Here are some popular mixed greens that you might like to try growing in your garden.
Curly Chicory
Sprouting up like a feather duster, chicory stays curly right to the tips. Its bitter taste is enhanced by savoury and fruity dressings.
Watercress
Its tiny round leaves reveal a taste that is tart and peppery. It must be refrigerated with its roots immersed in water in order to keep it properly.
Endive
Pick them nice and creamy white with pale yellow tips and you'll discover some "greens" with a nice crunch and a slightly bitter taste.
Lollo Rosso
Whether it's all green or red-bordered, Lollo Rosso is a wavy lettuce that adds body and decorative appeal to any salad that needs to make a statement.
Lamb's Lettuce
These tongue-shaped lettuce leaves, sweet, delicate and nutty, must remain instact to be placed on a salad like flower petals.
Curly Lettuce
Whether it's all green or red-bordered, Lollo Rosso is a wavy lettuce that adds body and decorative appeal to any salad that needs to make a statement.
Oak Leaves
Red or green, shaped like a long tree leaf, this lettuce adds delicate beauty and tender taste to any salad. Serve it judiciously - it can be quite pricey if you have to buy it.
Arugula
Also called Rocket, this is a cluster of dark green leaves on a stem. Definitely peppery, it is as savoury as a pinch of fresh herbs.
Escarole
This is a variety of endive that starts green and shades to sunny gold at the core, adding a delicately nutty and bitter flavour to any salad mix.
How To Grow Lettuce
Timing: Lettuce grows best in cool weather in the spring and in the fall. Some varieties such as endive and radicchio can withstand a moderate amount of frost, but be careful. Using a cold frame or cloche over early spring and late fall plantings can extend your growing season.
Soil: Soil with lots of organic matter that drains freely is best. Add compost and lime. One cup of complete organic fertilizer per 3 m (10') will give adequate nutrition.
Starting: Either direct seed or start indoors and transplant. Plant seeds approx. 1/4 inch deep and gently tamp down. Seeds sprout in 2 - 15 days, depending on soil temperature, but unlike most seeds, lettuce and its relatives doesn't like warm soil. You can get around this by sprouting them indoors in a cool area, or pre-sprout by sprinkling seeds on damp paper towel placed in a plastic bag in the fridge for a few days. One gram of seeds sows at least 10m (35') of row, so don't plant the whole package at once. In hot weather, lettuce goes to seed quickly, so have new plantings ready to go.
Growing:
Seedlings should be hardened off by reducing water and putting the plants outdoors in a sheltered location for 2 to 3 days before transplanting. Thin or transplant loose-leaf types to 20 - 25cm (8 - 10") apart. Heading types should stand about 30cm (12"). Water regularly to prevent leaves from becoming bitter.
Rapid, continuous growth is essential for good yields and high quality. Fall plantings can be protected from rain by putting a cloche over them. Endive heads can be blanched to reduce bitterness by placing a cardboard or plastic disk on top. Radicchio requires a good supply of phosphorus and potassium, but will not head and may bolt if there is too much nitrogen available.
Diseases & insects: Crop rotation is good for disease prevention. Tipburn (tips of leaves turn brown) is caused by a calcium deficiency. If you have limed, tip burn can be caused by nutrient imbalances or lack of moisture. Slugs are a problem in early and late plantings. Clean up their hiding places to reduce the little munchers. Molds & rot from heavy rains can be prevented by growing under a cover.
Harvest: Pick individual leaves or wait and harvest full heads. Summer lettuce stays in prime eating condition only a short time, so harvest promptly and keep planting. In fall and winter the plants stay in good eating condition longer.
