GREENS THAT ARE MUSTARDS

(Music: MEAN MR. MUSTARD, Lennon-McCartney) (info./disclaimers [0]) (glossary [0]) (index [0]) (gardening guide [0])

Greens that are mustards
Pack quite a punch
Have them for lunch
Breakfast or dinner

Some look like they're coated with wax
Why is that so? you may ask
It's to shed saltspray, and make freshwater last
They're descended from sea cabbage
Sea cabbage

Broccoli leaves, collards
Kale, cress, bok choy
Arugula -- greens
Just don't get better

Feed 'em lime, oak leaves, egg shells and bones
Limestone seacliffs once were their home
They're full of minerals, not calcium alone
And rich in vitamins
Vitamins

Comments: The names "mustards," "brassicas," "crucifers," and "cole crops" are used interchangeably for members of the cabbage family, Brassicaceae. Lime is commonly used to reduce soil acidity (raise pH) -- something also accomplished by the addition of wood ash and/or compost. Despite their tannic acid content, oak leaves contain a significant amount of calcium (as do lime, egg shells, and bones), which mustards appreciate. Like three-year-olds, the Beetless are forever asking not only "What?," but "Why?," a trait that often comes in handy to a gardener when considering the needs of various vegetable crops.