Salad greens can be difficult to grow during the hot days of summer, but these greens can help you sail through hot days with fresh salad for the table.
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Here are some salad greens that are great to grow as the weather turns hot.
Summer is one of the best times to eat fresh salad. But in a garden full of tasty tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and other favorite salad ingredients, it can be difficult to grow the greens that are the basis of many of our favorite salad recipes.
It is usually best to grow lettuce and other types of salad greens are in cooler weather, such as that found in fall and spring. As temperatures rise, the plants tend to bolt and produce seeds. But with careful management, it may be possible to extend the growing season for these plants by providing water, shade, and growing heat tolerant varieties.
Here are some ideas for how to grow lettuce and other salad greens in summer, plus types of lettuce and greens that may grow well in a summer vegetable garden.
How to Grow Lettuce and Other Greens in Summer
Here are some tips for growing lettuce and other salad greens during summer.
- Choose heat tolerant varieties. Heat tolerant plant varieties may have more resistance to hot weather. Where other varieties of the same plants would bolt as temperatures rise, heat tolerant varieties may resist bolting and provide you with fresh greens for salads, sautés, and sandwiches for a longer time.
- Grow plants in containers. Growing plants in containers can make it easier to move plants around to capture morning sun, and then to move the plants into shade once the afternoon sun sets in. They also make a pretty patio or yard decoration, especially when growing greens with companion plants, like basil, rosemary, calendula, marigold, or chives in the same pot or container.
- Provide plants with plenty of water. Provide plants with plenty of water as temperatures rise. Mulch around the plants to help keep moisture in the ground.
- Fertilize plants. Provide plants with aged compost, organic material, or fertilizer that provide nutrients to help plants grow and make them more resilient to hot weather and other challenges.
- Provide shade. One of the best things about growing lettuce and other greens is that many of these plants only need a few hours of sun each day to be happy. That makes it easier when you need to protect plants from the hottest hours of the day by moving them to a sheltered location or by providing shade. Shade cloth is a great tool to have for blocking the sun’s rays and giving your plants a helping hand during the summer.
Heat Tolerant Lettuce & Greens to Grow
Here are some great lettuce and greens varieties to try to grow in a summer vegetable garden.
Heat Tolerant Lettuce Varieties
There are some lettuce varieties that are reported to be more heat tolerant than other varities. For example, Batavian and summer lettuces are known for having thicker leaves and more resilience to bolting. Providing lettuce with plenty of water and shade during the hottest parts of day can help lettuce plants to last longer as temperatures heat up.
- Bronze Arrow. A colorful lettuce with bright green leaves and red-tinged tips, Bronze Arrow lettuce is one of the best heat tolerant lettuces to grow during summer. This loose leaf lettuce is a California heirloom adds plenty of crunch to summer salads. Delicious, great yields, and slow to bolt are qualities that make Bronze Arrow lettuce perfect for growing in a summer garden.
- Cimarron. Cimarron lettuce is an heirloom lettuce variety that is known for being slow to bolt.
- Capitan. Capitan is a light green Butterhead lettuce that is adapted to growing in greenhouse conditions. Heat tolerant and ideas resistant, Capitan lettuce is perfect for adding a buttery flavor to salads.
- Jericho. Jericho lettuce is a tall and tasty, heat resistant romaine lettuce variety that is perfect for growing in the summer garden. This is a great variety for growing baby romaine lettuce for salad greens.
- Nevada. Nevada is a Batavian, or summer crisp, lettuce variety. It’s thick leaves are bolt and disease resistant and offer plenty of crunch for summer salads.
- Summertime Crisphead. Summertime is a delicious crisphead, or iceberg-type, lettuce that is fairly heat tolerant and resistant to bolting. It’s sweet, crunchy leaves are perfect for salads, wraps, and sandwiches.
Other Types of Heat Tolerant Greens
Many types of greens can handle heat and humidity well if you keep them watered and provide the plants with shade during the hottest parts of the day. Here are some other types of heat tolerant greens to explore.
- Amaranth. Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) is a great multi-purpose plant to grow in the garden. It’s tall stalks can provide smaller vining plants with support, while its leaves provide tasty greens throughout the summer. At the end of summer, many amaranth varieties produce a seed head that is popular with birds and people, alike.
- Collards. Collards are a popular, heat tolerant green that are great for braising, steaming, and sautéing. “Georgia Southern” is one of the best know collard varieties. “Green Glaze” collards are heat tolerant and resistant to cabbage worm pests. Baby collard leaves can be added to mixes for salad greens.
- Kale. Kale is one of the hardiest plants to grow in the garden. Many kale varieties grow well in cold weather and in hot weather. Lacinato kale (also known as dinosaur kale) and blue curled scotch are two varieties that grow well in warmer and in cooler weather. Tronchuda kale is also known for growing well in warm weather.
- Mizuna. Mizuna is a type of mustard that can sail through spring and summer in many places. Look for the “605 Summer” mizuna variety for better heat resistance.
- Red Malabar Spinach. Red Malabar spinach (Basella rubra) is not a true spinach, but it is one of the more heat tolerant salad greens that you can grow. This red-stemmed vining plant with succulent leaves also adds color and beauty to the garden. Use red Malabar spinach leaves for salads, sandwiches, stir fries, and sautés.
- Sweet Potato. The leaves from edible sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) varieties can be eaten, and are sweet and tasty like the vegetable itself. Sweet potatoes thrive in hot weather, especially if they are well watered. If you grow sweet potatoes, then you may be able to harvest a few leaves occasionally to add to sautés and other summer recipes. Leave at least two-thirds of the leaves behind so that the sweet potato tubers will continue to grow.
- Swiss Chard. Like kale, Swiss chard is a versatile and hardy plant that can grow well under numerous adverse conditions. “Perpetual Spinach” is a particularly popular choice for summer, with good flavor and heat tolerance.
- Tatsoi. Provided with plenty of water and shade, tatsoi is a great choice for growing greens in summer gardens.
This post was all about growing heat tolerant lettuce and salad greens in summer.
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- Photo by Benjamin Lizardo / Unsplash
- Photos are for illustrative purposes only.