How to grow salad leaves at home
Gardening, Gardening Tips, Urban Farming Jan 16, 2021
SALAD LEAVES
These are the veggies that are suitable for eating with out cooking. These vegetables are commonly used in Salads and Sandwiches. Hence named as Salad Greens.
Example: Lettuce, Arugula, Endives, Celery, Parsley, Chives, Kale, Spring onion, Chinese cabbage etc.
Its very easy to Grow and maintain the salad leaves. They need good amount of sunlight and good quality soil to grow. Now let us discuss about the growing tips for growing salad veggies.
Soil
Soil should be well fertile, light in weight , porous and should be rich in all nutrients.
Sowing and a container
Take a seeds or well developed saplings and plant in a container with 10-12 inches depth and a broader width.
When you sow seeds sow at depth of 0.5-1 inch. After sowing they will germinate in 10-12 days.
WATERING AND NUTRIENTS
Watering is done based on the requirement and soil moisture content.
Nutrients that are rich in NPK is given to the plants.
HARVEST
Start harvesting your salads when they reach the height of 6-7 inches height. Just take a scissors and cut them.
You can take multiple harvests (4-5times) in a single crop.
COMMON PROBLEMS IN GROWING
- Slugs and snails
They feed on the leaves and destroy entire plant.
To control use bear traps, add crushed eggshells to soil and also use metaldehyde medicine.
2. Caterpillars
They also feed on leaves and make holes on leaves.
To control spray with neem oil mixed with soap powder.
Article by
Sandhya rani C M
BSc Horticulture