[Bodmass]

I'm sowing a mixed continental salad collection that I'm not planning to allow to grow larger than 'baby leaf' (at least this batch).  The packet says to sow in rows 10" apart.

As I don't plan to allow the plants to mature do they need this much space?

I had thought of  just sprinkling over a small area rather than in rows & thinning out.  Assuming this is viable, how far apart need they be thinned?

As a supplementary, it will be OK to use the same patch of ground later in the summer for a 2nd sowing wont it?  I'm expecting to need to sow into the same area again about a month after final harvest & following a bit more bfb.

[gazza975526570]

i tend to grow in pots in the garden - then you have ready access to them.

I just sprinkle them in a pot - dont worry about the spacing and have two on the go so that when one pot is finished the other will be ready

Also they tend to go limp quickly so sowing in pots in the garden removes this problem as you can just pick and eat

same area will be fine

[JayG]

Don't see the point of sowing cut-and-come-again salads in rows - rather defeats the whole object of the exercise. 

I've grown all sorts of mixes over the years - I mix a bit of fertiliser into an area about a metre square, then a week or so later scoop off the top half inch of soil, scatter the seeds thinly, sieve the scooped out soil on top to cover, tamp with the back of a rake, then water.

You shouldn't need to thin unless your hand slipped when sowing! 

[Bodmass]

You shouldn't need to thin unless your hand slipped when sowing!  

I may be allowing 6 & 4yr old to sow for me  

edit: Also sadly the container-at-home method isn't going to work for me, I live in a flat

[digalotty]

i do the same as jayg but with my rocket ,   i plant up about 2 square feet and it keeps my sarnies topped up with that lovely peppery taste 

[Trillium]

I have cut and come lettuce that I merely broadcast seed over a specific area (not too large). Once they're growing, you can start by thinning some out. After a few weeks you can start picking off some leaves but leaving the stems or snipping them off in small scattered clusters. The snipping works easiest for me. By this method you can have the same patch growing until at least late August before they start bolting, which is pretty good for lettuce. But you must keep watering regularly and the snipping is best done in mornings.

Only ones I grow in rows are larger romaine types. I suspect the person who wrote the package instructions was sticking to a formulaic planting pattern.

[compostqueen]

You could make use of your windowsills Bodmass. You only need a full sized seed tray which is the size of a piece of A4 paper. I sow a tray every few weeks and they cut and come back about three times    You can do this with all sorts of veggies, beetroot, oriental veg, all manner of lettuces and chicories etc

[lazza]

My most successful crop every year. Planted my first seeds last week, and will plant a new pot every 2-3 weeks throughout the spring and summer and early autumn, then leave the last few pots to go to seed, collect the seeds, and start again... We end up with pots everywhere!!