[Online Course]
How to Grow
Amazing Salads
in containers!
Learn to Grow Nutritious Salads Bursting with Flavour on your Balcony, Patio or Rooftop.
And put an end to limp, shop bought salad!
Why grow salad in containers at home?
Home grown salad can be a revelation. It is bursting with flavour, and there is a huge variety of different salad leaves, salad herbs and edible flowers that grow well in containers.
Salad in the shops, on the other hand, is often expensive, loses flavour and nutrients quickly in the fridge, and usually comes in plastic packaging. There’s no way of knowing when it was harvested, how far it’s travelled to reach you, and what kinds of chemicals or cleaning processes it’s been exposed to. There’s limited choice in terms of quantity and variety.
Growing salad at home guarantees that it’s fresh - and you know exactly what has gone in it. You can harvest as much or as little as you need. You can grow unusual, delicious varieties that are almost impossible to buy – like sorrel, New Zealand spinach and edible flowers.
It’s also not difficult to grow. It thrives in containers, only needing three to four hours of sun a day to do well, and can be grown and picked most of the year round in temperate climates. Salad leaves and edible flowers can also look very attractive when growing in containers - as well as on your plate.
All in all - if you enjoy eating salad - it's a perfect choice for container gardening in a small space.
This course will teach you everything you need to know to grow your own amazing salads in containers.
What you'll learn
This is a practical gardening course with an emphasis on growing a variety of the best and tastiest salads - from rocket / arugula to herbs like oregano and basil to edible flowers like nasturtiums.
I will encourage and support you to start growing as soon as the course starts in late April (I'll send you a seed list before we start). With its long days, May is a peak time for salad growing, before the heat of summer. We then reconvene in early September - another peak time for salad - to sow more leaves to last through the the autumn / fall and right into winter and spring the next year.
Grow the best!
We'll start by growing some of the best leaves for bulk including lettuces, rocket / arugula, and pea shoots. plus spring onions / scallions & radishes; mint, chives, coriander & parsley, orach and nasturtium flowers for colour and flavour.
Develop your growing skills
You'll learn how to sow, water, feed and harvest salads - and how to space them for optimal harvests. You'll also find out how to re-use the same potting mix to grow salads multiple times.
Explore the unusual
I'll show you how to grow some of the more unusual and tasty salads that are rarely seen in the shops including sorrel, purslane, society garlic, land cress and Scot's lovage.
Autumn / fall & winter salads
In September, we'll sow fast growing, cold hardy salads, including lambs lettuce, land cress and mustards - and look at tips for cool weather growing.
Texture, colour & flavour
We'll discuss herbs to add flavour, salads to add texture and pretty leaf shapes, and edible flowers for colour.
Making and eating salad
We'll share ideas for tasty salad dressings, and our favourite salad ingredients and recipes.
How the Course Works
- You'll get a seed list before the course starts - so you can be ready to grow.
- Two Zoom lessons in late April / early May will give you all the information you need to start growing successfully, including time for your questions. If you are unable to join live, you can watch the recording anytime.
- Over 30 'How to' videos, filmed in my container garden, will show you step by step how to sow, grow and pick the best salad leaves, herbs and edible flowers.
- You grow! - and put into practice what you've learnt, with the option to post photos and share your progress - or ask questions - in our online community.
- Zoom lesson in September: to discuss what and how to grow in the autumn / fall, and for you to share your progress so far and / or ask any further questions.
Course Dates
Each Zoom lesson is repeated at three different times.
Join live - or watch the recording anytime.
Session 1
- Tuesday 29 April, 1pm BST/ 7am CT
- Tuesday 29 April, 7pm BST / 1pm CT
- Saturday 3 May, 3pm BST / 9.00am CT
Session 2
- Tuesday 6 May, 1pm BST / 7am CT
- Tuesday 6 May, 7pm BST / 1pm CT
- Saturday 10 May, 3pm BST / 9.00am CT
Autumn / Fall Session
- Wednesday 3 September, 1pm GMT / 7am CT
- Wednesday 3 September, 7pm BST / 1pm CT
- Saturday 6 September, 3pm BST / 9.00am CT
By the end of the course:-
- You'll know the ins and outs of all kinds of salads, from easy-to-grow ones to unusual ones.
- You'll have grown your own salads over the summer and sown some ready for the autumn.
- You'll feel more confident about growing and diversifying your salads for next year.
[Online Course]
How to Grow
Amazing Salad
in containers.
Learn to Grow Nutritious Salads Bursting with Flavour on your Balcony, Patio or Rooftop.
Cost: £75 or 3 monthly payments of £25
What you will grow - a rainbow of salads!
I'll tell you more about a wide variety of salads, helping you to pick and choose those you most want to try first - and identifying others you can try in the future.
You'll learn about salads you can grow for:
- Staples. Tasty leaves you can grow in bulk and use as the base of your salad. These include lettuce, pea shoots, and rocket / arugula.
- Flavour. Herbs and leaves to add a flavour or a spicy kick to your salads, including spring onions / scallions, mint, coriander, chives, mustards and sorrel.
- Colour. Make eye catching beautiful salads by adding edible flowers like Nasturtiums and Society Garlic, and colourful leaves like Orach Scarlet Emperor.
- Unusual. Many tasty leaves and edible flowers are easy to grow but almost impossible to buy. I'll show you things like Scot's Lovage, New Zealand Spinach, Landcress, and Bucks-horn Plantain (popular in Tuscan salads!).
- For hot weather. Some salads grow better in hot temperatures than others, I'll show you which.
- For cool weather. I'll show you which salads can survive frost to grow in autumn and into winter.
Meet Mark, Your Tutor
I started growing salad on my balcony back in 2009. I quickly became a convert and soon found we were eating a home grown salad nearly every day. I was amazed at how much better they tasted than anything from the shops - and I loved the huge diversity of leaves and flavours that home growing enabled.
Over the years I have experimented with growing well over sixty different salads leaves, and continue to try new ones to this day.
I have extensive experience of growing in containers in small urban areas - first on a balcony and window sills in London, and then in various rental properties, and currently in a front yard in Newcastle upon Tyne, North England.
I've been teaching container gardening since 2010, running workshops and giving talks all over the UK - including for Kew Gardens, Hampton Court Flower Show, and Garden Organic.
My book, the Vertical Veg Guide to Container Gardening, won the 2023 award for the Best Practical Gardening book. The judges praised it as 'very accessible' and the 'most comprehensive' guide they had seen.
I love sharing my passion and learning with others - and I'd love to help you grow sensational salads!
Frequently Asked Questions
How much sun do I need to grow salads successfully?
You need at least three hours a day in the summer. If you have less than three hours sun, I recommend trying microgreens first.
How much time do I need to do the course?
You'll need about an hour a week during May to watch the videos and attend the Zooms. You will also need time to collect what you need and sow your seeds - and a few minutes each day for watering. Salad is more work to grow than say Mediterranean herbs, but also more productive - it's one of the best ways to make the most of a small space.
Can I grow salads inside?
Yes you can, and many of the principles I teach in this course will apply. However, you may be better off looking for a course that is tailored more specifically to indoor growing (this one isn't).
How much experience is needed to take the course?
The course is for anyone who wants to grow a significant amount and variety of salad in containers. It's appropriate for both complete beginners and those with some previous growing experience who now want to create a productive salad garden.
“Well structured presentation, kept simple, beautiful and inspiring photos – and absolutely encouraging.”
Heike
Online Introductory Workshop for Bio Balcony in Germany
“I have just watched the workshop and it was fantastic!
Really well done, Mark. Very informative and extremely helpful going forward”
Joy
Online Workshop for Capital Growth in London
“As a recent convert to balcony gardening, Mark provided an analytical structure that I am confident will help me to take my growing to the next level. Not only wonderfully clear but the session was also presented with a wonderfully engaging and unassuming personality!”
Matt
Workshop at Regents Park Allotments, London
[Online Course]
How to Grow
Amazing Salads
in Containers!
Learn to Grow Nutritious Salads Bursting with Flavour on your Balcony, Patio or Rooftop.
Cost: £75 or 3 monthly payments of £25