How to grow Salads
Salad leaves are tasty, nutritious, and one of the quickest crops you can grow. The best is thing is they grow back too, the more you cut them the more crop you get! They are perfect for small plots, containers and can be grown under cover for salad even during winter.
Winter Leaves
If you have a green house, cold frame or even a bright windowsill you can successfully grow salads. Sow from mid to late winter, at this time in the season it usually takes 5-6 weeks to grow baby leaves that are ready to cut, whereas in summer they can reach a good size at 3-4 weeks.
Summer Crops
From early spring you can sow salads directly outdoors, in rich well weeded soil, or if you prefer in patio containers or window boxes. Increase your variety by adding hardly crops like spinach and kale if you like the taste. For a continuous supply of salads, keep sowing successionally every 3-4 weeks until mid to late Summer and cut baby leaves regularly so that more can re grow in their place.
How to harvest
It’s up to you but cut them small and you’ll find them sweet and tender, leave them to grow a little longer and they’ll develop a stronger flavour and a tougher texture. Whenever you decide to cut them the process is the same. Take scissors or a sharp knife and slice through the plants just above the lowest leaves, from where they will re grow. This may appear brutal but keep them well watered and new shoots will start to grow.