Cut-and-Come-Again Salad: Fresh Leaves for Months
Owen Petrakis · Oct 1, 2026 · 4 min read
Quick answer
One sowing of mixed salad leaves can be harvested three or four times. Here is how to keep a steady supply.
Bagged salad is expensive and wilts quickly. Growing your own cut-and-come-again leaves is cheap, fast, and needs only a window box or a shallow tray.
The trick is to harvest young leaves and let the plants regrow.
1 What to grow
- ✓Loose-leaf lettuces such as Salad Bowl and Lollo Rosso
- ✓Rocket, which grows very quickly
- ✓Mustards and mizuna for a peppery flavour
- ✓Spinach and chard for heartier leaves
- ✓Ready-mixed salad seed packets labelled as cut-and-come-again
2 Sowing
Fill a container at least 10 cm deep with multipurpose compost. Scatter seed thinly over the surface, cover lightly, and water gently. Keep the compost moist; seedlings usually appear within a week to ten days.
3 Harvesting
When the leaves are around 5 to 10 cm tall, cut them with scissors about 2 to 3 cm above the compost, leaving the growing points intact. Water and wait — they regrow within a couple of weeks. Most sowings give three or four cuts before they tire.
4 Keep a steady supply
Sow a new tray every two to three weeks from spring to early autumn so there is always one ready to cut. In hot weather, some leaves bolt (run to flower) and turn bitter; a slightly shaded spot helps in midsummer. Rocket, mizuna, and lamb’s lettuce are good choices for autumn and winter under cover.
This is general gardening information. Results depend on your climate, soil, and conditions. Follow label directions for any fertiliser or treatment, and check whether plants are toxic to pets or children before bringing them home.