Fast Growing Salad Add ins

Fastest growing salad plants share several characteristics, including short days to maturity, tolerance of cooler weather conditions and ability to regrow quickly after being cut. For optimal results sow seeds directly in your garden.

Mulch with nitrogen-rich materials such as shredded leaves, unsprayed grass clippings or alfalfa hay (lucerne). Water regularly.

Radishes

Radishes (Raphanus sativus) are fast-growing cool season vegetables with long succulent taproots that range in size from small spring varieties to larger winter types, boasting bright, crisp peppery flesh. There is also an assortment of colors available.

Spring radish varieties grow quickly in even small spaces, ready to harvest within weeks of sowing them. Sow small successions throughout spring to ensure an abundance of freshly harvested radishes like Cherry Belle or Easter Egg for traditional red roots; or try daikon or watermeon varieties with milder roots that boast colorful hues like daikon or watermeon varieties.

These fast-growing plants make an excellent filler between more established crops in a vegetable plot, such as peas or potatoes that take their time germinating, such as sprouting peas. As their quick germination time allows harvesting prior to hindering more established neighbor growth, such as carrots or parsnips. Sowing in rows can serve as row markers while growing more mature vegetables like these fast-growers!

Radishes are low in calories and sodium content, while providing ample amounts of vitamin C, along with antioxidants such as sulforaphane and indole-3 that have been shown to lower cancer risks in human studies. They’ve even been known to have anti-congestive properties to ease irritation caused by allergies or infections in the nose, throat or windpipe.

Scallions

As summer winds down, focus turns towards planting crops that will produce quick harvests before winter sets in. Leafy greens like kale, collards and Swiss chard make excellent candidates; either sow directly in your garden or start in pots before transplanting later on.

Salad onions (commonly referred to as scallions) are another easy-to-grow crop that adds fresh flavor to salads and other recipes. Requiring minimal space, they can be planted throughout your garden, particularly near lettuce beds or beds with fast growing veggies such as radishes for continuous fresh flavor all season long.

Sow scallions as often as needed for quick harvests or make one large sowing in late summer to maximize harvests in fall. There are many varieties to explore, ranging from cylindrical mini leeks to more decorative forms with white bulbs and green leaves – there’s sure to be something suitable!

All salad vegetables thrive when grown in soil with enough nutrients, so lightly rake the area and incorporate as much aged manure or compost as possible into your soil mix. Sow seeds evenly spaced across drills with approximately half-inch spacing in leafy greens containers; keep evenly moist until seedlings emerge.

Herbs

Assembling your salad garden can be made simple with fast-growing herbs like cilantro, dill and parsley; sprouting varieties such as cilantro will flourish alongside radishes while bunching onions (green onions) work great with peas. Not only are these fast-growing plants great additions for adding color but they’re great at deterring pests from munching down on leafy greens!

Plant small handfuls of cilantro seeds every foot or so around your radish plots and every 6-8 inches along the outer edge of your garden beds – their height won’t interfere with peas or radishes and they will provide delicious add-ins for salad bowls when their time comes!

Most leafy salad plants thrive best from seed directly planted into the garden; however, indoor starting is possible as well. To maximize success with indoor starts, water the soil surface lightly until damp to the touch, then aerate 6-8 inches with your hand rake to ensure their delicate roots receive adequate air circulation for maximum success.

Sow seeds every 2-4 weeks between April and September (though September sowings may require extra protection in colder climates). Harvest on an ongoing basis using clean scissors to trim away outer leaves for further growth, encouraging new plant life to come through. To maximize yield from salad greens harvest some larger, older leaves before picking all of their smaller inner ones.

Peas

Many fast-growing salad plants can be started from seed in your garden, including arugula, mizuna and spinach. Peas also thrive from seeds started directly in the ground.

Early shelling types like petite pois and sugar snap peas can be harvested in as few as 58 days. Taller varieties (mange tout or snow peas) may take up to 60 days. If you want a variety of both short and tall varieties for harvesting throughout the summer season, choose a dual cropping variety which will reach maturity at different times throughout the season and can be picked consistently throughout the growing season.

Peas are vining crops that cling to your trellis with their tendrils as they expand and mature. To prevent damage caused by their own weight, ongoing training should be provided so the vines do not pull free or snap.

If sowing peas directly, aim to sow them as soon as the ground can be worked – ideally around late March or April. If weather doesn’t permit outdoor sowing at that time, sow into seed trays (perhaps using toilet roll centers to help ensure shape-maintenance) and store in a warm and sunny location until planting out conditions allow.