Seed leaf lettuce directly in the garden April 20 for a spring crop, and again August 1 for a fall crop. Space plants 2 in. (5 cm) apart. Head lettuce is more difficult to grow and is not recommended for inexperienced gardeners. For best results, start seeds indoors April 1 and transplant to the garden May 10. Space head lettuce 10 in. (25 cm) apart.

Seed endive directly in the garden April 20 for a spring crop, and again July 1 for a fall crop. Space plants 10 in. (25 cm) apart. Blanching endive will produce white leaves in the heart of the plant and prevent bitterness. To blanch a plant, tie the outer leaves up around the heart of the plant. Blanching takes about two weeks.

Celery requires a very long growing season and must be started indoors. Start seeds February 1 and transplant to the garden May 10. Space plants 15 in. (35 cm) apart.

Thinly seed parsley directly in the garden May 10. After growth begins, thin so the plants are 4 to 6 in. (10 to 15 cm) apart. Plants may be started indoors.

Note: Planting dates given are for the Northern US / Southern Canada area. Plant one week earlier or later for each 100 miles (160 km) of the border.

Watering is essential to successfully grow the salad crop. Their small, shallow root system cannot tolerate dry weather. They need at least 1 in.(2.5 cm) of water from rainfall or irrigation each week during the growing season. Always soak the soil thoroughly when watering.

There is little or no value in a light watering that only wets the surface of the soil. Lettuce, endive, and celery will be crisper if they are watered several days prior to harvesting. The leaves of lettuce and endive will be tough and the edges will turn brown if they do not receive enough water.

The salad crops are slow growing and they have small root systems, so they cannot successfully compete with weeds. Frequent, shallow cultivation will control the weeds and keep the surface of the soil loose. The roots of the salad crops are very close to the surface, so it is important to not cultivate too deeply.

Cultivate just deeply enough to cut the weeds off below the soil surface. Do not overcultivate. Unnecessary cultivation may dry out the surface of the soil.

Leaf lettuce can be harvested as soon as the leaves become large enough to use. You can remove the whole plant by cutting it off at or just below the surface of the soil. However, by removing only the outer leaves each time, the plant will continue to produce for a long time.

Head lettuce can be harvested before the head is well formed. Harvest by cutting the head off at or just below the surface of the soil. For best quality, lettuce should be harvested before the hot, dry weather causes it to become bitter.

Harvest endive when the plant reaches a usable size and after it has been blanched. To harvest, cut the plant off at or just below the surface of the soil.

Harvest celery as soon as it reaches a usable size. It does not have to be full grown. To harvest, cut the plant off below the surface of the soil. Celery harvested in hot, dry weather may be tough, stringy, and bitter.

To harvest parsley, pick only a few leaves from a plant at a time. Plants will produce for several weeks. In late fall you can dig up parsley plants and bring them indoors to produce fresh parsley during the winter.