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August 17, 2017 in Garden How To

Sowing lettuce & other leafy greens through the seasons by succession gardening

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Organic lettuce growing in a field

Organic lettuce growing in a field

I had a blast when I was in London many years ago. Magnificent, magical place. Someday, the hope is that lightening will strike again and I will get to see the city anew twenty plus years down the road. It’s fascinating how Londoners are able to grow food in such small spaces! And they make it look so beautiful and luscious. So I’m thrilled today for you to meet my new friend Dan who blogs over at the Urban Turnip as is anchored in, ahem, you guess it…London! He’s encouraging me to grow more food in containers. Especially crops like lettuce and ornamental cabbage that look great and taste even better. And don’t you appreciate how lettuce can be grown spring all the way into fall? With what I spend on organic lettuce come winter…blah!  Besides, edible gardening is some of the more fun you can have with plants so keep reading to glean some of his insights.
Ornamental cabbage growing in a raised bed

Ornamental cabbage growing in a raised bed

Hobbyist food growers can overcome unsuitable weather with successional, year-round “salad gardening”. Many plants cultivated for their leaves are fast-growing, tolerant of low temperatures and amenable to lots of picking. There are enough little-known and underappreciated varieties and species to fill your empty winter beds and pots several times over!

If you’re growing in a small space (as I’ve often had to do) then it’s also a great opportunity to bolster the size of your yearly harvest by extending the growing season. There’s no great complexity involved and you can get started at any time of the year…all you’ve got to wait for is your seeds.

Plucking lettuce in a field

Plucking lettuce in a field

What is a year-round salad garden?

A “year-round” salad garden produces edible leaves all year. It’s based on the all-important principle of successional sowing. By timing your sowings, you will guarantee a perpetual supply of greens while making the best use of available space.

The other key to success lies in picking plants that are suited to the different seasons. Lettuces, for example, will appreciate the coolness of spring. Summer is a time for purslane and oriental leaves. Through autumn, you can sow cold-hardy plants like rocket, kale and lamb’s lettuce for harvests through winter and into early spring.

It’s all about getting the timings right and picking the best plants

You can also rely on certain plants and varieties, of course, no matter what the season. Tom Thumb and Marvel of Four Seasons, for example, are varieties of loose-leaf lettuce that you can grow at pretty much any time of the year. Radishes grown for leaves are also pretty adaptable no matter what the temperature and length of daylight.

Kale

Kale

Which plants and varieties are suitable?

Let’s quickly run down the different types of leafy greens available to us:

  • Lettuces – The myriad loose-leaf and “crisphead” (meaning they form a tight heart) varieties are all available to us. Some varieties, like Tom Thumb, Marvel of Four Seasons, and All the Year Round (to name a few) can be sown from March all the way through to November.
  • Cabbage family – Kale, rocket, mizuna and all the mustard varieties are members of this family. They can be sown all through the year but are best started in spring, for a summer crop, or late summer, for an autumn and winter harvest.
  • Beets, chard and spinach – These mainstays of the vegetable plot are also viable options but will prefer more usual planting times earlier in the year.

Freshly picked beets

Freshly picked beets

When and Where to Plant

It’s always important to adapt sowings to your own climate and conditions. My aunt, who lives about 200 miles south, is fond of reminding us how all her plants are a month ahead of ours. If you’re gardening in a warm city microclimate then I envy you even more!

Here are some loose month-by-month guidelines:

Sowing in spring: In many ways, spring is the ideal time for sowing plants grown for foliage. Lettuces, for example, like the cool weather and increasing daylight. Spinach, beets and chards will grow happily without the risk of running to seed that hot weather brings. As a general rule, I grow whatever I want during this time. Any members of the cabbage family are also great options.

Sowing in summer: You can take advantage of the heat of summer by opting for more unusual, less frequently grown leafy plants. Oriental veggies like chinese kale (which is wonderful with garlic), mizuna and mustards are good options. Kale is planted now for harvesting at the end of the year and into spring.

Lettuce that is bolting

Lettuce that is bolting

Sowing through late spring and summer, the risk of bolting is high. With this in mind, you want to opt for bolt-resistant varieties of leafy plants. A lot of varieties of root veggies, like beetroot and turnips, are “bolt-hardy” and also have scrumptious leaves.

Sowing in autumn: Winter-hardy lettuces, like Winter King and Arctic Gem, will put on some growth before overwintering and can be lightly harvested through winter (December to March). They’ll pick up again through spring, providing you with the earliest harvests of salad leaves. You’ll be absolutely amazed at just how resistant to the cold these varieties are. Lamb’s lettuce, winter purslane and rocket (arugula) can all be sown now for picking through autumn, early winter and (if you’re lucky) early spring next year. September is usually the final month for sowing, but you can extend the season a little if you offer protection.

Lettuce covered in slugs

Lettuce covered in slugs

Looking after your leaves

In my experience, the key to growing leafy greens in containers is to feed regularly, but not too much. In the ground, they like lots of organic matter and a somewhat moist soil.

One big thing I’ve noticed is that birds and slugs seem to love most of my leaves. I always cover with netting if I can and I’ve also found that copper tape around the base of pots is a godsend (apparently it reacts with their slime and slugs hate it).

How to Harvest

Most leafy plants will produce young leaves from the center. The key is in allowing these to grow a little and then picking them off when new baby leaves start to appear. This approach will mean that you can get the most from a plant whilst staving off bolting to a degree.

With a cut-and-come-again approach, pick the adolescent leaves. You’ll be amazed at how quickly the plants replenish themselves. The alternative, of course, is harvest plants whole. As long as you’ve staggered your sowings, you can pop new residents into the previously-occupied spots.

Lettuce & spinach growing in a container on a deck

Lettuce & spinach growing in a container on a deck

Container advice

Because salad leaves like lettuces aren’t as nutrient-hungry as other plants, it’s possible to get a few harvests out of the same potting mix. A handful of slow-release fertilizer is usually all that’s needed to revitalize old mix.

Through winter, wrap your pots in bubble-wrap and add a little cloche protection if you can. Custom cloches are easy enough to make with a touch of creativity and, if you’ve chosen winter-hardy plants, you might get a some new growth. That said, plants do tend to go dormant from November through until the end of February.

Picture

Now…get growing!

So there you have it! Growing salad leaves through the seasons isn’t particularly difficult. But it can be immensely rewarding. And that’s without even starting on the health benefits!

Did you grow lettuce this season? ~ Laura

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about laura sproull

about laura sproull

Hi! I'm Laura and hail from Western New York. I consider myself a lifelong learner who loves gardening with a 360 degree view. Thanks for stopping by!

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