Allotments 4 All

We used to buy the mixed salad leaves in sainsbury's.  :o  Now we have an allotment, we've been growing our own lettues etc. While we're waiting for the new crops to come through (and because we like going there!) we've been buying in the weekly farmers' market. The salad leaf bags which we buy at the market are much better than the supermarket ones. There's a load of stuff in there which we don't seem to be able to find on the seed displays at the garden centres. We found out that one of the really spicy leaves was mustard leaf (it looked a bit like a nettle leaf and had a purplish tint to it.)
I've planted some black and yellow mustard seeds from my kitchen shelf and they're germinating, -I hope they're the right ones. Any suggestions as to what the other leaves might be in the mixture and where I might be able to buty the seeds?

There are quite a lot of nice mixes available from various catalogues. This is my first year with an allotment, and I am trying an 'Oriental Spicy Greens Mix' from Tuckers which includes rocket, red giant mustard, green wave mustard and mizuna; also trying Texel Greens, Oak leaf lettuce, mixed red/green lettuces, mild rocket, and lollo rosso. I like cut baby leaf salads!

Most catalogues seem to have their own mixed salad packets, e.g. the Organic Gardening Catalogue has the following mixes available:

1. Saladinini - lettuce, endive, chicory
2. Oriental saladini - mix of greens
3. Stir Fry - pak choi, chinese kale, tatsoi, kaillan, chot sum, yukina savoy
4. Braising mix - red russian kale, red+green mustard, hon tsai tai, komatsuna, spinach greens, broccoli raab.
5. Italian blend - salad rocket, basil sweet, lettuce oak leaf, broccoli raab, italian sweet dandelion.
6. Spicy Greens - salad rocket, red+green mustard, mizuna.
7. French Blend - salad rocket, chervil, corn salad, red batavian, sugar loaf chicory.

Plus another 4 pages of different types of lettuces.

And Joy Larkcom's "Grow Your Own Vegetables" has lots of ideas on cut-and-come-again leaves - especially for the "hungry season".  Something for me to explore this comin year.

All best - Gavin

Don't forget all of the soft herbs, like chives, parsley, dill and oregano.  And of course the young leaves of beetroots, kale, chard and spinach are all delish!

And nasturtium leaves :)

All best - Gavin

Home Garden seeds also have a fair selection - even 'Corn Salad' which we know as 'Lambs lettuce'.

G xx

Georgie    I had some corn salad leaves given me which I've sown with radishes.  I'll let you know what they taste like as the germination looks to be very good.  :)

Hi Wardy.  I planted some at the weekend so shall we have a race?   ;)

G xx

Remember that the flea beetle just loves any mix with rocket, chinese leaves or a brassica in!!

 :) Mix your own!! Buy a pack of each variety and put them all together.

Go to the supermarket or local market fruit and veg stall get some of those blue mushroom boxes. They are nice and deep. Fill with multi purpose, plant seeds, lightly cover ( I use vermiculite) water and keep in greenhouse or on window sill. Bingo up come mixed leaves. Can be grown all year round this way.

Plant a fresh one every fortnight or so, depends how many, how greedy you are??? I am also trying radishes this way.

Used Compost can be mixed in with larger batch for other potting jobs or put onto garden or lottie. Enjoy

I grow rocket (wild and salad), flat leaf parsley, lettuce leaf basil (BIG leaves), corn salad, watercress (you don't need running water to grow it like most people say - just keep it well watered and out of hot sun). And a few lettuces (don't eat that much actual lettuce).

Here are some good things that I like to put in salads:
anise hyssop
borage flowers
bronze fennel
chickweed
meadow rue
mizuna
salad burnet
summer purslane
young red orach
dandelion

All easy to grow and v tasty!

Georgie where in the UK are you?  I'm in North Derbyshire so if you're in the warmer south you'll have to make allowances  ;D

Something has come up already but that could be the radishes ??

LOL, Wardy, I'm in London.   ;D

I suspect your germinated seeds ARE radishes but you never know!

G xx

Georgie - the seeds all look the same so suspect all radish and no corn salad.  Alternatively ......  ;D

ROFL!

G xx

Radish leaves (very young ones) are good in salads too.

(The only use I get of mine - haven't grown ONE really good radish in my allotment yet, using four different kinds of seeds. I've given up, I think...)

Hi Wardy.  Just to let you know that the corn salad germinated yesterday.  Any sign of yours yet?

G xx

Bad Luck, Merete.   :( 

I grow mine in half seed trays in my mini greenhouse (I don't have a lottie) and this method works well for me.

G xx