A crop focus on spectacular SPRING MIX

Added on 22 March 2023

Tags

What better time of year to try your hand at a growing spring mix than spring?

Spring mix is an excellent hydroponic starter crop. It grows abundantly and tends to have more airflow through it than lettuce.

You’ll get a variety of textures and colors that look beautiful on a plate.

Spring mix can be grown from premixed seed, or you can choose exactly which varieties are in high demand and mix the produce after harvesting. There are brassica mixes that stay fresh and crisp even longer than lettuce.

We typically grow the Cheap Frills mix from Johnny’s Seeds, it’s one of our favorites here at ZipGrow. Cheap Frills is a brassica mix that’s a little spicy, it includes red and green mustard, mizuna, and tatsoi; Brassica mixes are generally more resilient to temperature and humidity swings, whereas lettuce can be more likely to wilt. Other varieties we recommend (from the same supplier, Johnny’s Seeds) include Five Star, Rouge D’Hiver, Garrison, Deer Tongue, and Celinet.

Overall spring mix has a rapid turnaround rate and will give you a high volume per square footage of ZipGrow Tower space. If you grow commercially, spring mix can demand a higher retail price than head lettuce.

Step by step to spring mix success

Seeding

We recommended 10-15 seeds per plug; you don’t need to count them out, but ensure they are distributed over the surface of the plug and not down inside the dibble. Keep in mind overcrowding can cause congestion and mold issues and sometimes pest issues if there is not enough airflow and space between your plants.