A very autumnal morning, with swirls of mist and a heavy dew. The outdoor lettuces will withstand some cold and even a touch of frost but there are salads to guarantee pickings throughout the winter and early spring.
If you don't have a polytunnel a cloche will provide some protection but under cover you should be able to harvest salads in all but the coldest weather. I was picking mixed leaves from early February this year, once the frost had left the polytunnel, and the lowest temperature I had recorded in the tunnel had been minus 19C.
Seeds of winter varieties of lettuce need to be sown now, I sow in a seed tray and prick out into modules. It enables me to grow good sized plants to plant out once space becomes available. Lambs lettuce can be sown direct as can rocket. Mizuna and spinach are extremely hardy and fast growing, again best sown direct, together with the different varieties of mustard.
Pak choi and other Chinese vegetables can also be sown now and I have found them capable of withstanding even the snow outside, though rather difficult to pick then!
Young kale leaves also make an interesting addition to salads, Red Russian, is probably one of the best and very attractive too. It gets my vote as one of the tastiest soft kales, with Black Tuscan being better for more robust cooking, stews etc.
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