Week 5 · Plants

The salad bed as infrastructure

Edible Landscapes

A continuous-pick bed is not a single crop — it is a roster. Loose-leaf lettuce, rocket, mizuna, parsley, chives, and cherry tomatoes at the sunny edge supply daily meals without supermarket bags. Site within ten steps of the kitchen where possible; shade cloth in hottest districts extends leaf quality.

Plant for daily harvest

  1. Succession sow lettuce every three weeks

    Small batches — old plants bolt in heat; replace before bitterness wins.

  2. Herbs at arm’s reach

    Parsley, basil, mint in separate zones — mint contained in a pot or root barrier.

  3. Cherry tomatoes on the sun edge

    Indeterminate varieties need stake or cage; pick daily to keep plant producing.

  4. Cut outer leaves only

    Leave growing centres intact on loose-leaf types for repeat harvest.

Partial shade in hot inland districts reduces bolt — monitor afternoon sun.

Five-minute dinner: Pick a bowl of mixed leaves and herbs, halve cherry tomatoes, dress with olive oil and lemon — children can pick and wash while adults cook protein. No recipe app required.