Plant a Salad Garden

Do you enjoy a leafy green salad filled with tasty vegetables? Recently, salad eaters have been put on alert by reports of e-coli in commercially grown spinach, lettuce and green onions. If anything could discourage people from eating salads, the threat of illness and possible death was certainly at the top of the list.

Planting your own salad garden will allow you to keep enjoying your big, delicious salads while feeling confident about the quality and cleanliness of your greens and other vegetables. Growing your own salad fixings will also protect you against crazy hikes in produce prices as well as ensure you get the freshest produce possible.

Growing your own salad is an extremely rewarding endeavor and nothing tastes as good as food from your very own garden. You don't need a lot of space to grow a salad garden; a small garden plot or containers work just fine. With a little planning and subsequent plantings, you can plan your salad garden so it produces from early spring to well into the fall.

Whether you plant in containers or in a garden bed, prepare the soil by removing weeds and raking through the soil to aerate it. If the soil is hard and compacted, you may need to use a shovel or spade to turn the soil over before raking. The better your soil is prepared, the better results you can expect to have from your garden.

Lettuce

Lettuce and spinach do best in cooler temperatures. Wait to plant the seeds until after the danger of frost has passed. Lettuce does well in an area that will receive part to full sun, however, once the weather warms, lettuce will "bolt." This means the plant will grow very quickly and start to go to seed. The lettuce leaves will start to taste bitter and will no longer be desirable. You can delay bolting by keeping your lettuce shaded during the hot part of the day.

If you plant a patch or planter with lots of lettuce seeds, you can harvest and eat the baby greens as they begin to grow. Continue to thin you plants until you have several plants spaced 6-8 inches apart. If you make successive plantings, you can extend your harvest and keep a fresh crop of lettuce just a few steps away. Make sure you harvest your lettuce first thing in the morning because it will be most plump and full of water at that time.

Choose from your favorite lettuce varieties, or choose new or gourmet varieties for fun. If you just can't decide, there are plenty of mixes available in packets for around $2 each.

Green Onion

Don't try and grow green onions from seed because they will take too long. However, you can purchase onion sets which can be purchased at your local home store or nursery. Onion sets are one of the easiest ways to grow onions because they establish quickly.

Onions are a cool weather plant and can be started as soon as the danger of frost has passed.

Radish

Radishes are certainly not everyone's favorite as they can be quite strong, especially when grown at home. Store varieties are generally pretty mild compared to home grown radishes. Radishes also grow very quickly. Some varieties will be ready for eating a month after planting. Lots of watering will dilute the heat of radishes, while more stress will make them hotter.

You can plant radish seeds as soon as the ground is warm enough to work with. If you want a long crop of radishes, continue planting radishes every two weeks. Each radish seed produces a single radish, so make sure you space each seed accordingly.

Nasturtium

Often found in gourmet grocery stores, nasturtiums make an excellent addition to salads. The whole nasturtium plant is edible, but the blossoms really dress up a salad. Additionally, nasturtiums will lure aphids away from other plants.

Nasturtium seeds are easy to grow from seed and should be kept well watered through out the growing season. If the soil is rich in nutrients, nasturtiums will grow more foliage than flower, so don't plant them in the best part of your garden as they can tolerate less than perfect soil.

Nasturtium seeds were once dried, ground and used like pepper during World War II. The seeds can also be pickled and used as a substitute for capers.

Tomatoes

Nothing compares to vine ripened tomatoes and sliced tomatoes make a wonderful addition to any salad. However, tomatoes grow during the hottest part of the summer and may not be harvested until late August and September. This does create a timing problem since all of the other salad ingredients are cool weather plants and will be done growing by the time the tomatoes are ready.

However, tomatoes can be used to make a delicious and classic Itallian mozzarella, tomato, and basil salad. Since basil will do well in your garden all summer, keep this recipe on hand for when your tomatoes are ripe:

• Tomatoes (about one per serving, depending on size)
• A handful of fresh basil leaves
• Garlic cloves, minced (to taste - I use one for every two servings)
• Balsamic vinegar
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Ground pepper

1. Cut tomatoes into quarters or eighths depending on shape and size (I cut plum tomoatoes into quarters, round ones into eighths). Chop basil roughly and add to tomatoes in plastic or glass container. Add minced garlic.
2. Pour balsamic vinegar and olive oil (a couple of tablespoons of each) over tomatoes, basil, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Cover tightly and marinate at room temperature for six hours or so. Do not refrigerate before serving.
4. Serve with crusty bread.

If I've missed any of your favorite salad ingredients, simply find a packet of seeds at your nursery or home center and add them to your garden. You can feel good knowing exactly where and how your vegetables were grown and that they are pesticide free. Happy eating!