Spring is here! Gardeners everywhere rejoice as it's time to start planning what you'll grow this year and start sowing your seeds if you haven't already! What veggies do you plan on growing this year? Are you going to grow the classics? Tomatoes, Corn, Beans, Brassicas, Carrots, Squash, Herbs, etc.? Or maybe you'll change it up and grow Edible Flowers or Unique and Exotic veggies? And of course, we can't forget about Lettuce, Kale, and Spinach! If you are particularly excited to grow vegetables for fresh, tasty salads, you'll be excited about our new 9 variety Salad Garden Seed Set, which is due to be released in the next week or two! Yum!
We've put each Salad variety below and a little bit about their characteristics, so you know what you'll be munching on in a few months!
Bibb Lettuce: This is a smaller variety of Butterhead Lettuce family. It's a tender green that melts in your mouth like butter, making it hard not to eat right out of the garden! It has good heat resistance also! Bibb Lettuce was developed from Boston lettuce in the 1850s by John Bibb.
Red Lettuce: Favored since it has a long leaf production and does not bolt as easily as other lettuces. The leaves' edges start out bright red to dark burgundy and fade inwards to a white or light green stalk. The leaves have a mildly sweet and earthy flavor and can also get a more bitter, hazelnut-like flavor as it matures.
Bloomsdale Spinach: This is a large, spreading super-food that has crinkly kelly-green leaves with a robust nutty flavor. Although it prefers to be grown on the cooler ends of the growing season ( spring and fall), it does have some heat tolerance. It won't bolt as easily as other Spinach varieties making it a winner to grow in your garden!
Oakleaf Lettuce: This medium to large-sized lettuce gets its name from its lobed leaves that resemble an oak tree leaf. It grows to have a loose rosette appearance with a curly top. Their appearance has offered the use for edible landscaping, as they can come in many colors. Oakleaf Lettuce has a crisp, firm texture and has a mildly sweet, nutty taste. The older the leaves get, the more bitter they become.
Iceberg Lettuce: Has medium to large leaves that are thick, crisp, and have high water content. This gives it a mildly sweet, crunchy, and juicy texture and flavor. It was originally named "Crisphead Lettuce," but in the 1920s, California growers discovered that they could prevent it from wilting by covering the lettuce in crushed ice. Hence the current name.
Prizehead Lettuce: This is a loose-leaf lettuce that produces curled leaves that are bright green and blushed with maroon tips. The leaves have a tender yet crisp texture and boast of a buttery flavor that is mildly sweet. A good garden choice as it produces quickly but bolts slowly if the weather/heat is not too intense.
Red Russian Kale: Can be easily identified by its gaudy-colored burgundy stems and purple-tinted leaves. The oakleaf-shaped leaves are also blanketed in a silver-gray overtone. This kale has a hearty texture, with a mildly nutty flavor with hints of sweetness and earthy.
ButterCrunch Lettuce: This is one of the most popular of the Butterhead Lettuce varieties. Its leaves are tough and crisp and have a luscious buttery flavor. The flavor will stay milder and not become bitter as quickly as other varieties.
Romaine Lettuce: It is believed to one of the oldest varieties of lettuce in the world! The leaves are dark green with white "ribs" and grow smaller and paler towards the plant's heart. Romaine has a crunchy, succulent texture with a mild, slightly bitter taste.
That's the scoop on our upcoming Salad Garden Seed Set! We hope you are as excited to grow and eat these greens as we are! Want to check out our current Garden Kits? Click here to shop on Amazon, or visit www.shopgardenrepublic.com.
Need instructions for your Salad Garden Seed Set? You can download the Advanced Planting Guide Here! If you have any questions or need help with our products, please email us at wecare@shopgardenrepublic.com.
