Um guia de cultivo passo a passo, da sementeira à colheita.
pH ideal 6.5 to 7.5Temperatura ideal 10 to 18 °CCompasso 8 to 10 cm in the row, 15 to 20 cm between rows
Sementeira
Sow direct half a centimetre to one centimetre deep, broadcast or in close rows, and firm the soil lightly on top. Germination takes ten to fourteen days in cool soil: above 20 °C it is poor and uneven, so the right window is late summer into autumn. It needs no fine thinning, because it grows well as a dense carpet. At around 30 centimetres tall, this variety grows well in a container. Use a pot at least twenty five centimetres deep with drainage holes, and expect to water more often, because a pot dries out far faster than open ground.
Solo
It is undemanding and grows in poor soil as long as it is free draining and settled, at a pH between 6.5 and 7.5. Soil that is too fluffy hurts germination: firm the surface after sowing.
Clima
It is one of the hardiest crops in the garden and takes several degrees of frost without protection, tasting better after it. Heat, by contrast, makes it bolt straight away. It is the winter salad leaf par excellence. It takes cold well and a light frost even improves the flavour, which makes it an autumn and winter crop in southern Europe. On the Portuguese coast it grows through the whole winter without trouble. Inland in Portugal and Spain night frosts do it no harm, but the summer there is too hot and dry for it. In France and Germany it is a summer and autumn crop, and in a cold winter a fleece or a low tunnel keeps the leaves in good condition well into the cold season. In Italy it is an autumn and winter crop in the centre and south, as in Portugal, and a spring and autumn crop in the north, where the Po valley winter is too hard to leave it outside unprotected. This is a short cycle variety, ideal for successional sowings and for using the cool windows of late winter and early autumn, before heat pushes the plant to bolt.
Fertilização
It asks for little and an over rich soil works against it. Soil that was composted for the previous crop is enough, with no extra feeding. Excess nitrogen gives soft, watery growth with little flavour and much greater sensitivity to pests and cold.
Rega
Water lightly to keep the surface moist until germination, which is slow. Once established it needs very little water, and in winter rainfall usually suffices. Standing moisture rots the rosettes.
Controlo de Infestantes
Sown densely, the crop covers the soil itself and keeps weeds well in check. The work is concentrated in the first two or three weeks: hand weed or run a hoe very shallowly between the plants. Avoid disturbing the soil once the canopy closes, so you do not damage roots or bring fresh weed seed to the surface.
Controlo de Pragas
Few pests trouble it in winter. Slugs and snails are the only serious problem and hide among the rosettes: collect them at night and use an ash barrier. Also watch for aphids in a mild winter.
Doenças
Downy mildew and botrytis can appear if the sowing is too dense and the winter very wet. Sow thinner than instinct suggests, ensure drainage and avoid watering over the leaves.
Colheita
Cut the whole rosette off at ground level with a knife once it has six to eight leaves. You can also pick individual leaves, but the whole rosette is the traditional and most practical form. Wash well, because the leaves sit on the soil and hold grit. Allow about 30 to 40 days from sowing to the first harvest of this variety. The reference colour is dark green, and that is what tells you it is ready.
