This time of year, I am pouring over my many seed catalogs, looking for my tried and trusted seeds as well as new ones I might want to try growing. One thing that caught my eye this year was the multitude of salad blends seed packages being offered by seed companies. It has been several years since I have bought and planted salad blends, and unlike today, back then the selection was very scant. For those who do not know, a salad blends seed package is a package of seeds made up of several different kinds of lettuce.
Most seed companies will label their packages with the types of lettuce seeds they contain. However, some will not, only stating it is a Mediterranean or Japanese blend, leaving it up to the consumer to play the guessing game as to which lettuce seeds the package contains based on its name.
A few pluses to using salad blends is the seeds contained within the package are all planted at the same time, the same way and require the same amount and type of care. Not all lettuce seeds can be planted at the same time or together, so the blend does need to be right.
Another possible plus is you salad is already mixed for you. You just have to cut the many different varieties, which are all in one spot, wash them and eat. I do not consider this a plus, as I like to choose individual lettuce varieties to make up my salad. I am not a person who can eat the same salad mix every day.
Gardeners usually scatter the salad blends seeds by hand over an area in the garden, not a row. This makes them more colorful when they start to mature. If planting them in a row, you may have an uneven variegated line of different colored lettuce, which is not very attractive. It kind of looks as if some stray seeds was mixed in with the main lettuce seeds you were planting. The row might have one inch of a red lettuce, then two feet of green, then one foot of red, then six inches of a variegated variety, and so on.
Salad blends are great for gardeners who have limited time and space. They can be planted in large planters to be displayed on decks, balconies or patios and easily replaced with flowers when their growing season is over.
More articles from this contributor:
Springtime Gardening Information
Understanding Seed Catalogs for the Beginning Gardener
How to Use a Garden Seeder
Source: Personal Experience