It’s the time of year when you might see gaps in your vegetable garden. Maybe a broccoli plant died or the beets have been harvested. Make the most of that space by planting a few salad greens, which are more tolerant of shade from neighboring plants.
Lettuce seedlings are tucked into an open strip along a raised bed.
It’s the time of year when you might see gaps in your vegetable garden. Maybe a broccoli plant died or the beets have been harvested. Make the most of that space by planting a few salad greens, which are more tolerant of shade from neighboring plants. Here are a few techniques to try:
- Check your local nursery for starter plants and tuck them into gaps.
- Use the unoccupied space as a “nursery” to sow some seeds. If weather conditions are right, you might return a few weeks later to find a dozen or two seedlings ready to be transplanted.
- Sow seeds right in a bed where you want them to grow. If you sow every week or two, you’ll have plenty to eat.
More Information
How to Grow Salad Greens All Year: By planting continuously and thinking creatively about how to establish microclimates, it’s surprisingly easy to eat beautiful, delicious, home-grown salads almost every day of the year.
Double Your Harvest with Second Plantings: Learn how “succession planting” makes the most of your growing season.
I like to plant swiss chard in my yard as a filler. It grows so easily from seed and it is pretty and tasty!
Great to see others using lettuce, chard, etc. as a filler.I have been using lettuce as a fun filler in the veggie, flower and kid’s garden and couldn’t do without it now.