Organic Oriental Mix

Oriental Mix
Latin name Brassica rapa, juncea, chinensis and Eruca sativa
Approximately 400 seeds per packet

Oriental vegetables have revolutionised winter salad production. As their name suggests they come from China and Japan. Being brassica, or cabbage family, the plants are very cold tolerant making them ideal for our autumn and winter months. It also means that some of the varieties have that hot, mustard kick to them. The variation in leaf, colour, shape and texture make them perfect for mixed salad and they are very quick growing too. Most varieties are cut and come again salads while some can also be stir fried.

This gardener’s mix of oriental salads contains 5 or 6 varieties giving a range of colours and leaf shape. The mix also includes rocket. The varieties do change from time to time but it always gives an interesting and varied mixed saladini. The mix is ideal for cut and come salad that you can succession sow and crop from April until October.

How to grow:
Sow March until September in open ground. Prepare the soil and sprinkle the seeds over or grow in drills. Thin as necessary. You can use the thinnings in salad or as garnish. Plants may bolt in very hot weather so you may need to avoid mid summer sowings. Later sowings can be grown undercover.
Harvest young leaves three to four weeks after planting and cut larger leaves frequently as required.

Pests and diseases:
Protect the plants from slugs with an environmentally friendly method. Flea beetle may also be a problem. You can protect the plants from flea beetle using fine mesh.

How to cook:
Oriental mix will give you a ready made mixed leaf salad which will look good and taste good too. The varieties are all quick growing and you can continue to harvest leaves for many weeks but sow another patch before you have exhausted the first one for continual supply.