Organic Farmer Network: Network Discussion Summary

Topic: Salad Mix

Cathy noticed in the Wiediger’s video [click here for video details] that they use scissors to cut their lettuce mix. She asks, “How did you settle on that method? We tried a few years ago to use scissors, but we went back to using knives or our ‘knuckle knives.’”

Wiedigers reply: “I think our method for sowing mesclun dictates how we harvest it. We sow it in wide beds, either 6 rows in a 36" bed or 8 rows in a 42" bed. 4 lines of drip tape with a "furrow" to either side of the tape. I run an Earthway Seeder down each side of the drip tape, making a "furrow" - really just a compressed soil area that is the width of the wheel (about 2" wide). Then we come back and heavily seed the mesclun in this band. We sow a blend of lettuces (varies by season) followed by individual sections of various greens such as arugula, red russian kale, tatsoi, mizuna, green and red mustard, bulls blood beet and Dark Lolla Rossa. Spring and fall, first harvest occurs 21 days after sowing. Aisles between the beds are 15" wide. I push a plastic bin, usually a 29 quart capacity, down the aisle. Since the mesclun is grown in a band, I just wrap my hand around it and cut with the scissors. That way, I catch 99% of the lettuce leaves. I like both the quantity I can cut and the control I get with scissors. Perhaps that is because I have small hands. If you cut too much, some of the leaves fall back into the row and this causes a problem with future harvest. When the bin is almost full, I harvest a comparable percentage of greens and layer them on top of the bin. A bin will hold 3-1/2 to 4 pounds of mesclun and can be harvested in about an average of 8-12 minutes. Depends on how heavy the seeding and how weed free. This past week, a 84 foot long, 6-row sowing of mesclun gave us little over 24 pounds. Regrowth occurs within 5-7 days for the next harvest. During the fall/winter and early spring, we plan on usually 4-6 harvests per bed before quality drops off. After harvesting, the bins are placed in a refrigerator to "crisp", then washed and spun dry in a commercial salad spinner, bagged and returned to the fridge until packed out for sale in either 1 or 2 days. Our customers tell us that the shelf life of our mesclun is typically 2 weeks, although we have been told that some have eaten it after it has been harvested for 3 weeks. The bags we use are the gallon size purchased from Dollar General store or similar. Cheap. 60 bags for $1 We do NOT seal the bags. Bags hold 1/2 pound. We sell our mesclun for $4.50 per half pound or $8.00 per pound. Most weeks we sell out of mesclun. The vast majority of our customers purchase either mesclun or lettuce from us. I can't get over how some of them buy. One single mom with 1 child at home buys 1-1/2 to 2 pounds of mesclun every week!”