Spring is the perfect time to dive into one of the most rewarding gardening projects: planting a spring salad garden. With the longer daylight hours and mild temperatures, greens like arugula, lettuce, and spinach thrive. By using protective row covers, you can shield your crops from unpredictable weather, ensuring a successful harvest.
Even if you’re working with limited space, a spring salad garden is achievable. While a large raised bed provides ample room for growth, smaller beds or containers can be just as effective. For a more compact option, consider vertical salad gardens, where you can plant in low towers. Keep in mind that salad gardens grow quickly and can be replanted with summer crops once the season ends.
Key Tips for a Successful Spring Salad Garden
1. Choose a Variety of Lettuce for Color and Texture
A visually appealing salad includes diverse colors and textures. Opt for lettuce varieties with contrasting shades like dark red or chartreuse to add vibrancy to your garden and plates. This variety also creates a more interesting texture when harvesting and eating.
2. Plan for a Long Harvest Season
Different salad greens mature at different rates. Fast-growing crops like arugula and radishes can be harvested within a month, while slower varieties like romaine and crisphead lettuce take about two months. By planting a range of greens, you’ll extend your harvest season and keep your salads fresh and exciting.
3. Use Onion Sets for Structure
Onions can serve both as a crop and a garden divider. Plant onion sets or seedlings between rows of salad greens to provide structure. When the onions are young, you can pull them early as scallions before they are shaded out by larger leafy greens. Scallions are particularly useful for companion planting with crisphead lettuce.
4. Incorporate Herbs and Edible Flowers
Herbs and edible flowers add both flavor and beauty to your salad garden. Annual herbs like cilantro and dill are perfect for adding fresh flavors to your salads and dressings. Perennial herbs like chives can be grown in containers, allowing you to relocate them when your salad garden is transitioned to new crops. Edible flowers, such as Johnny jump-ups (mini-pansies or violas), can brighten up your garden and your meals.
5. Be Selective with Fertilizers
Since salad greens are eaten raw, it’s important to avoid using fertilizers that might introduce harmful microbes. Steer clear of fresh manure and instead opt for well-processed organic fertilizers. For a plant-based option, alfalfa pellets or organic chicken feed work well to nourish your garden.
6. Protect Your Crops with Row Covers
Spring weather can be unpredictable, with occasional wind, hail, and heavy rain. To protect your plants from both weather and pests like rabbits and deer, use row covers. These covers, supported by hoops and secured at the edges with bricks or boards, create a protective cocoon. You’ll be amazed at the growth your plants experience under these covers, especially when left undisturbed for a couple of weeks.
7. Water Frequently
Salad greens and radishes are water-hungry crops. To ensure steady growth, keep the soil consistently moist. A hose or watering can should be nearby for quick watering sessions, especially if the surface soil starts to dry out.
8. Regularly Weed Your Garden
Weeding is much easier in spring when the weather is pleasant. A quick, weekly weeding session will keep your salad garden clean and healthy. Additionally, since slugs tend to thrive in mulch, it’s better to leave your salad garden in open cultivation and save mulch for heat-loving summer crops.
By following these tips, you’ll have a bountiful and beautiful spring salad garden that will provide fresh greens for weeks to come. Happy planting!