Salad Greens - Seeds and Plants

How to Sow Salad Greens

Sow seeds 1/4" deep in rich soil early in spring when the ground can be worked, in rows 6-8" apart. Seeds can be broadcast thinly along rows or wide bands. For continuous crops, sow frequently and provide shade in hot weather.

How to Grow Salad Greens

Grow cool, as spring or fall crops. Plan sowings for continuous harvest. Thin to 5-6" apart. Keep well-watered and protected from direct hot sun and overhead irrigation.

Harvesting Salad Greens

Salad greens are quick and easy to harvest. Most can be cut in 30-55 days. Harvest baby leaves when 4-6" long. Radicchios take up to 90 days to harvest. Fresh salad greens can be cut at your own leisure, shortly before preparing salads. Pick and choose leaves to combine colors, crispiness and flavors from different varieties. Cut when leaves are crispy, avoiding times of intense heat.

Companion Plants

Salad greens can be great space savers, intercropped with onions, radishes, parsley and as edging for peas and beans on poles. These make a wonderful collage of ornamental edibles, especially when color schemes are planned for both nutritional and ornamental value. Highlight colors with Swiss Chards, strawberries, violas, dainty dianthus, snapdragons, and Bull's Blood beets.