How to sow winter salad crops

How to sow winter salad crops

Find out how to grow a delicious crop of winter salad leaves from seed.

A table displaying which months are best to sow, plant and harvest.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
To do
To do

Do not To do in January

Do not To do in February

Do not To do in March

Do not To do in April

Do not To do in May

Do not To do in June

Do not To do in July

Do To do in August

Do To do in September

Do not To do in October

Do not To do in November

Do not To do in December

Winter salad crops, such a parsley, rocket, lettuce and purslane, can be sown from August to early autumn, providing you with fresh winter pickings. And if you make successive sowings you’ll be harvesting leaves right through to late spring.

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When the seedlings are big enough to handle, pot them up in small bunches to grow on.

Follow our guide to sowing winter salad crops, below.

You Will Need

  • Winter salad seeds
  • Seed trays or modules
  • Seed compost
  • Vermiculite (optional)

Step 1

Adding compost to the container
Adding compost to the container

Fill a tray with seed compost, pushing it to the corners. Firm the surface evenly with a tamping board or flat-bottomed utensil.


Step 2

Sowing seed
Sowing seed

Sow seed sparsely across the surface and cover with a 2mm layer of sieved compost or vermiculite. Firm the surface again.


Step 3

Labelling the plants
Labelling the plants
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Place the seed tray in a shallow tray of tepid water to allow moisture to soak up to the surface. Remove once the surface looks wet.