The clever part of growing salad mixes is the concept of sowing the\nplants so close together that they produce single leaves instead of hearted\nplants. The individual leaves are then cut as they reach suitable size. I have\nhad such success with this method that I now grow most of my salad crops in\nthis way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nutritional content<\/strong>: Salad\ngreens are packed with vitamins (especially A and C), minerals and beneficial\nphytonutrients. We could all benefit from eating at least one salad every day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ease of growing<\/strong>: <\/strong>Few things\nare as easy to grow as salad, mix: it is about as close to foolproof gardening\nas you can get. It is certainly much simpler than growing a bunch of different\nplants. It is also fast, in some cases you can start harvesting within a couple\nof weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Climate<\/strong>: The majority of common\nsalad plants prefer cool, humid weather. If you choose the seeds yourself\n(rather than planting a pre-packaged mix) you can tailor your choice of plants\nand varieties to suit the climate. It is possible to create a mix that will do\nwell in warmer situations too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Crop use<\/strong>: I rate salad mix as an essential garden crop because of its high\nnutritional value, ease of growing and productivity. As far as I am concerned,\nno garden should be without its salad beds. This is a very productive way to\nuse garden space and should be one of your highest priorities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Soil<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n pH 6.0 to 7.0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The soil is\ncalled upon to produce a lot of foliage in a short time, so it should be\nfertile, fairly neutral, moisture retentive and well-drained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soil preparation<\/strong>: Raised\nbeds are the best way to grow salad mixes, as they provide the ideal rich\nwell-drained soil. They are also convenient in that you can simply plant a few\nsquare feet of bed every week or two, to keep a continuous supply coming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Be generous in your fertilization program, starting by\nincorporating a 2\u02dd layer of compost into the top 6\u02dd of soil. You should also\nadd seaweed, wood ashes and colloidal phosphate (or an organic fertilizer mix).\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Planning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Which plants to use<\/strong>: You can buy packets of \u201csalad mix\u201d seed, but if you choose your\nown individual varieties you have more choices. You can decide the proportion\nof bland, sour, bitter, and different textures and colors and you can adapt it\naccording to the growing season. You might create a warm weather mix and a cool\nweather mix, so you can keep the salad coming all through the growing season.\nYou might also create a longer lasting mix by avoiding plants that bolt quickly.\nSee Varieties<\/strong> for more\non the choice of plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n How much<\/strong>: Plant at least 2 sq ft of\nmixed salad greens per person at each planting. Of course exactly how much to\nplant depends upon how much salad you eat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When<\/strong>: The season makes a big difference as to what you can grow in a\nsalad mix. You have to adapt your growing methods (and the species of plants)\nto the weather. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Spring and fall<\/strong>: Most traditional salad plants do best in cool weather, so these\nare the easiest and the most productive growing times. Many of these plants are\nvery hardy and can germinate at temperatures as low as 40\u00baF, so you can start\nthem pretty early. You can use cloches or poly tunnels to warm the soil and\nspeed germination and growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Summer<\/strong>: If you want to grow salad mix in summer heat, you have to be a\nbit more resourceful, but it is certainly possible. Bolting (the bane of summer\nsalad growing) is less of a problem because the plants won\u2019t be around long\nenough to get the chance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In warm weather the biggest problem is that cool weather crops,\nsuch as lettuce, don\u2019t germinate very well (if at all) at higher soil\ntemperatures. You can get around this by pre-germinating them in the fridge as\ndescribed in Lettuce<\/strong>. You can\nalso search out more heat tolerant species and varieties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Winter<\/strong>: In Europe\ncold tolerant varieties of salad greens were commonly grown under glass\n(cloches, cold frames, poly tunnels) in winter and this can work well, as most\nof them prefer cool weather. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They will take longer to mature at this time of year, so make\nbigger sowings (or do it inside in containers). Your protected winter salad\nbeds will be the perfect vacation resort for slugs and snails to spend the\nwinter, so watch out for them too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also move indoors entirely and grow them in the greenhouse\n(or under lights) in flats or large trays. See Microgreens<\/strong> for more on indoor salad growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Succession sowing<\/strong>: Make a planting of salad mix every 1 – 3 weeks (depending upon\nhow much you eat and how fast they grow \u2013 which in turn depends upon the\nweather and the soil). The default option is to simply sow a patch every 10\ndays or so. If you end up with more salad than you need it will encourage you\nto eat more, which is not a bad thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t need a lot of space to grow salad mix, because you get a\nlot of plants in a small area. In cool weather the plants will grow best with\nfull sun, but can do okay with some shade (there is nothing to lose by trying).\nIf you want to grow them in hot weather they will usually do better with some\nshade during the hottest part of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Planting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Direct sowing<\/strong>: Salad mixes are almost always direct sown because you are\ndealing with so many plants, so closely spaced together, that transplanting\nwould be impractical. There are two common ways of planting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One way is to simply scatter (broadcast) the seed on the surface\nof the bed, so there is a seed every \u00bd – 1\u02dd. Spread this out carefully so the\nmix is evenly distributed and cover it with a light sifting of soil (or a mix\nof soil and sifted compost). When doing this it is important to scatter the\nseed evenly, you don\u2019t want bare patches and congested patches. If you are new\nto this you could practice scattering the seed on to a sheet or a large piece of\ncardboard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The other method is to make shallow furrows \u00bc\u02dd deep and 3\u02dd apart. Plant into these at \u00bd – 1\u02dd spacing and then scrape the disturbed soil back into them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can sow different kinds of seed into the same area of bed.\nHowever it is important that the strongest growers don\u2019t overwhelm the weaker\nones, so make sure they have sufficient space (it helps to mix the seed up\nthoroughly before planting). You can also harvest judiciously to prevent this\nhappening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also plant each variety separately in its own short rows\nor block. This is better than mixing in many ways, because it allows you to\ncompensate for different growth rates (some plants grow faster than others and\nwill need planting more often). It also allows you to grow and harvest as much\nof each variety as you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Water immediately after planting to thoroughly wet the soil and\ngive the seeds a good start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After\nwatering you might want to cover the bed with cardboard, row covers or shade\ncloth (this is better as you can water right through it). This will slow\nevaporation from the bed and so reduce the frequency of watering. It is\nimportant to remove this as soon as the seeds start to germinate though,\notherwise they will elongate and become chlorotic in their search for light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In many places you will have to protect the bed from birds, cats\nand other creatures. The usual way to do this is with bird netting draped over\nplastic hoops. I prefer to support the net with tunnels made from hog wire\nfencing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Spacing<\/strong>: Careful spacing is important because you don\u2019t want the plants\nto be too crowded. If you are broadcasting you want your seeds to be \u00bd – 1\u02dd\napart (no wider and no closer). If you plant in rows you want \u00bd – 1\u02dd spacing in\nthe rows, with 3\u02dd between the rows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Care<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The best salad material comes from plants that grow rapidly, so\nyou need to make sure they have everything they need for good growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thinning<\/strong>: Once all of the seeds have germinated you can start harvest \/\nthinning, to give each plant enough room. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Weeding<\/strong>: The bed will need weeding when young, to ensure that weeds don\u2019t\ntake over before the salad plants get established. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Watering<\/strong>: There are a lot of plants taking water from a small volume of\nsoil, so the beds must be kept evenly moist at all times. This is especially\ncritical in summer. Of course you don\u2019t want the soil to get waterlogged\neither, so be aware of what is happening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Feeding<\/strong>: You may be able to speed up regrowth by watering the plants\nafter harvest with a dilute liquid kelp. I prefer not to use my old compost tea\nstandby on them, because they will be eaten fairly soon afterwards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Problems<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pests and disease<\/strong>: Slugs and snails love salad mix and will eat the seedlings as\nthey emerge. They can be hand picked at night, or you could surround the bed\nwith some kind of barrier (such as a copper strip). <\/p>\n\n\n\n If insect pests become a problem you can grow your salad mix under\nrow covers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Birds also appreciate the tender succulent seedlings and they can\nbe a problem in both cold and hot conditions. If so you may have to net the\nwhole bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bolting<\/strong>: If any plants bolt you should remove them immediately. They won\u2019t produce anything edible (the flower stems are too small to be of any use) and are just taking up space. Remove them and you leave more room for neighboring plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Harvesting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When<\/strong>: You can start harvesting individual leaves when they are 2 – 3\u02dd\ntall, which takes about 3 – 4 weeks. This can continue for as long as the bed\nis producing a worthwhile amount, which depends upon the crop, variety and\nclimate. Some plants can be harvested for a month, some for only a week or two.\nGenerally you should expect to get at least 2 cuttings from a bed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Salad mix is very perishable and for maximum nutrition and flavor\nit is best to harvest just before you are going to eat it. However it is often\nmore convenient to harvest every few days and keep it in a plastic bag in the\nfridge until needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Commercial growers harvest early in the morning when the plants\nare at their coolest (heat is the enemy of salad mix).<\/p>\n\n\n\n How<\/strong>: I will describe three ways you can harvest the plants. You can\nuse just one of these methods, but you get more flexibility by using a\ncombination of all three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can cut whole small plants (or clumps of\nplants) with shears, leaving the bottom inch of stem behind to regenerate. This\nenables the plants to continue growing, so you can get a second (and sometimes even\na third) harvest. This is often known as \u2018cut and come again\u2019, because the same\nplants are harvested more than once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also pick the largest leaves from individual plants, to\ngive you a longer harvest period. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another alternative is to harvest entire plants and thereby thin overcrowded areas (do this strategically so you thin the most crowded areas first). By doing so you can slowly thin out most of the bed over time. The plants that remain can be allowed to get bigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You need to\nwash the salad before eating and to check for insects and unwanted weeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Storage<\/strong>: Salad mix doesn\u2019t store well so it\u2019s best to cut only as much as\nyou need for the next meal. It will keep for a week in the refrigerator in a\nplastic bag, but it will slowly deteriorate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unusual\ngrowing ideas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hot weather salads<\/strong>: Many plants that bolt quickly in hot weather might still be\ngrown as a salad mix because you are harvesting the plants when they are little\nmore than seedlings and they won\u2019t have time to bolt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are also things you can do to cool down the summer salad\nbed. Start by putting it where it will be coolest, which usually means in light\nshade (under a trellis, or to the north side of trees, fences or your house),\nor make a sunshade of shade cloth or wooden lath. Water daily to keep the\nentire area cool and moist and to prevent the plants from developing very\nstrong flavors. Misters work great to cool the plants and provide water. You\nshould also look for varieties and species that don\u2019t mind some heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Containers<\/strong>: Salad mix can be grown in containers, but I have dealt with that\nseparately (see Micro-greens<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ornamental\nuse<\/strong>: A bed of salad mix is quite attractive (if\ntemporary) and can be used for its ornamental effect. You can make patterns of\ndifferent shapes, colors and textures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Foraging<\/strong>; To bulk up the salad and make it more interesting, you can go\naround the garden gathering various edible leaves and flowers. These can be\ngathered without significant harm to any plants and leave the garden looking\nuntouched. Throw in a few sprouts and edible flowers (see those separate\nsections) and you have a salad that not only taste great, but looks spectacular\nand is highly nutritious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Seed Saving<\/strong>: Eventually any remaining plants will start to bolt. I sometimes\nallow a few of the most interesting types to grow up and set seed, as this\nsupplies the seed that will be needed for growing next years salad mix. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Varieties<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The ideal plants for a salad mix taste good (not too bitter or\npungent), are tender and succulent, look good, germinate and grow quickly and\ndon\u2019t bolt easily. The choice of suitable plants will vary according to the\ngrowing conditions. Finding salad plants that tolerate hot or cold weather is\nmore challenging than finding ones that grow well in mild temperatures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When choosing plants, you will want a variety of flavors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bland<\/strong>: This is for the bulk of the salad. Lettuce is almost always the\nfirst choice, as there are so many kinds and they work so well. The best types\nof lettuce for this are the romaines, though leaf lettuce also works well.\nUsually you will have more than one variety in a mix. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Other bland green include amaranth,\nkomatsuna, miners lettuce, spinach, chard and beet greens. Cornsalad is good\ntoo, but will probably need to be planted separately because it is fairly slow\ngrowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pungent<\/strong>: Mustards are the most commonly used, because they so fast and\neasy to grow. Arugala is also popular, if you like its distinctive pungent\nflavor. Kale, green onion, garden cress, peppergrass, radish, land cress,\nChinese cabbage and other Asian greens (mizuna, tatsoi and various mustards)\nare all possible options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bitter<\/strong>: Dandelion, chicory, fenugreek, radicchio (adds color too)\nendives (the curly frisee types are almost an essential because they add unique texture). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sour<\/strong>: Sorrel<\/p>\n\n\n\n Succulent<\/strong>: Purslane is a great hot weather crop. Miners Lettuce does well in cool moist conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aromatic<\/strong>: Basil, green onion, chervil, cilantro, shiso and shungiku.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wild plants and weeds<\/strong>: If you are creative (and know what you are doing) you can add a\nnumber of garden weeds to your mix, to bulk it up and add nutrition (and\nflavor).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other plants<\/strong>: Of course you can add anything else that is edible in your\ngarden. See Edible flowers<\/strong> in\nparticular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cold tolerant<\/strong>: Cornsalad, Brassicas, chicory, Asian greens and some lettuce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Heat tolerant<\/strong>: Mizuna, basil, amaranth, lambs quarter, purslane, chard, kale,\ncollards, garden sorrel, New Zealand spinach and some lettuce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kitchen use<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Combine your salad mix with some edible flowers and wild greens for the ultimate salad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/salad-mix.jpg\")
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTahini salad dressing<\/strong>
4 tbsp tahini
Juice of a lemon
1 tsp mustard
1 or 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
2 tbsp tamari
\u00bd tsp pepper
2 tbsp water
Mix everything together thoroughly and its ready. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"