9 easy salad greens to grow in fall (and pick all winter)

Most people think of salad as a summer crop, but many leafy greens actually prefer the cool, short days of autumn. In summer heat, lettuce and its relatives turn bitter and bolt. In fall they grow slowly and evenly, and the cold even makes some of them sweeter. With a little protection, you can pick fresh leaves from October right through to spring in much of the US and UK.

When to sow fall greens

Count back from your first fall frost date. Most of the greens below need four to eight weeks of growth before hard frost, so sow them from late summer to early fall:

• USDA zones 5–6: sow in August to early September.
• USDA zones 7–8 and most of the UK: sow from late August to late September.
• USDA zones 9–10: fall is your main salad season. Sow from September through November.

Not sure of your dates? Our seasonal gardening calendar shows the jobs for each month in your climate zone, and the free Vegetable Planting Calendar lists frost dates for every US zone and UK region.

1. Mizuna

Mizuna is a Japanese mustard green with feathery, mildly peppery leaves. It is one of the fastest salads you can grow: baby leaves are ready in three weeks, and plants regrow after cutting several times. It handles frost well and looks lovely in pots.

2. Lamb's lettuce (corn salad, mâche)

Lamb's lettuce forms small rosettes of soft, nutty leaves and is one of the hardiest salads of all, surviving well below freezing. Sow it in September for picking from November to March. It is slow at first, so sow plenty.

3. Endive

Endive comes in two types: frilly frisée and broad-leaved escarole. Both are slightly bitter and add crunch to winter salads. Blanch the hearts by covering plants with a plate for a week before harvest to make them paler and milder.

4. Radicchio

Radicchio turns deep red and white as nights cool, forming tight, bittersweet heads. Sow in midsummer for fall heads, or grow cut-and-come-again types for leaves. It is very hardy and often colors best after the first frosts.

5. Garden sorrel

Garden sorrel is a perennial with lemony, sharp-tasting leaves. Once planted, it comes back year after year and produces fresh leaves early in spring and again in fall. Use young leaves raw in salads or cook them into a classic sorrel sauce for fish.

6. Chervil

Chervil is a delicate herb with a soft anise flavor that hates summer heat but thrives in cool, damp autumns. Sow it directly where it is to grow, as it dislikes transplanting. Snip the leaves into salads, eggs and soups.

7. Scallions (green onions)

Scallions are ready six to eight weeks after sowing and take up almost no space. Sow a short row every few weeks for a steady supply, and choose hardy varieties for overwintering.

8. Garlic chives

Garlic chives are a perennial herb with flat leaves and a mild garlic flavor. A single clump will provide leaves for years. Cut them back to a few centimeters and they quickly regrow.

9. Watercress

If you have a shady, damp corner or a large container you can keep wet, try watercress. It loves cool weather and grows fastest in spring and fall. Grow it in a pot standing in a tray of water, and change the water often.

Tips for winter salad success

• Grow under cover. A cold frame, cloche, low tunnel or simple fleece (row cover) adds several degrees of protection and keeps leaves clean and tender.
• Pick little and often. Take the outer leaves and leave the center to keep growing.
• Water in the morning and only when the soil is dry. Wet leaves overnight invite mildew in cold weather.
• Sow in succession. A short row every two to three weeks keeps the harvest going.

Growth slows almost to a stop in the darkest weeks of December and January, but plants that are a good size by then will keep supplying leaves and burst back into growth as days lengthen in late winter.