Salad Mix

Salad Mix seeds bring together a curated blend of lettuce varieties — from frilly oakleaf and crisp romaine to tender butterhead types — in a vivid range of greens, burgundies, and bronzes. This cut-and-come-again mix delivers both visual contrast and layered flavour in a single sowing, making it one of the most practical and rewarding plantings in any kitchen garden.

Growing Guide

Salad mix thrives in full sun to partial shade, making it well suited to spots that receive 4–6 hours of direct light. It performs best in cool seasons — sow outdoors 2–3 weeks before the last frost in spring, or again in late summer for an autumn harvest. Lettuce mix is equally successful grown in containers, raised beds, or window boxes.

Sow seeds shallowly, about 3–5mm (⅛–¼ inch) deep, directly into well-draining, fertile soil with a slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0–7.0). Broadcast seeds evenly over a prepared bed or sow in rows spaced 15–20cm (6–8 inches) apart. Thin seedlings to 10–15cm (4–6 inches) once established if growing to full heads, or leave closer together for continuous cut-and-come-again harvesting. Keep soil consistently moist — lettuce has shallow roots and does not tolerate drought. Days to baby leaf stage: 21–28 days. Days to full leaf: 45–60 days. Difficulty level: beginner-friendly.

Provide a light balanced fertiliser or side-dress with compost midway through the season. In warmer periods, use shade cloth or interplant with taller crops to delay bolting.

Harvest & Use

For baby leaf salad, begin harvesting when leaves reach 7–10cm (3–4 inches) tall by snipping with scissors just above the growing point — plants will regrow for multiple cuts over several weeks. For fuller leaves, harvest outer leaves as needed, leaving the centre to continue producing.

The blend offers a well-rounded flavour profile: mild and buttery notes from softer leaf types, a gentle bitterness from oakleaf varieties, and satisfying crunch from romaine-type leaves. The mix of colours — deep reds, lime greens, and speckled bronzes — makes for a visually striking salad bowl straight from the garden.

Use fresh in salads, wraps, and grain bowls, or as a bed for warm toppings. Lettuce does not store well once cut; harvest just before serving when possible. Unwashed leaves kept loosely wrapped in a damp cloth will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 2–3 days.

A single packet sown in succession every 2–3 weeks ensures a steady, uninterrupted supply of fresh salad leaves from spring through to early winter.