Amp Up Your Salad Greens In Your Garden
by habits on Mar.09, 2010, under investment
Vegetable gardens usually include the minimum essentials for summer salads but a small area devoted entirely to salad greens can contribute daily enjoyment and endless variety.
If you share my problem of limited space, the first question will be “Where in the world could you put it?” A narrow edging of parsley plants near the kitchen door had been so convenient that I was convinced a salad garden to be of most value should be near the kitchen where I could dash out for that extra bit of green as the cooking inspiration dictated.
There was one useless narrow strip near the kitchen, on the south side, running the length of the house and bounded by the lot line. It was so hot and dry there that nothing but weeds had grown in the lawn we had attempted to establish. It was a problem area. It was near the kitchen. It was worth a try.
The rototiller was moved in. I wondered if we would strike rocks in the gravel I was sure was there. To our surprise, we turned up only very sandy loam, no rocks, no coarse gravel. Immediately after the rototilling, I added compost and peat moss, raked it in lightly, and left it several days to settle before planting.
The old colonial herb and kitchen gardens, I recalled, were laid out in oblong beds; I would just run mine all into one bed. The space nearest the house, I made into a long narrow bed to be used for some of the taller herbs.
Variety, especially in greens, was what I particularly wanted. Nothing is so good for a summer menu as a tossed green salad, and a “green salad” is green, with leaves fresh from the garden. The basic green, I suppose, is lettuce.
Lettuce – as if there were only one kind or possibly two, head and leaf lettuce. Many of the catalogs list ten to 25 varieties, but most of us buy a packet of one or two kinds and let ourselves be satisfied. Last year, even though it seemed extravagant, I ordered several packets, knowing that I had more seeds than I would have room to plant, but wanting to sample the taste as well as the growing habits of the different kinds.
Explore plants and their care at a new level at Plant-Care.com:
