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I’m a container farmer in Sacramento. I grow leafy greens, herbs, and micros. I want to increase my
current levels of flavor. I’ve read about many factors that contribute including stress, sulfur, calcium, or
micronutrients. However, I have an NFT system that houses many plants at different stages of life. I’ve
been told that although my greens are beautiful, they sometimes have too mild a flavor... especially
greens that should have a punch such as cress or mustard. What tricks can I use to enhance flavor?
Thanks,
Jason Levens
a
Hello Jason,
You already touched on the importance of your fertil-
izer program, so first and foremost, be sure you have
that dialed in. Choose fertilizers and supplements that
contain a full range of micronutrients, then add humic
and fulvic acids to help your plants uptake these nutri-
ents better. This is especially important for increasing
iron levels. Chlorophyll manufactures sugars during
photosynthesis, and iron acts as the catalyst. If iron is
readily available, plants will efficiently produce sugar.
Seaweed is excellent for increasing root mass and
chelating micronutrients to make them more available.
The increased root mass offers more surface area for
minerals to be taken up into the plant.
Also, be sure your nitrogen levels aren’t too high
because excessive nitrates can inhibit your crop’s
ability to uptake nutrients. Excessive nitrogen
reduces the sugars, acids, and antioxidants in plants,
which are the compounds that create flavor. In fact,
many gardeners who grow their own greens will
intentionally increase their nitrogen levels to reduce
the bitter taste some greens can have.
Monitor your nutrient solution’s pH and electrical conduc-
tivity (EC) daily. For greens, keep your pH around 5.8-5.9.
Different varieties require different EC’s for best flavor. For
example, lettuce generally does well around 1.4 mS/cm,
whereas spinach thrives at 1.8 mS/cm.
As you’ve mentioned, stressing your plants will produce
defense chemicals that improve flavor. Jasmine actually
produces a chemical that will warn its neighbors when an
attack is underway so they can prepare themselves. You can
create this effect in your garden by spraying jasmine floral
water, which contains the chemical methyl jasmonate, on
your plants so they produce their own defense chemicals.
You can also mimic moisture stress in your NFT system
by increasing your EC slightly to create a higher osmotic
potential in the root zone. This is a proven way to increase
flavor in your crops.
The weather and time of day can also affect flavor.
Sunlight directly affects sugar content. Sugars will be
higher on sunny days and lower on cloudy days. Moisture
content is higher in the morning, which dilutes sugars, so
harvest in the morning to reduce flavor, and later in the
day to increase flavor.
Hope this helps,
Monica Mansfield
MM Monica Mansfield maintains a seven-acre homestead with her husband, Owen. An indoor
garden store owner for 5½ years, Monica sold the business and started her homestead.
Monica is passionate about gardening, sustainable living, and holistic health. She writes
about these topics and her homestead adventures on her blog thenaturelifeproject.com.
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