In issue #186 of Fine Gardening, assistant editor Carol Collins shows how to create your own custom salad mix. Growing greens isn’t hard. Most varieties germinate easily, mature quickly, and don’t take much garden space. So pick your favorites and get growing! By growing several varieties, you can ensure a custom mix each time you harvest. These greens will be fresher and tastier than what you can buy at the grocery store. And if you plant something new every two to three weeks, you can keep eating fresh salad greens for months.

You can start seeds in trays or sow them directly into garden beds—each method has its advantages. Carol says:

In the unsettled weather of early spring or the intense heat of summer, starting seeds indoors under lights may be the easiest way to give your greens a good start. When the weather is milder, you can also start seedlings outdoors in a sheltered location. Planting in cells helps to conserve seed—if you only get 25 or 50 seeds in a packet, you can give every one of them a chance to grow. . . .

Direct sowing is straightforward. Any open garden bed can become a salad factory with a little simple prep. Level the soil surface, add a sprinkle of organic fertilizer, and you are most of the way there. For a densely planted bed, broadcast seed onto prepared soil. Or for easy weeding and harvesting, sow in rows or narrow bands, mulching in between.

To learn more about starting seeds, see this article. If you want to learn how to direct-sow your seed, visit here.

When it’s time to harvest, you can either cut or pinch your leafy greens to add them to your mix. In this video, Carol demonstrates the right way to do that and then prepare your own homegrown salad.