Growing Salad Bowl Lettuce

Learn how to grow your own lettuce bowl by sowing mesclun green seeds for a cut-and-come-again easy salad garden.

If you like salads, consider growing your own salad bowl with a mesclun mix that you can enjoy from a container in about a month. The term “mesclun” originated in France, where they often use a “mix” of tender young greens in their salads, which may include lettuces, arugula, endive, chervil, or mustard greens.

You can often find these kinds of greens in the grocery store labeled “spring mix.” However, they are very easy to grow from seed, and there is a wide variety to choose from numerous seed companies.

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Growing Lettuce in a Container

Mesclun lettuce is commonly called “cut-and-come-again” greens. You will love the fact that once they grow tall enough, all you have to do is cut them, leaving about one to two inches behind.

The lettuce plant will then grow back for a continuous harvest, making it the perfect salad bowl lettuce seeds.

When to Grow Lettuce in a Container

These salad greens grow best in cool weather. That means early spring for my neck of the woods, and they also grow well in the fall. When it gets too hot, the plants will bolt and try to flower, making for a bitter-tasting green. 

To avoid bolting, put your container in a place that has some shade during the hot afternoon sun. Also, the great benefit of growing lettuce in a container is that it can be moved with the sun, as the days get longer, and the trees leaf out.

Mesclun seeds come in a range of mixes and can be found just about anywhere. Some are spicy, and some are sweet. I like to plant one of each for a tasty mix.

Some people use succession planting, where they sow (plant) a fresh crop of additional containers every couple of weeks. That way, there's always a crop available to enjoy.

Toss your homegrown lettuce with a classic vinaigrette, which can be as simple as 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil, with a little mustard to combine the two. I like to use balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil with Dijon mustard. Then I might add some garlic and dried spices like thyme and basil.

Growing lettuce in a container is something you must try. It’s fresh, it’s easy, and so good for your health.