Grow Your Own Magazine

Hello everyone, my hubby has made me a large raised bed from pallets to which im putting in 3 grow bags on my patio, i need some advice on when to plant my salad stuff, also how often do i sow seeds so i have salad every week all through the summer and do i start these seeds off in greenhouse or straight into grow bags.

I would like to do similar thing but grow in window box or any boxy type of container. I feel I can take the risk of direct sowing in container by being able to keep it well away from slug reach but for the seeds to germinate, it has to be warm enough e.g. early summer or early sowing under cover. Still not too sure about the level of thining I'd be required to do even if direct sown.

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Food for Free

What do you mean by salad stuff?

Do you want...

mixed lettuce from which to cut the odd leaf
individual whole lettuce
other non-lettuce stuff like rocket and oriental leaves
spinach
anything other than leafy green stuff?

If you want just "some leaves" then sow a small patch of mixed seed every fortnight until you've filled the space. Careful cutting of leaves will allow plants to regrow some more. You must keep it well watered and be aware of pests - aphids on lettuce and rootfly and flea beetle on the brassicas.

Once the first patch tires out (doesn't regrow or gets coarse) carefully pull out the plants, dig in a little balanced fertiliser and sow again.

i want to grow mixed lettuces, salad onions radishes. im just not too sure how and when to sow seeds and ow long in between sowing

I would just sow a small patch every fortnight as I explained above until you have filled your space. They same idea applies for lettuce, onions and radish.

Sow thinly - so you can see space between the seeds. It doesn't matter if there are little clumps of several seeds, but don't go mad. Cover lightly with compost and water gently. Leave them alone and only water if they dry out. When the seedlings appear you can thin them out a bit if you have been over enthusiastic - radishes need an inch or so each, onions a bit less. If you just want lettuce leaves, don't bother thinning them out. If you want small heads of lettuce you need to give them six inches or so.

Once this cold spell has passed try sowing your first batch. once you have sown you may want to cover the soil with fleece to stop anything digging in it until the seedlings are up.

I hope that's of some help.

Don't worry about doing it wrong - just give it a try.

thanks for the advice, snow is forcasted for tom so will ait until next weekend maybe to start planting. im so excited