7 December – Salads All The Year – Mike Day

We were really pleased to welcome Mike Day as our last speaker of 2017. Mike is a real professional and well respected in the horticultural world – the RHS has awarded him with the Associateship of Honour for his contribution to horticulture.  He serves on the RHS Vegetable Trials Panel and Advisory Committee.

Mike’s erudite illustrated presentation quickly opened up for us an extensive world of salads!  Believe me (or rather let’s believe Mike), you can grow salads all year round – just choose your vegetable and off you go. Mike described so many different varieties for us to try – too many for my pen to keep up with (excuse the clumsy grammar) So instead I will describe the way to ensure that you, dear reader, can achieve your own home-grown salad leaves, with advice from the RHS of course.

A heated greenhouse will not be economical but a sunny window sill or conservatory can be successful provided it does not get too hot. Sow your seeds as soon as light levels and temperatures allow.  The salad seed mixes are excellent and readily available in garden centres – just remember to sow small batches of seeds every couple weeks to ensure a steady supply of young leaves throughout the growing season.  You can also sow your seeds in containers of ordinary multi-purpose compost or directly into soil.  Sow in rows so that you can quickly spot an unwelcome weed!  Sow in very shallow drills and cover with a thin layer of compost – water the bottom of the row before sowing.  As soon as you have healthy leaves, use scissors to snip some off but do not damage the central growing point and leave a few leaves on the plant to grow on.  You should get three or four cuts before the plants are exhausted.

Once you have mastered the art of growing salad leaves all year round you are ready to try the more unusual leaves – chicory, radicchio, pak choi, mesclun, arugula.  More detailed advice can be found in books by Joy Larkcom and Charles Dowding (who also has a useful YouTube video and website with a calendar of when to sow and cut salad leaves.

Hopefully I can write another article next year describing the achievements of villagers who have successfully produced salads all year round – photographs please to Mary Duff, Chair Fowlmere & Thriplow Gardening Club!

Following the meeting, we enjoyed our customary splendid Christmas buffet.  Were there salad leaves?  Come along next year and see for yourself!

 

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