When to Plant Salad Mix
Salad mix is a half-hardy cool-season vegetable. It takes light frosts but not a hard freeze.
Sow it outdoors from 4 weeks before the last spring frost to 3 weeks after it. For a fall crop, sow 4 to 8 weeks before the first fall frost. The first harvest comes about 25 to 40 days after sowing.
Example dates
The same rules in dates for three climates, using typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
| Task | Last frost Mar 15first Nov 15 | Last frost Apr 15first Oct 25 | Last frost May 15first Sep 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sow outdoors | Feb 15 – Apr 5 | Mar 18 – May 6 | Apr 17 – Jun 5 |
| Harvest | Mar 12 – Apr 2 | Apr 12 – May 3 | May 12 – Jun 2 |
| Fall: Sow outdoors | Sep 20 – Oct 18 | Aug 30 – Sep 27 | Aug 5 – Sep 2 |
| Fall: Harvest | Oct 15 – Nov 5 | Sep 24 – Oct 15 | Aug 30 – Sep 20 |
Growing salad mix
Scatter seed thickly in a band and cut leaves 3-4 inches tall, leaving the crowns to regrow.
- Spacing: 1 in apart, in rows 6 in apart. In a raised bed, 16 per sq ft at square-foot spacing.
- Days to harvest: 25 to 40 from sowing, then about 3 weeks of picking.
- Successions: sow again every 14 days for a steady supply. See succession planting.
- Traditional companions: green onion, onion (bulb), parsley, radish. See companion plants for salad mix.
Plan your beds with these dates
Draw your beds, tap squares to plant salad mix and everything else, and get every crop's dates for your ZIP code in one calendar. Free, in your browser.
Open the garden plannerQuestions
Can salad mix go in before the last frost?
Yes. Salad mix is half-hardy: sow it from 4 weeks before the last spring frost to 3 weeks after it.
How long does salad mix take to grow?
About 25 to 40 days from sowing to the first harvest, which then lasts about 3 weeks. Varieties differ: check the seed packet.
Can I grow salad mix in fall?
Yes. Sow 4 to 8 weeks before the first fall frost. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
How often should I sow salad mix?
Every 14 days or so for a steady harvest, until the last sowing that still ripens before your first fall frost. The planner works that date out for your ZIP code.
More planting dates
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, by station: freeze dates at 32 °F)
- Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech: Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant (426-331 / SPES-673P, 2025)
- University of Maryland Extension: Vegetable Planting Calendar for central Maryland
- Iowa State University Extension and Outreach: Vegetable Planting and Harvesting Times (chart, central Iowa)
- UC ANR Master Gardeners: Adding Green to Your Garden Right Now (Master Gardener column, 2023)
- N.C. A&T State University Cooperative Extension: Five Veggies You Can Grow at Home