Grow a thriving edible garden in your greenhouse by selecting the easiest, fastest, and most popular leafy greens. These greens provide a continuous supply for smoothies, salads, and cooking, adding vital nutrients to your daily diet. 

In this blog, you'll discover 17 top leafy greens suited for greenhouse cultivation, including their care requirements, maintenance tips, and yielding times to help you plan and make the most of your greenhouse space.

1. Spinach

Spinach is one of the easiest crops to grow, thriving in cooler temperatures between 50–70°F. It grows well with partial to full sunlight or supplemental lighting during shorter days. Spinach prefers consistent moisture and moderate humidity levels of around 50–70%. Protection from frost and temperature swings allows for multiple harvests of tender baby greens or mature leaves over an extended season. No wonder it’s a popular choice for crop rotation and companion planting.

2. Lettuce

Lettuce is a cool-season crop that thrives in temperatures between 50–70°F and benefits from 6 to 8 hours of sunlight or supplemental artificial lighting, especially during winter. It prefers moderate humidity and requires consistent watering to prevent the leaves from becoming bitter. Growing lettuce in a greenhouse extends its yield time by protecting it from cold weather and extreme heat, ensuring a steady supply of fresh salad greens year-round.

3. Kale

Kale, a nutrient-dense super green, thrives in cooler temperatures around 50–70°F. It grows best with partial sunlight or supplemental lighting during darker months, along with consistent watering to support steady growth. A greenhouse provides protection from frost and ensures a continuous harvest of nutrient-packed leaves for extended periods. Kale is also an excellent choice for crop rotation.

4. Swiss Chard

Swiss chard is really adaptable, growing well in both cooler and warmer conditions, with temperatures between 50–85°F being ideal. It requires plenty of light, consistent moisture, and nutrient-rich, well-draining soil to thrive. A moderate level of humidity helps it grow vibrantly. Growing it in a greenhouse can extend the harvest into the cooler months, offering protection from frost and harsh weather, which makes it a solid option for year-round production and crop rotation.

5. Arugula

Arugula is a quick-growing leafy green that thrives in cool weather, around 50–70°F. It grows well with partial sunlight or supplemental lighting if needed. Keeping the soil moist and humidity steady helps produce tender, peppery leaves that are perfect for salads and allows for repeated fast harvests.

6. Mustard Greens

Mustard greens have a bold, slightly bitter taste that can be mellowed by regular watering and harvesting when the leaves are tender. These greens perform best in cooler temperatures, between 50–75°F, with 6–8 hours of sunlight. They are well-suited for companion planting or crop rotation and can survive light frosts but not extreme cold. 

7. Bok Choy

Bok choy is a cool-season crop that thrives in temperatures between 50–70°F. Anything higher can lead to leaf burn, making greenhouses ideal for protecting it from excessive heat. It grows well with partial sunlight or artificial lighting during darker months and requires consistent watering to produce crisp, tender stalks and leaves. A greenhouse also extends bok choy's growing season by shielding it from extreme conditions, allowing for multiple plantings throughout the year.

8. Collard Greens

Collard greens grow well in cool to warm temperatures, thriving in a range of 50–85°F. They need at least 6 hours of sunlight and struggle in low-light conditions. Greenhouses are a popular choice for growing collard greens because they provide protection from strong winds and cold weather, which can damage the plants. This controlled environment also helps prevent common diseases that can impact the harvest, such as downy mildew and bacterial leaf spot.

9. Watercress

Watercress thrives in cooler conditions, ideally between 50–70°F, and does best with indirect sunlight for extended periods or around 6–8 hours of artificial light daily. It grows particularly well in hydroponic systems or consistently moist and high humidity levels in the environment. The tender young leaves offer the best flavor since mature ones tend to turn bitter, and cooking them softens the sharp, peppery taste, making watercress a great addition to soups, sautés, or other warm dishes.

10. Endive

Endive, a chicory variety known for its crisp texture and slightly bitter flavor, grows best in cool temperatures between 50–70°F and thrives in areas with partial shade. While typically grown as an annual, some chicory varieties are perennials, making them versatile for different growing setups. Its long growing season is easily extended in greenhouse conditions, where consistent temperature and light provide optimal conditions for harvest. With its balance of bitterness and crunch, endive adds depth to salads or can be cooked to mellow its flavor, making it a unique and versatile leafy green.

11. Tatsoi

Tatsoi, a member of the Asian greens family, thrives in cool temperatures between 50–70°F and grows quickly. While it's often grown in hydroponic systems, like watercress, it also adapts well to raised garden beds when provided with consistent moisture and relatively high humidity. Tatsoi can be harvested as baby leaves or left to grow into a full, mature plant, offering a steady supply of healthy greens throughout the growing season.

12. Iceberg Lettuce

While iceberg lettuce is often considered the least nutrient-dense of the leafy greens, it’s still a refreshing and crisp addition to any garden. It thrives in raised garden beds or hydroponic systems, especially in cooler conditions between 55–70°F, and requires plenty of sunlight. Moderate humidity helps keep the leaves tender and crunchy, while protection from extreme temperatures ensures it stays healthy. Iceberg lettuce is relatively resistant to pests and diseases, but it can bolt in warmer weather, making it best suited for spring planting.

13. Red Leaf Lettuce

Red leaf lettuce grows best in temperatures between 55–75°F, and although it prefers full sunlight, it can tolerate partial shade during hotter months, which helps prevent bolting. Its quick growth and ability to thrive in greenhouse environments make it perfect for extending harvests into cooler months while shielding it from extreme weather. Red leaf lettuce also works well in crop rotation systems since it doesn’t heavily deplete soil nutrients.

Final thoughts

These leafy greens are perfect for a greenhouse because they’re easy to grow, produce consistent yields, and don’t require much space in raised garden beds. They’re also straightforward to grow with very little room for error, making them an excellent choice for gardeners of all levels.