Some other interesting, old fashioned and easy to grow choices include:
Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) also known as weeds. Yes, you can eat the dandelions growing in your lawn, providing you haven't sprayed them with anything. There are also cultivated varieties that are a bit less bitter. Be warned though, dandelions planted in your salad garden will spread just as heartily as dandelions in your lawn, if left to go to seed. But they are a great souce of vitamins and you can eat both the leaves and the flowers. The young leaves are the best choice if eaten uncooked.
Cress (Lepidium sativum) refers to a group of plants with tangy, peppery leaves. Of the four types--common, curled, broadleaf, and golden, the curled is probably most commonly grown. You might also see it listed as Normandy cress. This is a wonderful choice for short cool seasons. It germinates and grows very quickly. You can be harvesting in a couple of weeks. Harvest young, before the tanginess becomes overbearing.
Corn salad (Valerianella locusta), or Mâche, is one the milder alternatives. It actually has an almost nutty flavor. As with most salad greens, corn salad is a cool weather crop and may even over winter. The small, rounded leaves grow into a rosette shape and can be harvested whole or as cut and come again.
Radicchio (Cichorium intybus) has rapidly gained popularity on this side of the Atlantic. It's a type of chicory with red and white leaves that form a small head. The flavor is sweeter if grown in cooler temperature, but most have a sharp taste. The older varieties don't form a closed head, but the flavor is similar to today's hybrids.
For information on cultivation, check The
Grower's Guide to Growing Lettuce and for havesting information look
to Garden
Greens Can Be Customized To Taste.