Hot Weather Micro-Greens

An Assortment of Micro/Baby-Greens

Normally I don't plant salad greens from May until October as they don't tolerate the 85+ degree temps and the intense summer sun. The hot sun stresses the seedlings and that attracts white flies and leaf miners that suck the pigment from the leaves. Also, many salad greens bolt early or become bitter when grown in the heat.

This summer I trialed some of my more heat tolerant salad green seeds, sown densely as micro/baby-greens, and planted in diffused light conditions. They had a few hours of sun in the early morning, diffused light and shade the remainder of the day. Surprisingly, some of the seeds I trialed grew well and weren't bitter when harvested as baby greens.

Green Romaine

Seeds that grew well as micro and baby greens during the summer
in diffused light conditions:
Arugula

Celery

Chard

Chijimisai

Green Romaine
Komatsuma

Mibuna
Mizuna
Osaka Purple Mustard
Tango Oakleaf
Tatsoi

Wasabina

Summer Solstice

From seeds to baby salad greens within 30 days.

Any type of celery works as a micro-green - it isn't bitter in the seedling and early stages of growth. Celery takes 2 to 3 weeks to germinate and is very tiny at first. I planted it

separately from the other greens.

The chard I planted was Flamingo - a small pink heat tolerant variety.

I grew the greens in containers under a trellis that covers the lanai on the east side of my house. I mix Black Gold Earthworm Castings, or an OMRI fertilizer and Green Sand

into the potting soil. Green sand isn't necessary for growth but I use it to

to add minerals to the soil. Hopefully it adds minerals to the leaves.

I watered predominately in the evening to cool the soil at night.

The seeds were sown as a mix and also in sections since some grow faster then others. The leaves had minimal insect damage and in 3 weeks were large enough to start cutting for salads. I start a new container every 3 weeks to have a continuous harvest through

the summer. As I trial other seeds I'll update this seed list.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and Etsy are good sources for reasonably priced seeds. 

Another good source, especially for sprouts and growing indoors, is True Leaf Market

If you aren't a fan of spicier greens you might want to avoid the 

mustard greens and arugula unless they're noted to have a mild flavor.

Beautiful salads featuring micro-greens:
A New Meaning to "Garden Variety"