Episode:#11 11/11/06
Presenter: Neville Passmore

When Neville was a lad, one of his jobs was to go out in the garden with a bowl and a pair of scissors and cut the salad greens; you can?t get freshness better than that. Greens are so easy to grow in the home garden that buying them is almost a sin.

So many of the salad ingredients grow really well in pots and you can place them right near the kitchen door for easy harvest. You don?t need a great depth in the pot as most of the leafy greens are very shallow rooted plants.

One of Yates Tuscan Bowls will do the trick as it has a wide mouth so you can jam plenty in! Fill it with a quality potting mix like Yates Dynamic Lifter mix which works well because it contains some extra organic fertiliser.

The best thing about leafy greens is that you can nip out and pick them leaf by leaf as you need them and the plant just keeps on growing. Feed them every week with some half strength, high nitrogen Thrive and they will grow so fast the leaves will always be sweet and tender.

Put a couple of chive plants in with the lettuce. Chives are said to drive away many insect pests and the leaves taste good snipped into salads or chopped up into egg dishes and they have a lovely subtle onion flavour. When the chives are in flower you can toss in the whole clumps of blooms as well and it looks sensational!

Speaking of flowers why not plant some nasturtiums in your mixed salad pot? You can either plant seedlings or sow seeds. Nasturtiums grow easily from seed and you can eat the leaves and flowers. Pick the leaves often, though, or they will smother your lettuce.

An attractive newcomer this year is the Limelight Basil. Again you can grow either seedlings or seeds. Limelight is the prettiest thing, with the serrated edges to the leaves. It has a slightly peppery basil taste. Basil is also said to keep away some insect pests.

If you do have insect problems the easiest way to get rid of them is with some Ready ?to-Use Pyrethrum. Shake well before you start, don?t spray when the weather is hot and don?t be too heavy handed. Pyrethrum is very low toxic so you can wash and eat your salad leaves after just one day.

Now you can go out and harvest the freshest and the best salad in town!

Featured Products

Yates Tuscan Bowls

• They have ample drainage holes.
• Made from UV-stabilised quality plastic (which means they last well outdoors). 
• Available in three colours: Caulfield Green, Sandstone and Terracotta.

Yates Dynamic Lifter Potting Mix

• Ideal for all potted ornamental plants and shrubs, as well as fruit trees, herbs and vegetables.  Can also be used as a garden soil improver.
• Based on natural, organic ingredients.
• Dynamic Lifter Potting mix will enrich and improve the growth of a wide range of container plants.
• Contains Dynamic Lifter Organic plant food to nourish plants & encourage beneficial soil micro-organisms and earthworms

Thrive Soluble All Purpose

• A fast acting, complete soluble fertiliser ideal for feeding a wide range or ornamental flowers, shrubs and trees as well as vegetables, herbs and lawns.
• Feeds through the foliage and roots.
• Specially formulated blend of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace elements to encourage healthy green foliage, flowers and fruiting.

Yates Ready to Use Pyrethrum

• Kills a wide range of insect pests on vegetables, flowers, ornamentals and indoor plants.
• Low toxic.
• Based on natural pyrethrum daisy extract.
• Fast knockdown of pests
• Non residual.
• Easy-to-use trigger pack - no mixing required, no mess.