Sow in September for a Fresh Winter Salad Mix

September is usually the very last opportunity to sow vegetables before it gets too cold. Some crops will grow fast enough and endure low temperatures, but when it comes to salad crops, they often have a bitter taste, and a firm texture. If you try these five crops, you will get a mild and tender winter salad mix, which can go well with any salad topping and dressing you like.

You can grow these on a windowsill (provided you choose a deep enough pot for the radishes to develop, or substitute the radishes with rucola), on the balcony in any small window box, or in the garden. Find sowing instructions here.

Here are my top 5, it’s best to sow these all and mix them in your salad:

Mizuna- Mild taste, much more refined than rucola for example, slightly crunchy and not tough. The leaves can be harvested young or more mature, depending on what you prefer. Mizuna grows very quickly and produces beautiful plants.

(The picture above shows a mix of Mizuna and Ruby Streaks)

Ruby Streaks Mustard- Beautiful deep purple leaves with an interesting shape, it makes every salad look attractive. It’s not spicy, but has an earthy note to it, almost like a potato!

Radishes- Grow varieties such as Cherry Belle or Flamboyant for fast growing small radishes with deep pink skins. They taste more dominant than the other crops on this list, as they are spicy. Slice them finely when adding to a salad, they add a great crunchy fresh element. They are also a great addition when fermented or pickled.

Marvel of Four Seasons Lettuce- Butterhead lettuce with deep red-green tender leaves, mild taste.

Peas for Pea Shoots- Pea shoots add more sweetness to the salad, they look great with their round leaves and they have a soft nice texture, as long as you harvest them as shoots, meaning young enough. You can buy a pack of whole organic dried peas at the supermarket, they are great for growing shoots, there are also pea seeds for pea shoots or micro greens. Specific sowing instructions in Dutch here.

Want an alternative? you can also sow these: Beets and chard for baby leaves, coriander, rucola, spinach, buk choy (paksoi), amsoy…