 55 to 85 days, depending on region.
‘New Red Fire’ is a red leaf lettuce with excellent uniformity and dark-red color. It has a medium-large head, good flavor and organic seed available. Matures in 55 to 60 days.
‘Seaside’ is a spinach variety with very uniform baby leaves. A moderate growth rate and an upright plant habit. The smooth, thick, very dark-green, spade-shaped leaf makes it a perfect choice for baby leaf growers. Downy mildew resistance for growers who require a premium disease package.
SV2157VB - Green Beret (Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Osborne Quality Seeds)
‘SV2157VB’ is a hybrid spinach variety with thick, dark-green oval leaves; suitable for baby leaf or bunching production. Strong downy mildew resistance and reliable performance make ‘SV2157VB’ a great choice for production all season long. Matures in 23 days (baby leaf), and 43 days (bunching).
