Salad Garden

A salad garden puts crisp greens, colorful roots, and fresh herbs within easy reach for everyday bowls. It is productive in cool weather and simple to replant for a long harvest season.

What to grow in a Salad Garden

How to design it

Place this bed in full sun during spring and fall, with afternoon shade helpful in hot climates. Grow lettuce, arugula, and spinach in blocks, then tuck quick radishes and green onions between them. Put cucumbers on a trellis at the north side so they do not shade shorter crops.

Care through the season

Keep the top few inches of soil evenly moist, especially for greens and radishes. Mix compost into the bed before planting and use a light, balanced fertilizer if growth slows. Sow small amounts of lettuce, arugula, spinach, and radish every two to three weeks while weather stays cool.

Tips

Harvest outer leaves from loose-leaf lettuce and spinach so plants keep producing. Pick cucumbers often to encourage more fruit. Dill and parsley are easy companions for a salad bed, but let dill have its own small corner because it can grow tall.

General planning ideas for US home gardens; adjust plant choices to your climate, space, and local frost dates. Page updated Aug 4, 2026.