How to make a salad mix

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Sunday, 24 March 2019 at 3:00 pm

Salad leaf mixes are readily available to buy, but very easy to make yourself. We show you how.

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Bags of mixed-leaf salads from the supermarket can be expensive, and often go to waste in the fridge. So why not make your own mix, that you can harvest when you need it?

Mix your favourite salad varieties into a personalised baby-leaf salad blend to suit your particular tastes. It's a good idea to aim for four parts mild flavours (spinach, lettuce) to one part strong (herbs, rocket, mustards).

Try to match varieties that all grow at the same rate, too – rocket tends to grow more quickly, while spinach grows more slowly, so make sure you get a good balance.

The great thing about making your own blend is that you can experiment until you find one that is right for you. Here's a recipe to get you started.

You Will Need

Spinach 'Reddy' (1 tsp)
Lamb's lettuce (1 tsp)
Lettuce 'Salad Bowl' (1 tsp)
Lettuce 'Red Salad Bowl' (1 tsp)
Chervil (1 tsp)
Bowl (1 tsp)
Envelope (1 tsp)

Total time: 15 minutes

Step 1

How to make a salad mix - adding the seeds to the bowl

Mix the seeds together in a bowl, using the quantities above or a mix to suit your taste.

Step 2

How to make a salad mix - placing the mix into an envelope

Keep the mix in a cool, dry place until you are ready to sow it.

Step 3

How to make a salad mix - sowing the seed

Sow in seed trays, directly into a pot, or broadcast sow directly into the soil if it is warm enough.

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