Grow A Cut and Come Again Container Salad Garden

If you live in the Northwest, as I do, then at this rainy time of the growing season your garden is sure to have plenty of one thing - slugs. These slimy critters get into every nook and cranny of my plants, making picking and cleaning home-grown lettuces a less than pleasant experience at times! I've found a simple way to grow plenty of lettuce in a way that keeps the slugs out, and allow for maximum density of planting in a small area.

I grow my early spring lettuces in a walk-in greenhouse, but you can use one of the smaller variety greenhouses as well. Many home and garden stores offer reasonably priced, easy to put together portable greenhouse kits. Otherwise, you can use any kind of table that will keep the containers off the ground - and away from the slugs. You could also grow your salad garden in a sunny window, as long as it doesn't get too hot, as that will burn and discolor the lettuce.

You can use many different kinds of lettuce seed for your container salad garden. Quite a few seed companies sell mesclun salad mix. Territorial Seed Company (www.territorial-seed.com) has about a dozen different kinds - Tangy Mesclun mix is one of my favorites, with its blend of red and green lettuces, endive and chives. However, you can use any mix of lettuce seed that you want, as long as they are leaf lettuces and not head lettuce, like iceberg.

I use plastic planters in the "window box" size. To start, you'll need a bag of potting soil, preferably one for use in vegetable gardens and also preferably, one that is organic. My personal feeling is that it is worth the extra bucks to buy organic and protect the environment, and to provide the healthiest growing medium possible. Fill the planter about two-thirds full of soil. Pour the seeds into your hand and distribute them, fairly thickly, over the surface of the soil in the planter box. The idea is to let the lettuces grow in together much more closely than you would let them grow in the garden, because you will be harvesting them with scissors, hence the name "cut and come again" gardening. Once you have finished sprinkling your seeds, cover them with another fine layer of soil, and water gently. Wait about two weeks, and then repeat the process in another planter, if you wish, to have a continuing source of fresh salad.

If you live in a cooler climate and are not using a greenhouse, or planning to grow your garden inside, you may want to use some sort of clear plastic covering to help your plants germinate and grow. Once the weather is warmer, you can remove the cover during the day, using it again at night to protect the tender seedlings from the cold.

Once your lettuce plants have started to grow, you will want to wait until they reach about two to three inches before beginning your harvest. Using sharp scissors, cut the leaves, leaving about a half inch above the soil. Cut only as much as you need for each meal, as this will keep the lettuce growing, and give you the freshest product.

I usually keep a rotation of two or three planters going in the greenhouse until it gets too warm for lettuces under cover. This has been more than enough to keep my partner and I, and our guests, in fresh salad greens. I've found that container gardening isn't just for flowers anymore - you can grow a whole range of healthful foods for you and your family with very little expense, time and labor!