Summer Salads - Grow Your Own Wants Your Advice!!

[Lesley Jay]

Grow Your Own is looking for your advice on growing Summer Salads. There are many different varieties of summer salad leaves, so what are your top tips on growing summer salads and just how do you get a tasty crop throughout the summer? They also want to know what your favourite varieties are.

As usual the best will be published in the April issue of Grow Your Own so come on!! This will be a big plug for the Grapevine and you might have your advice published.

[Birdie Wife]

Thompson and Morgan have a good thing going this year, not sure how many other seed suppliers are doing it too, they're marketing mixes of seeds for different types of salad with selected leaves, eg. Italian mix, herb mix. I haven't tried this, but I think it's a terrific idea!

The thing I have most trouble with is stopping the slugs getting at the crop, there's nothing worse than washing your salad and getting to the plate, to watch that tiny little slimy one you missed casually laying a trail across your plate! For an organic approach, set beer traps around and between the crop.

[Alison]

I tend to grow a lot of cut and come again salad leaves, it's nice to be able to go into the garden and pick just what we want. By sowing a few seeds every couple of weeks it keeps us going through the summer. Usually grow a couple of different lettuce (usually one red and one green) and various herbs eg corriander, rocket etc. Really nice as a main vegetable on a warm summer evening.

[ian]

lettuce

Last year was my first year as a serious veggie grower. After having my lettuce decimated on my allotment, I changed tack and bought two window box type planters and placed them on my patio. I planted one up with rocket and a cut and crop again salad bowl mix. I repeated this planting six weeks later and given the small space these two planters occupied there was comfably enough salad leaves for two. The home grown rocket tasted superb. I had the odd slug and several caterpillars, but I can really vouch for this as a great system for growing leaves in a small space.

[JennieAtkinson]

I use window box type planters for a complete salad! In one planter, I sow a few oriential leaves, some green leaves, a bit of rocket, a few radish and if I have some nasturtiums seeded and with about 6/7 leaves in coir plugs I pop a couple of them in too. In 4/5 weeks it has made a very pretty planter and I can cut a complete salad each night. I have four planters all together and do one every 3/4 weeks, although I normally start two boxes off at the beginning of the season at 2 week intervals. They live quite happily in the polytunnel and when ready for harvest I bring them up to the windowsill by the back door. The boxes look very pretty but when they start looking a bit tatty they go back to the polytunnel and I finish off picking out of the public gaze!

You can grow any salad like this, as long as you choose varieties which grow at the same pace. I was most disappointed the first year I did this when I put in salad onions and found they grew very slowly! It can also look very pretty when you use red and green leaves. I had the idea for this initially when I felt I needed some salad by the backdoor and didn't want a trek to the polytunnel just as I was about to dish up the meal.

[vicki lorraine]

I use small sections of guttering and sow a mixed variety. When one crop has finished i have another ready to take its place. Because it is already growing strong it is able to "grow away" with out being enjoyed by the slugs and snails. I have about 3 sections on the go so successional sowing every 2/3 weeks in small amounts.

[JennieAtkinson]

I had meant to add that on the windowsill I don't get bothered by slugs!

[supersprout]

We always have a couple of trays of pea shoots on the go, for the taste of fresh peas in a salad. Sow in potting compost, very thickly, cover, water and leave. You can get two crops, one about 10 days after sprouting, and the next - if you cut above the leaf joint - another 7 days or so after that. We don't grow peas at all now!

BTW you can grow pea shoots all year round if you have a sunny porch

[xspye]

Dobies do a really nice selection of mixed leaves, I grow spinach to use a baby leave in salad as well. I like the idea of growing them in guttering and window boxes. Last year the deer ate most of mine, I suppose they did stop it going to seed as quickly!!!!

[lyndap]

Grow salad leaves in windowbox style containers,at regular intervals.I place mine up on a bench built for this purpose.It almost stops any bugs or slugs getting at them.I usually grow a salad leaf mixture plus lollo rossa which I use as a cut and come again leaf(the only salad my 16year old will eat...and only if home grown!!!)My daughter and soon to be daughter in-law grow rocket this way and always get a large crop.

[SueA]

I have a large,round, shallow plastic planter on the decking which I grow 'cut&come again' salad leaves in. I just sprinkle the seeds over multi-purpose compost & then sprinkle a very fine layer over the top. You can get salad leaves virtually all summer long if you leave about an inch to regrow when you cut but when they start to flower it's best to pull them out & compost them & sow afresh. Slugs & snails don't seem to bother with red coloured salad leaves or lettuces so if you have a problem with the slimy critters try 'lollo rossa' or similar red types.

[pigletwillie]

Succession is the key, sow salads little and very often to keep you supplied with fresh tender young leaves.

[carleen]

Last year I had a 44inch window basket which I plant up as usual with trailing flowers such as nasturtiums and fuschias in the bottom and then I grew rocket, lollo rosso and a few spring onions in the top. Although the spring onions didnt do too well, the rest was great and I had no problems with slugs or caterpillars. The only thing I did have to do was feed the basket regularly.
This year Im planning to try Tumbler tomatoes and strawberries intead of the flowers and a few more varieties of salad leaves - I may even squeeze in some herbs such as chives or thyme.

[Earthbabe]

I've usually got one or two packets of "mesclun" (french mixed salad leaf) which I try and sow successionally to keep going with young leaf. It is also very good for producing micro greens if you want to be very trendy. These mix extremely well with sprouted seeds and mustard and cress for a real flavour burst and altogether they produce a real nutritional punch.

The other thing that is great is chinese leaf especially giant mustard red. However chinese leaves tend to bolt in heat so they need to be sown early or late. Remember to save seed from your salad for the following year. Although lettuce seed is quite small I found this very easy and my green oakleaf grew true to type. I was very pleased.

I also like adding herb leaves to any summer salad especially hyssop and lovage, young sage leaves and french sorrel for a spicy, lemony flavour.

[nick the grief]

Bit like leeks - green side up

I usually plant some little Gem in th ebottom of the tattie ridges as I earth up when I plant so they benefit from a bit of protection from winds & get the benefit of the extra moisture.

Once the tops cover them over I resort to growing normally in beds and then turn to Webbs and follow up with Kellys in the greenhouse for winter ( but they're not summer salads obviously )