Harvest savings by growing a tasty and colorful salad mix in your own back yard.
These days salad isnt just about clumps of iceberg lettuce covered with dressing.
Colorful baby greens, romaines, mustard, spinach and chard and finding their way to the salad bowl.
Fortunately, the makings for garden salads dont have to take up a lot of space.
Lacking even that much space?Container gardensprovide another possibility.
Preparing the Garden Plot
The first step is to decide where your garden will grow.
Mark out the spot and tend to the soil.
Buy premium soil for planting in containers, or work rich compost into a small garden spot.
How much space is needed?
That depends on the choice of salad ingredients and how the garden is to be arranged.
Although rows are traditional, they tend to require more space and are not necessary in a small garden.
Loose leaf lettuces grow fast and some types are ready to eat in a little as 4 weeks.
Not all greens have the same planting directions, so read each package carefully and plant seeds as instructed.
Tips for Growing The Salad Garden
Lettuceneeds lots of moisture, so water it frequently.
Without enough moisture leaves may grow too slowly and become bitter tasting.
Leaf lettuce grows best in cooler weather, so aim for spring and fall plantings.
In between times, the garden space left by their absence can be planted with something else.
For successive plantings, a little organic fertilizer worked into the soil is beneficial.
For best flavor, harvest all greens when young and tender.
Replant as need to enjoy fresh tasting salads from spring through fall.
