Growing Fast Summer Salad Crops in the UK: Rocket, Mustard Cress, and Lettuce

Summer is synonymous with salad. Fresh, crisp, and often fast-growing, salad crops are perfect for planting during the warmer months. This article will guide you on how to grow three popular fast-growing salad crops in the UK: rocket, mustard cress, and lettuce.

Rocket

Rocket, also known as arugula, is a peppery leafy green with a quick growing cycle, often ready for harvest in just 3 to 6 weeks from sowing.

How to Grow Rocket

Sowing: Rocket enjoys cool conditions, so sow seeds directly into well-drained soil from late spring to early summer. You can also sow the seeds in module trays and transplant them when large enough to handle.

Spacing: Sow the seeds at a depth of 1 cm, spaced around 10 cm apart.

Care: Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Rocket does well in full sun to partial shade, so find a spot in your garden that fits these conditions.

Harvesting: Pick the outer leaves when young and tender for the best flavour, leaving the central rosette to produce more leaves for later harvest.

Mustard Cress

Mustard cress, with its distinctive spicy tang, can be harvested just 5-7 days after sowing, making it one of the quickest crops you can grow.

How to Grow Mustard Cress

Sowing: You can sow mustard cress seeds virtually anywhere, from pots and trays to dedicated vegetable patches. The seeds should be sown on the surface of well-moistened compost.

Spacing: Spread the seeds as evenly as possible without any need for spacing, as you’ll be harvesting the cress when it’s still young.

Care: Mustard cress prefers cooler conditions with indirect sunlight. Keep the compost consistently moist.

Harvesting: Harvest the cress when it’s approximately 5 cm tall by cutting it with scissors. The best flavour comes from cress that’s harvested just as or just before it starts to leaf.

Lettuce

Lettuce is another quick and easy salad crop, with some varieties ready to harvest as little as 3 weeks after sowing.

How to Grow Lettuce

Sowing: Lettuce seeds can be sown directly into the ground or in pots. For summer cropping, sow the seeds from mid-spring.

Spacing: Sow seeds about 1 cm deep and 30 cm apart. If you’re growing them in pots, sow a few seeds per pot and thin out to the strongest plant.

Care: Water well, especially during dry spells. Lettuces prefer cooler conditions, so in hotter summers they might appreciate some shade.

Harvesting: Harvest lettuce by picking outer leaves as needed or cut the whole plant from the base.

Tips for Success

• Successional Sowing: To ensure a continuous harvest, practise successional sowing. This means sowing new seeds every few weeks so that as you finish harvesting one crop, another is ready to take its place.
• Watering: Keep your crops well watered, particularly during dry periods. Lack of water can lead to bolting (where the plant prematurely goes to seed) or a bitter flavour.
• Weed Control: Keep the area around your crops weed-free. Weeds compete with your plants for nutrients and water.
• Protection: If pest insects such as slugs and snails are a problem, consider using organic deterrents or barriers.