Find spicy and alluring new leafy greens for spring 2012

Among other greens, gardeners will find a new spinach called Python from Johnny’s Selected Seeds of Winslow, Maine. This spinach, resistant to various strains of downy mildew, has dark green leaves shaped like an arrow, according to the product description.

This fast-growing plant, ready to harvest in about 35 days, grows to about 10 or 12 inches, Johnny’s Selected Seeds notes.

Among heirlooms for 2012, Seed Savers Exchange of Decorah, Iowa, has the Mantilia Lettuce, a chartreuse butterhead variety “introduced to the seed trade by Renee Shepherd,” according to the company.

Seed Savers Exchange notes in its catalog that the Mantilia ranked among the top 10 lettuces in its 2010 tasting, which included more than 70 different lettuce varieties. Mantilia is said to bolt (flower and produce seed) more slowly and is harvestable in about 60 days.

Another leafy green for the New Year is the Mustard Baby Mustard Mix from The Cook’s Garden of Warminster, Pa. This Baby Mustard Mix includes “Segal: Savoy leaves mature from green to purple; Lahav: Serrate chartreuse leaves; Green Sefiron: Deeply lobed medium green leaves,” according to its description.

A cool season leaf lettuce Baby Mustard Mix matures in about 27 days when sown from seed and grows to under 10 inches, The Cook’s Garden notes.

For more information on new 2012 varieties, visit the following links:

1. National Garden Bureau members announce new varieties

2. Seed companies introduce newest varieties for 2012

By Bobbie Whitehead

If you’re adding a little greenery to the home for the holidays, don’t forget the garden.

With the 2012 list of veggie varieties growing, gardeners will find plenty of new leafy greens to plant come spring. A few newbies sure to spruce up the menu include Wasabi Arugula, Python Spinach, Mantilia Lettuce and Baby Mustard Mix.

An exclusive at Renee’s Garden in Felton, Calif., is the Wasabi Arugula. This arugula is described as having a spicy flavor that’s “complex” like that of “freshly made wasabi paste.”

Renee’s Garden notes in its catalog that wasabi arugula has better tolerance to frost and sprouts in about 10 to 12 days. Harvesting of wasabi arugula can begin in four or five weeks.

Wasabi Arugula from Renee’s Garden, above, (Photo courtesy of www.reneesgarden.com) and Baby Mustard Mustard Mix, left, from The Cook’s Garden are two new leafy greens for 2012 (Photo courtesy of the National Garden Bureau).