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Direct-Sow Basics
Salad Greens Sowing Instructions
Planting Depth:1/8”-1/4”
Row Spacing:12”-18”
Seed Spacing:2””
Days to Germination: 5-14 days
Germination Temperature:45°-70°F
Salad Greens yield the tastiest and most tender leaves when grown quickly in cool weather. Sow directly as soon as the soil may be worked in the spring and/or in the fall, about 6 weeks before the first fall frost. Follow the spacing on the chart above or broadcast seed in a well-dug bed in moderately fertile soil amended with compost and/or well-rotted manure. A light sprinkling of soil over the seed is sufficient, tamp down lightly and water well. For larger plants, thin seedlings to 10" to 12" apart. To harvest in the “cut and come again” method, you don’t need to thin them out. Just give them a haircut when they are 3" to 4" tall. Weed scrupulously and keep soil evenly moist. Feed with kelp or fish emulsion. Make successive sowings at 2 week intervals until hot summer weather sets in for a steady crop. Hot weather causes bolting and a bitter taste!
Shade Tolerance
Cooking Tip: Flavor Enhancer
We eat salad nearly every day in our house, so I¹m always looking for a way to vary the mix and give it some zing. I often turn to Sorrel, a perennial crop that is always in leaf--even in winter if I give it the protection of a cold frame or greenhouse. I pick a small handful of leaves, then make a “chiffonade” by stacking them in a neat pile, then slicing them thinly into ribbons with a sharp knife. Instant lemony tang!
Salad Greens Sowing Instructions
Planting Depth:1/8”-1/4”
Row Spacing:12”-18”
Seed Spacing:2””
Days to Germination: 5-14 days
Germination Temperature:45°-70°F
Salad Greens yield the tastiest and most tender leaves when grown quickly in cool weather. Sow directly as soon as the soil may be worked in the spring and/or in the fall, about 6 weeks before the first fall frost. Follow the spacing on the chart above or broadcast seed in a well-dug bed in moderately fertile soil amended with compost and/or well-rotted manure. A light sprinkling of soil over the seed is sufficient, tamp down lightly and water well. For larger plants, thin seedlings to 10" to 12" apart. To harvest in the “cut and come again” method, you don’t need to thin them out. Just give them a haircut when they are 3" to 4" tall. Weed scrupulously and keep soil evenly moist. Feed with kelp or fish emulsion. Make successive sowings at 2 week intervals until hot summer weather sets in for a steady crop. Hot weather causes bolting and a bitter taste!
Shade Tolerance
Cooking Tip: Flavor Enhancer
We eat salad nearly every day in our house, so I¹m always looking for a way to vary the mix and give it some zing. I often turn to Sorrel, a perennial crop that is always in leaf--even in winter if I give it the protection of a cold frame or greenhouse. I pick a small handful of leaves, then make a “chiffonade” by stacking them in a neat pile, then slicing them thinly into ribbons with a sharp knife. Instant lemony tang!
