Salad leaves

Joining in the 52-week salad challenge with Veg Plotting.  These are the salad leaf varieties I have in the seed box (an old shoe box); no idea how I come to have so many.  I am a real fan of growing salad leaves.  Initially when I started growing my own vegetables I thought they were too boring to bother with.  But I've since discovered that they are really quick and easy, and as we eat them every day they are well worth growing.  They really are the very best thing to start with when it comes to growing your own.  There is something for everyone, from ordinary butterhead lettuce to peppery rockets and lemony sorrel and blow-your-head-off mustards.  They don't take very long to grow, and quite often I squeeze them in where I can amongst the other vegetables. 

A bowl of different coloured leaves - light green, deep green speckled, burgundy red - scattered with whatever else you have to hand always looks lovely.  I add herbs - at the moment chives and parsley - and even chive flowers when they're available.

In the garden right now there is some of the chicory and a row of French Sorrel...

... and some of the Giant Red Mustards, which have a fantastic mustardy kick to them.

And I've just planted out some green oak leaf lettuce and these little mustards.

The only real problem I find is slugs.  And as far as I can tell no-one has the answer to that one.  I've been saving crushed eggshells all winter to sprinkle around the plants (slugs don't like the feel of it on their slithery little feet) and by the time summer arrives I should be armed with plenty of frogs (small boys notwithstanding), so all I can say is bring it on.