The short answer
Salad leaves can grow in pots and window boxes. Choose a suitable container, sow lightly and keep checking moisture as the crop develops.
See the sourceIn this guide
Check your situation
- This guide covers salad leaves rather than every leafy vegetable.
- Check the packet for spacing and local sowing conditions.
- A larger suitable container dries more slowly than a small one.
What to do now
- Use an appropriate peat-free seed or multi-purpose mix.
- Sow thinly and thin seedlings according to packet spacing.
- Sow small successive batches rather than one large batch.
- Harvest outer leaves while retaining the growing centre.
What not to do
- Do not let young container crops repeatedly dry out.
- Do not apply a generic feeding schedule: these short crops usually need no additional feeding.
Do you need to buy anything?
A suitable window box may already be enough. Check drainage, accessible space and crop instructions before buying a new planter.
Keep going
Sources behind this page
- RHS: How to grow salad leavesUnited Kingdom. Baby and cut-and-come-again salads; calendar months are regional.Source checked 7 October 2026
- RHS: Growing plants in containersUnited Kingdom. Container principles; adapt dates and winter protection to local conditions.Source checked 7 October 2026
We summarise published guidance. We have not independently tested these methods or the products discussed.
AI-assisted editorial check: 7 October 2026. This is a source and clarity check, not a review by a horticultural expert.