Itâs getting warm where I live and I feel a salad coming on! We are a lucky bunch here and can grow many of the warm weather loving plants that go well in salads nearly year-round but I thought with the summer holidays approaching now would be a great time to focus on which crops you can plant right now for your salad creation foundations.
Anything edible can find its way into your salad somehow and your imagination is the only limit to what you decide to toss in but here are a yummy bunch of foundation ingredients that you can plant right now in your gardens to ensure you are enjoying fresh, delicious âCoast Grownâ salads this summer.
Lettuce
(Lactuca sativa)
Harvest will depend on type and oh what an amazing variety we can enjoy these days in our gardens. As with all plants, you will find a far greater selection available in seeds so check with local nurseries and online suppliers. Plant 6mm in depth and 20 to 30cm apart. One important note for Coast gardeners: If the soil temperature is greater than 25C you will find difficultly in germination occurring so seedlings may be a better bet at this time of year with our sudden scorchers.
Lettuce need a moist and rich soil. They detest drying out and can bolt (come into flower) or die rather quickly if their water level falls sharply but drainage is a must as the key is damp soil, not water-logged. Water the ground, not the leaves in the early morning and never at night or during the day to avoid pest attraction and disease. A nitrogen-rich feed every fortnight will improve the leaf growth and health. You can plant most lettuce in pots, ones with loose leaves generally do better. Harvest individual outer leaves carefully during growth and whole plants on maturity. For Coast Gardens, you might consider: âGreat Lakesâ, âGreen Cosâ, âButternutâ, âDiamond Gemâ, âGreen Salad Bowlâ.
Tomato
(Solanum lycopersicum L)
There are two types of tomatoes when considering harvesting, those that fruit continually throughout their growing period and those that have fruit which all comes to a ripening stage at about the same time. I recommend planting at least one of each and it is not too late to plant either, but I would plant seedlings rather than seeds to ensure quicker cropping.
They all need a sunny and warm position that receives at least six full hours of direct sunshine each day. Ensure that your plants are protected from wind and space plants around 50cm apart. Never plant in the same bed two seasons running either as they are heavy feeders of nitrogen and potassium phosphorus and your garden needs time to recover. Although tomatoes are not too fussy about their soil types, for the best crops, it should have a pH level of 5.8 to 6.8, be high in organic matter and be free draining.
Consistent, deep watering should be undertaken to ensure a healthy plant and well-developed fruits and water the base of the plants, not the leaves to lessen the chance of attracting pests and disease. Use a liquid seaweed fertiliser weekly at half strength, a fortnightly feed with an organic fertiliser and to encourage the plant to uptake nutrients also add a heaped tablespoon of sulphate of potash. Although unripe fruit will ripen after harvesting, tomatoes are best left on the vine to fully ripen before harvest to ensure full flavour. Cut from vine, never pull. For Coast Gardens, you might consider: âSummertasteâ, âTumblerâ, âRomaâ, âTropicâ, âBlack Krimâ
Radish
(Raphanus sativus)
Harvest will vary greatly depending on variety but is generally is between 4 and 8 weeks. Plant seeds 6mm deep and space plants 3 to 5cm apart. A double-duty salad favourite as the leaves are also a fantastic peppery addition. Harvest leaves lightly while growing though if at all as it is better to wait until harvest of the bulb. At this time of the year, radish is best planted in a light shaded area of the garden. In winter go for full sun. They like a lighter soil that is lower in nitrogen to promote quick bulb growth. Feed with a low nitrogen fertiliser every two weeks and keep watering constant but do not allow to become waterlogged. They are also ideal for container gardening. Radish is harvested by carefully pulling from the garden and it must be harvested as soon as it matures because they will turn woody and tough if left too long in the ground. For Coast Gardens, you might consider: âFrench Breakfastâ, âCherry Belleâ, âScarlet Globeâ
Cucumber
(Cucumis sativus)
Harvest in around 8 weeks. Plant 12mm deep and space place 40 to 50cm apart.
Cucumbers are climbers so will need a support structure to grow upon. They must have a nice loose soil and, on the Coast, will prefer a semi-shade position as we have very hot summers. This need not be more than about 20% shade time during the day and you may consider just using a temporary structure (like an umbrella or cloth) on very hot days. You do need to ensure they have very good airflow and that the soil is compost rich. Mulching is non-negotiable for cucumbers but ensure you use lucerne, pea-straw, or the like and keep it away from the stem. Hold off on feeding too much before fruiting as you want to encourage cucumbers, not cucumber leaves but once they appear, feed every fortnight with a seaweed-based fertiliser. Care must be taken with watering as they are prone to fungal disease so water the ground, not the plants. Harvest by cutting the cucumber off the vine, donât pull. For Coast Gardens, you might consider: âGreen Gemâ, âBushy Championâ, âCrystal Saladâ, âTelegraph Improvedâ
Spring Onion
(Allium fistulosum and cepa var.cepa)
Harvest in about 10 weeks. Plant seeds 6mm deep and space plants 1 to 2cm.
They will need a full sun position and like a friable, fertile soil to grow in. They are rather thirsty and will require constant watering but donât let soil become soggy. Feed with a liquid fertiliser every few weeks to ensure good growth. Weeds need to be removed by hand gently as they can unsettled the root structure of these plants which will lead to them dying. Pests tend to be attracted to dry plants so keep watering consistent. They do not produce as well in pots and do far better in garden plots. Harvest by gently pulling up the plant.
For Coast Gardens, you might consider: âWhite Lisbonâ, âStraightleafâ
Edible Flowers
I cannot go past edible flowers for summer salads and growing your own not only helps make your salads extra delightful but assists your garden look that way too and helps invite the pollinators for all of your plants. Correct identification must be undertaken and naturally only ever use organically grown flowers. A few to sprinkle on your salads include:
Rose (Rosa spp.), French Marigold (Tagetes patula), Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus), Native Violet (Viola hederacea), Dahlia (Dahlia spp.) Pansy (Viola tricolor var. hortensis), Snapdragon (Antirrhinum spp.), Stock (Matthiola incana)
Herbs
So many delicious herbs work so well tossed through your salads raw, fresh or lightly toasted to bring out their flavours even more and naturally, added to dressings. Right now, just a fee of the herbs you can plant include basil, parsley, sage, lemongrass, marjoram, chilli, oregano and mint.
Of course, there are endless possibilities to what you can put in your salads and these are just a few you can plant right now on in temperate areas to ensure you and your family and friends have delicious home-grown and healthy salads to enjoy through our coming summer.