There’s nothing better than picking fresh greens from your own garden to make a salad! When you grow your own salad greens, you can control the ingredients and harvest them at their peak for maximum flavor and nutrition. The best part is that many salad green varieties grow quickly, allowing you to go from seed to salad in just a few weeks.
If you want to enjoy homegrown salads all season long, here are seven fast-growing greens that are perfect for planting.
Arugula
Arugula is a leafy green with a delightfully peppery bite. It thrives in cool weather and reaches maturity in just 3-4 weeks from sowing seed. You can begin harvesting arugula leaves as soon as they reach 3-4 inches in height. Keep picking the young leaves, and arugula will continue producing all season long. This green adds a tangy flavor to fresh salads. It can also be used as a pizza topping or made into a flavorful pesto.
Lettuce
Nothing beats the taste of fresh lettuce picked straight from the garden. The trick is choosing lettuce varieties that grow quickly. Leaf lettuces like Black Seeded Simpson and Oakleaf can be picked in 4-6 weeks. Romaine lettuce matures in just over a month. Bibb lettuces also produce loose heads in under 6 weeks. Sow small batches of different lettuces every 2-3 weeks for continuous salad harvests. Crisp lettuce leaves are perfect for salads, wraps, and sandwiches.
Spinach
Spinach is one of the fastest-growing and easiest greens for a beginner gardener. It thrives in cool temperatures and partial shade. Most spinach varieties are ready to start picking baby leaves in just 3-4 weeks. For mature plants, you can begin harvesting leaves in as little as 25 days. Spinach has a short harvest window, so make successive plantings for a constant supply. Enjoy fresh spinach leaves in salads, smoothies, stir fries, and more.
Kale
As a superfood, kale packs a nutritional punch. Luckily, it also grows quickly and can be harvested multiple times. Dinosaur and Red Russian kale are especially speedy, ready for baby leaf harvests in just 4-6 weeks after planting. Pick kale leaves starting from the bottom of the plant, allowing the top leaves to continue growing. Kale adds nutrition and texture to fresh salads. It can also be eaten sautéed, baked into chips, or blended in smoothies.
Swiss Chard
With its colorful stems and tender greens, Swiss chard is one of the most versatile and beautiful salad ingredients. It thrives with average soil and full sunlight. Most Swiss chard varieties reach maturity 50–60 days from seeding. Pick outer leaves first, allowing inner leaves time to reach full size. Chard adds color and crunch to salads. The leaves can also be sautéed or used in soups and stews.
Radish Greens
While the root is edible, the leafy green radish tops are also very tasty. Radishes grow quickly in cool weather and full sun, ready to start harvesting in just 3-5 weeks. As you pull up each radish for the root, set aside the leaves. Radish greens have a tangy, mildly spicy flavor that adds a punch of flavor to fresh salads. You can also use them in pestos, stir fries, and other cooked dishes.
Microgreens
Microgreens are grown like sprouts but actually are tiny seedlings harvested when the first true leaves emerge. They are packed with nutrition and intense flavor. Many microgreen varieties are ready to snip in just 7–14 days, making them the fastest-growing salad green. Just sprinkle some microgreen seeds in trays and harvest the greens with scissors when they reach 1-3 inches tall. Microgreens make any salad look gorgeous while adding unique flavors and textures.
Conclusion
When you want to put together a quick salad with the freshest ingredients possible, these fast-growing greens make it possible to harvest salad fixings right from your own backyard. Try interplanting several varieties together, and in no time you’ll have the makings of beautiful mixed salad greens. With the right plants, you can grow salad greens as fast as you can eat them!
