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Sow winter salads for leaf salad all winter long

5/11/2013

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The last of the tomatoes and peppers are ripening in the window, and the soil they grew in is cleaned up and raked smooth. But it won't sit empty all winter.

The next job is to rake in a general fertiliser and sow short rows of winter salads. 
Picture
Click on the pic to straight to go to Tucker's Seeds website
These will germinate very quickly and provide cut-and-come-again salads all through the winter and spring. By the time they are getting large and coarse, it is time to clean out the old soil and replace it ready for the new season's tomato plants.

Varieties of salads we've had the best results with are the Spicy Mix type, Claytonia (Winter Purslane or Miner's Lettuce), Japanese Mizuna and the frilly, cut-leafed mustards. After trying a number of seed companies, I've found Tuckers Seeds give a good choice of varieties for a modest price, with a high seed count and good germination.
Plants of Distinction have some fascinating varieties but they are more expensive and the number of seeds in the packet sometimes disappointing. Varieties of lettuce for winter greenhouse production are sold, but I've never succeeded in avoiding downy mildew problems.
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Winter salad leaves from your greenhouse

28/10/2013

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You can have a supply of salad leaves from your greenhouse from about Christmas on. Once you've cleaned out the tomato and pepper plants, tidy up the soil and rake in a general purpose fertiliser. Sow with any of the many varieties of salad leaves - a good selection in short rows gives you variety and spreads your risks. Most will germinate in a matter of days in the autumn warmth. Start to cut them as soon as they're big enough, they'll keep on growing even in the coldest weather. Come spring, the plants will get too coarse and start to flower; your signal to clean them out and replace the soil ready for next year's tomatoes.
I've tried winter greenhouse lettuce every year as part of my mix, but never had much success. They always get downy mildew. Maybe you'll do better, but I've found the oriental-style mixes give the best results.
The Royal Horticultural Society has an article on growing winter salads. Click the green button to go there.

Go to page on RHS website
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    Kent's climate is drier, hotter and has a longer growing season than the average for the UK. Advice in gardening books may not fit Kent. This blog has local tips on what will grow and when to do garden jobs.

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