Any advice on growing salad leaves for a newbie?

[blue411]

All advice is welcome. Im a complete novice and finding that everyone on the site has has a gem of info to share and im taking it all on board and hopefully come the summer i will have fresh salad leaves, tomatoes, sweet pepper and garlic!!!

[veg4681]

Not all of the mixed packs being sold are necessarily equal.

Some contain varieties that quickly dominate - mizuna is a classic - or that go to seed before the others - such as rocket and mustard. Also, you find that there are more of some types in these mixes than the types that you might actually want!

If you want to end up with a selection of baby lettuce leaves and baby brassica leaves (we are talking mizuna, rocket, mustards, pak choi, baby kales etc) I would recommend sowing separate pots or areas. The other reason for this is that even in their early days brassicas attract different pests, and in my experience more readily, than lettuce and by separating them out you may have a bit more control. At least if one part of your seedlings fails because of rootfly or caterpillar attack, you have the other!

So, for example, I sow one pot of lettuce - a mixture of whatever I fancy - and one pot of brassicas. Once the latter get going I thin out some of the mizuna seedlings to stop them taking over the world. If I can, I protect the brassicas as rootfly is a big issue for me, and meanwhile the lettuce leaves get less tangled up and I find them easier to harvest (with scissors).

Of course, some "mixed packs" of seeds contain separate foil packets which is ideal - you can then decide how to grow them.

Sorry for the essay

An essay it may be but a damn useful one may I add. I had thought about the problems you've highlighted from your own experience of growing these leaf mixes. You know the 'political infighting' within the plant kingdom.

I have acquired a Tuscan (Italian?), Provencal (French?) and Spicy (Oriental?) salad mix and I have read the mix contents carefully. After reading this thread, I've mixed together the Tuscan & Provencal giving me 8 salad varieties after taking out the 30 odd seeds of Kale (Nero de Toscana) for growing on separately as it's a good eating vegetable (so I'm told) in its own right. In other salad mixes, I've also seen Red Russian and Cavelo Nero.

Okay I recognised the typical Brassica seeds from the others which helps. I'm disappointed there's a Sorrel in the French mix though I realise I've been eating them from the bought salad mix without complaint but it's one with red vein. There are Chicory and Rocket but I can't separate the seeds just yet. Like you've pointed out, we can always pull them out later if there's any signs of bullying.

As for the Spicy salad mix, it has Mizuna, Mibuna, Mustard Red Giant, Greek Cress, Pak Choy which is probably okay as they're mostly Brassica. I must say I'm becoming more aware of the mix salad content that I buy from shop to give me an idea of what I like best.

Regarding Rocket going to seeds, my notes say you should sow them under protection in early Spring or outside in August and under protection in September for autumn crop which can produce through the winter subject to the cold weather. Sown during May and June will flower.

[Cutecumber]

Glad it's of some use.

Rocket is a complete b******d in my opinion. It will go to seed whenever it likes, forget just May and June sowings. It's only palatable to me when very young and it quickly goes coarse. I grew it through the winter this year, on its own in a pot, and it lasted much better in the cooler conditions. It was still vicious by the time it flowered, but we got more from the plants overall.

The kales do less well in a mixed group, I have found. Either there are very few seeds of Red Russian in all mixes (I've tried about five) and/ or they don't compete well. They are certainly few and far between and slower growing than the others. They don't last long before the flea beetles arrive.

I did go through a spell of separating out mixed seeds, but it really isn't worth the hassle. I've still got a few freebie packets, but when they have been used I won't be buying any more of the mixes. Fine when they are free, but I don't think they are actually great value for money.

Remember that the supermarket salad mixes are not grown together, nor are they even from the same place - if you look you will see, particularly at this time of year, that they say "produce of more than one country". I ran a farmers' market for a few years and there was a local (large-scale) salad grower who also had farms in France and Spain which contributed to the bags they packed and sold to supermarkets.

Even when leaves are grown in the same place it's more efficient to grow different leaf types separately where they can be given the best conditions and pest control. Smaller producers, and the posh restaurants with gardens sometimes grow CCA mixes, but I am sure it is not the norm.