salads-under glass or not?

[Edith]

Hi. Just took on a new allotment after years with a very difficult plot. The soil is pretty nice, tends slightly to sandy I think but nothing a good autumn manuring won't sort out .

Anyway, for the first time I'm able to think about growing salads, and I have very little experience with them straight into the ground (we normally grow them in window boxes). My options are, grow in a cold frame (the previous plot holders considerately left all the materials needed to build a rough and ready one or straight in the ground. Our mornings are cold still, our days are pretty warm this week but its early May, it will be a bit iffy.

I'm not making a permanent structure, just some bricks with a window pane laid over them, basically.

What do you think?

[rustylady]

Sounds like a good idea. Make sure they don't get too hot during the day though.

[Edith]

yeah thats my worry, heat. I can't get up there every day at all and there's not that many people up there reliably in the week.

Also, if I use bricks, meaning that they don't get light from all sides, will that make them a bit leggy?

[VirginVegGrower]

I've just sown some direct into my raised beds and put polycarbonate over the top. As soon as they were through I removed the sheeting by day. They are now growing without cover.
I would say definitely, but as RL says, watch the heat.

[LillyRoseGarden]

Salad crops



I start salad crops in the coldframe in pots (easier to handle) and try to sow every two weeks. When first pots are ready, I bring them indoors to use in the kitchen, while the new ones are still germinating/growing in the coldframe.

This way I grow coriander, basil, parsley, dill, chives, rocket. I also keep mint and melissa in the coldframe as they don't like too much water.

[Edith]

VVG, I think that is the solution, actually-to use the glass to coax them through and then remove it. I'll also site it in the shadiest part of the plot I can. Not easy because the plot is south facing and while it does have some overhanging trees, they are to the north and not yet in leaf. (After my last, north facing hillside plot, I cannot tell you what a lovely problem this is to ponder on!)

Lilly that is interesting that melissa doesn't like much water, I didn't know that. What I've noticed is that both melissa/lemon balm and mint grow really well around apple trees, which IME like a lot of water so are perhaps leaving the mint/melissa happily on the dry side :-)

[smallfrog]

I grow plug plants of lettuce at home to plant at the allotment. I used the shady tree cover to protect them from the heat of the sun through the summer and as the soil was poorer down that end planted them into a shallow raised bed. It worked a treat in an area thats too shady and rooty to grow much else. Salad leaves i still grow at home in various tubs i set them every couple of weeks to keep the leaves coming. persoanlly i find some stuff needs to be grown at home if you cant get to the allotment everyday to pick it. Fresh salad leaves and some herbs i want them on my doorstep to harvest whenever i want them. Lettuces that Make more of a plant are fine at the lottie as you'd pick the whole plant, they dont keep for long though.
At the min plugs are in the potting shed but if it stays hot i'm going to have to move them outside.

[greenishfing]

Every autumn I leave one lettuce to go to seed and at this time of year I have loads of lettuces appearing all over the place. The ones that appear in really inconvenient places I transplant but I tend to leave the others and eat them while they are small. As soon as I see them appearing I presume that it is a good time to sow outdoor lettuce.

[Martin H]

Some great ideas in this thread!

The previous occupant of my allotment kindly left several windows behind. I was thinking of building a cold frame, but VVG's post gives me a better idea. I'll just bolt together some rectangles of old decking boards to make a box the same size as each window. Then I can stick them on any bed early in the season with glass on top to get hardy stuff started off direct in the ground.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Lettuces that Make more of a plant are fine at the lottie as you'd pick the whole plant, they dont keep for long though.

Have you tried placing the lettuce plant in a steel saucepan with the lid kept on? (not with the root and not in water). No need to keep in the fridge. Just in a spare saucepan. I find that lettuces stored this way last very well.

I learnt that tip from my old next door neighbour - 80 odd year old. I was sceptical, but it works!

[veggiechicken]

I'll try that ^^^^ - thanks

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

You are welcome. I been looking forward to using this technique again for my lettuces (slug and sun permitting). Will be a little while yet!

[Sheneval]

Some great ideas in this thread!

The previous occupant of my allotment kindly left several windows behind. I was thinking of building a cold frame, but VVG's post gives me a better idea. I'll just bolt together some rectangles of old decking boards to make a box the same size as each window. Then I can stick them on any bed early in the season with glass on top to get hardy stuff started off direct in the ground.

Martin - I'll need to get my eyes tested - when I first read your post I thought your predecessor was a right lothario leaving all these 'widows' behind