456 - Endless Spring Salads: How to Plan Now
The Beginner's Garden with Jill McSheehy
Jill McSheehy
4.7 • 830 Ratings
🗓️ 27 January 2026
⏱️ 32 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Struggling with lettuce that bolts, turns bitter, or barely grows?
You're not alone—and you're not doing anything wrong.
In this episode, I walk you through how to grow salad greens for months using the right varieties, timing, and planting rhythm.
If growing your own salad greens has felt confusing or inconsistent, this episode will help you simplify the process. I break down the difference between lettuces and brassica greens, explain when to direct sow vs. start seeds indoors, and show you how I plan my plantings so I can harvest salads for weeks at a time.
Free Download: Spring Salad Garden Planning Calendar
Borrow my exact spring planting rhythm for salad greens—what to plant, when to plant, and how to adjust it for your climate.
👉 https://journeywithjill.net/gardening/springsaladgarden
Key Takeaways
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Why lettuce and brassica greens behave differently in your garden
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How planting variety extends your salad harvest
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When to direct sow vs. start lettuce indoors
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How seasonal temperature shifts affect flavor and bolting
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The importance of staggered planting for continuous harvests
Resource Links
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Spring Salad Garden Planning Calendar (free):
https://journeywithjill.net/gardening/springsaladgarden -
Friday Emails (newsletter):
https://journeywithjill.net/gardensignup -
Recommended Brands & Products:
https://journeywithjill.net/recommended-brands-and-products/ -
Amazon Storefront:
https://www.amazon.com/shop/thebeginnersgarden
Sponsor for This Episode
Organic Rev
I use Rev to support strong root development and healthy plants throughout the season. Use code JILL10 for 10% off.
👉 http://journeywithjill.net/organicrev
As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Disclaimer
Gardening advice shared in this podcast is based on my own experience in Zone 8a (Arkansas) and from the feedback I receive from others in different gardening contexts. Your results may differ depending on your location, climate, and growing conditions. Always check your local extension service or trusted resources for region-specific guidance.
Some links mentioned may be affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Well, hey there, and welcome to the Beginners Garden podcast. Today's episode is near and dear to my heart. |
| 0:06.6 | We're going to be talking about growing your own salad greens. Now, if growing your own salad greens is a goal for you this year, but you're a little nervous because you haven't quite mastered it yet, you are not alone. |
| 0:18.6 | Maybe in your previous attempts, you found that your lettuce seeds germinate |
| 0:22.5 | slowly or unevenly. Maybe growth is painfully slow or your salads bolt or become bitter just as you |
| 0:31.2 | start getting excited about them. And sometimes all of those things can happen in the same season. |
| 0:36.1 | Today, I want to help you avoid all of that so that you can harvest your salad greens for weeks and even months. The inspiration behind today's episode comes from Cheryl. She told me that she wants to harvest salad greens for as long as possible, but she's never been able to wrap her head around |
| 0:55.7 | how to make it happen. This has definitely been a skill that I've worked on perfecting over several |
| 1:01.8 | years myself, and today I'm going to share with you how I do it. Because let me tell you, |
| 1:08.3 | I eat salad every day and not having to buy it at the grocery store |
| 1:12.2 | not only saves me money, but it also serves as endless satisfaction in my garden. |
| 1:19.6 | But before we get started, two things, and this totally applies to you if you're wanting |
| 1:23.4 | to grow salads this year. The first thing is I'm going to be going live on Thursday, |
| 1:28.2 | January 29th. This is obviously going to affect you if you're listening to this in real time, |
| 1:33.9 | which is a great reason to be subscribed to the podcast so you can get these dropped in your |
| 1:38.0 | podcast players at the right time. But it'll be Thursday, January 29th at 1 p.m. on Facebook and YouTube central time and 1.30 on Instagram. |
| 1:49.4 | And what we're going to be talking about is the best varieties that I grow for spring, summer, and fall. |
| 1:56.2 | Because the thing that we're going to talk about later is a key for salad greens is to choose varieties |
| 2:02.3 | that are going to be most suited for different times of year based on the temperature. And it's |
| 2:08.0 | really not that complicated. So I'm just going to give you my favorites and you'll have a list to be |
| 2:12.1 | able to jot down. If you're still ordering seeds, you'll have some varieties and some ideas |
| 2:16.6 | to get you started. |
| 2:19.3 | Again, this is going to be this Thursday. |
... |
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