Salad: Feeling the Pinch


I've resolved to try and get to grips with succession sowing my salads this year. However, it looks like the planned revamp of the little patch on the patio for this purpose will have to be changed as I have just taken delivery of an asparagus freebie which I thought wouldn't be here for at least another month. The bed earmarked for it up at the allotment is still full of gooseberry bushes and weeds, so it's now destined for the patio bed instead as this area will be relatively easy to clear and get the soil to the required consistency.

As I reported yesterday the current allotment priority is spuds, so it'll be a while before I'll be sowing salads up there. In the meantime, I've sown a pinch of each seed I use for saladings into small pots: as you can see from the above picture, I sowed bulls blood beetroot, coriander, mizuna, pak choi, rocket, spinach and sorrel yesterday. Mixed lettuce leaves and 'Little Gem' have gone into larger seed trays as we use so much more of these. As usual the allotment will be yielding nasturtiums with absolutely no effort from me, so we'll be picking a good variety of leaves for our salad bowl in a few weeks. I'm hoping that the sight of the pots on the patio will serve as a reminder for me to sow a pinch of these seeds on a weekly basis. If it does then I'll have got succession sowing cracked at last - yay!

Comments

  1. Unknown14 April 2009 at 11:03

    Happy Easter!
    I'm growing all my salad on the windowsills at the moment - cut and come again varieties. I've never been brave enough to go for large individual varieties!!

    Maxine
    http://slowingdownwiththejones.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Carrie14 April 2009 at 11:40

    Ah yes, successional salads. I have an aim to get this right this year. I'm growing them at home instead of the Lottie. So far,not going so good, already relying on the hubby to tell me 'go and plant more lettuces, sheesh!'. My heart's in the right place - that's my defence!
    Wow, my verification word is 'stronger' - an omen for a better day???

    ReplyDelete
  3. petoskystone14 April 2009 at 13:20

    "bulls blood beetroot"--love the name:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. F Cameron14 April 2009 at 13:23

    Sounds like a great succession plan. You've got me thinking about creating a deck garden (up high away from rabbits and deer).

    Cameron

    ReplyDelete
  5. easygardener14 April 2009 at 13:36

    I have never fully got to grips with sowing in succession. I start well then it all goes belly up. I should try to find some infallible method of reminding myself. Perhaps a tatoo of "every 2 weeks" on the forehead!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Unknown14 April 2009 at 14:12

    My first attempt at seed sowing didn't quite go as planned. I'm hoping to get my raised veggie beds built this week though in hopes of starting a few plants outside. It sounds like you've planned a nice mix.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Monica the Garden Faerie14 April 2009 at 14:13

    I also sow my lettuce in succession but I never try to grip it. I have groundhogs for that.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous14 April 2009 at 15:28

    Love the idea of succession sowing and hope to do the same on the balcony this summer.

    ReplyDelete
  9. VP14 April 2009 at 16:32

    mrs jones to be! Welcome :) I'm hoping a small pinch of each is about the right amount for a week's worth of salads. Time will tell!

    Carrie - I've found the lottie approach hasn't worked for me so far. I remember a couple of times and then get completely consumed in other tasks up there.

    Petoskystone - it's a most apt description too!

    Cameron - sounds like a really good thing to try :)

    EG - sounds like you've just found me Plan B for in case my Plan A doesn't work ;)

    Cinj - mmm raised beds - I'm still dreaming of some of those. Good luck with your next attempt with your seeds!

    Monica - ha ha - a good play with words :)

    Nancy - salads are ideal for balcony growing - enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anna14 April 2009 at 20:37

    I have been reading 'Salad Leaves For All Seasons' by Charles Dowling hoping that I might finally crack successional sowing. Time will tell :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Karen - An Artist's Garden14 April 2009 at 20:53

    Every year I try a different approach,

    reminders in my diary,
    (Forget to look at it)

    Fill a gutter as soon as the last one gets planted out,
    (Forget to plant the next one out)

    When it looks like I need to,
    (Its too late by then)

    Sigh
    Fingers crossed, this will be the year of successful successional sowing for us all.
    SSS
    K

    ReplyDelete
  12. Rob (ourfrenchgarden)14 April 2009 at 21:02

    That seems pretty much the way to successional sow to me.

    Asparagus eh! how wonderful, there surely cannot be anything more satisfying than harvesting your own spears.

    Rob

    ReplyDelete
  13. Elizabeth Musgrave15 April 2009 at 11:40

    Well I am glad to see from this that I am not the only one to be useless at successional sowing - I always mean to, always start well, always fail.
    Perhaps I should go straight out and get on with some more.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Phil Voice15 April 2009 at 21:41

    I sowed about eight lettuce seeds last night (amid the heavy showers)

    I am hoping to have a succession of produce but getting the timing right is getting increasingly hard.

    ReplyDelete
  15. VJJ169216 April 2009 at 08:37

    I only have a little garden.. so alas I cant/dont grow many veg (a few leaves, potatoes in bags, courgettes, beans).. but this weekend planted lots of annuals .. which I really enjoyed...

    ReplyDelete
  16. VP16 April 2009 at 09:29

    Anna - I must get that book from the library

    Karen - I've tried all sorts of ways too and it seems we're not alone - perhaps I need to start putting a reminder on here too?

    Rob - we won't have any asparagus until next year, but it'll be worth the wait :)

    Elizabethm - that's been my experience exactly!

    Phil - other gardening jobs seem to get in the way don't they?

    Treesparrow - any veg you can grow is great! I've just got my first lot of annuals to harden off and then it'll be basket and pot time :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. colleen16 April 2009 at 22:33

    How wonderful to find that I'm not the only one who is unsuccessful with the old successional sowing.

    ReplyDelete
  18. VP16 April 2009 at 22:35

    Hi Colleen - judging by the response to this post loads of us seem to be rubbish at it ;)

    ReplyDelete

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