How-to Guide
How to Harvest Cut-and-Come-Again Greens
The short answer
Cut-and-come-again harvesting lets you take leafy greens repeatedly from one sowing. For a thickly sown bed of lettuce and salad greens, cut the plants right above ground level with sharp scissors when they are about 6 to 10 inches tall; watered and fed, they regrow and are ready to cut again in two to four weeks, sometimes a third time.
For chard, kale, collards, and similar greens, harvest individual outer leaves instead of the whole plant, taking them at a usable size and leaving the center to keep producing.
Cut-and-regrow salad beds
- 1Sow thickly — Broadcast a mix of salad greens over an area for continuous cutting.
- 2Cut above the base — When plants reach 6 to 10 inches, cut just above ground level with sharp scissors.
- 3Water and wait — Keep watered and fed; expect a second cutting in about 2 to 4 weeks, occasionally a third.
Pick-outer-leaf crops
Swiss chard, kale, and collards regrow from the center, so remove individual outer leaves with scissors or pruners at a usable size (chard from about 4 to 12 inches) and leave the growing point intact.
✔ Harvesting outer leaves and leaving the crown keeps these plants producing new leaves for weeks.
Sources
Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.
- University of Maryland Extension — Harvesting Plants Grown in Salad Tables or Salad Boxes — Cut greens above ground level at 6-10 inches; they regrow for a second cutting in weeks.
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC — Arugula, Kale, Mesclun, Mustard, and Swiss Chard — Harvest chard and other greens as individual leaves in a cut-and-come-again method.
- Utah State University Extension — Leafy Greens Harvest and Storage — Leafy greens can be cut and will regrow for repeated harvests from one planting.