ONE of the most useful developments in gardening over the last couple of decades has been the introduction by almost all seed companies of salad leaf mixtures. 

They’re the home-grower’s equivalent of the supermarket’s mixed salad bags.

Instead of growing a row of, say, lettuce from one packet, a row of rocket from another, and one of mustard greens from yet another, you just sow one lot of seed from a single mixed packet. 

This makes the mixtures ideal for smaller gardens, smaller households, and for those who grow their vegetables in containers.

Have a wander through the catalogues or websites of the seed suppliers and you’ll find a wide range of salad leaf mixes. 

In some, the different saladings are intended to grow at different rates, so giving you a succession of eating from one sowing. 

Others are selected so that all the plants will be ready for harvesting at the same time, thus providing a ready-made mixed salad. 

Both kinds can be sown every three weeks or so, from spring to autumn, for continuity of supply.

There are mixes labelled “spicy,” which usually contain rocket and mustard greens. There are some which are made up entirely of lettuces in different colours, shapes and textures. 

“Oriental” mixes will generally include Chinese cabbage, pak choi and the like. 

Cresses and chicories often appear in leaf mixes, increasingly alongside less familiar items like amaranth, purslane and orach. Some contain types of cabbage and kale.

I sow my first batch in March, in an unheated greenhouse. Early spring sowings don’t need much protection, but a late frost could still interfere, so if you can give them the shelter of a cloche, a cold frame, a bit of horticultural fleece, or even a south-facing wall, you’ll be increasing your chances of success. 

In very cold areas, or an unusually cold spring, wait a few weeks before starting.

These mixtures will do fine in the open ground, or in a greenhouse bed, but I almost always use pot, troughs or tubs. That helps against slugs and snails, which will take an interest in the young seedlings. 

Pretty much any container with drainage holes in the bottom will serve, provided it’s not so small or shallow that the small volume of compost in it will dry out too rapidly.

Fill the tub with multi-purpose peat-free compost, and water the compost. Then sprinkle a pinch or two of the seed mix over the surface. 

Don’t sow too thickly; after a couple of crops you’ll get an idea of how many seeds to use, but to begin with too few is better than too many.

Cover the seeds with another layer of compost, about quarter of an inch (0.6cm) deep. Keep the seedlings weeded and well watered, and that’s all there is to it.

These leaf mixes are “cut-and-come-again,” so you’ll get several crops from each sowing. 

And when the leaves become too old for salad, they’ll go well in a stir-fry.