Lefroy Valley welcomed growers to a week of field viewing, tasting and variety discussion.
During the week of 23 March 2026, Lefroy Valley was pleased to host growers for its annual Mixed Salad Field Days, showcasing a strong selection of commercial and up-and-coming salad lines. The display featured lettuce, spinach, rocket and babyleaf direct drill lines, giving growers the opportunity to compare varieties in the field and consider how they may perform in their own production systems.
Below: Daniel and Cameron from Perfect Produce at the Lefroy Valley field site
The 2026 season provided ideal growing conditions for the display, with minimal irrigation required. This allowed the trial block to present exceptionally well and gave visitors a valuable opportunity to assess plant habit, colour, leaf shape, texture, volume and overall field performance under favourable conditions.
Lefroy Valley is extremely grateful to Perfect Produce for once again providing the field site and for their ongoing care and maintenance throughout the growing period. This year, their support extended to helping at transplanting, which meant the crop did not need to be planted by hand as it has been in previous years — a welcome saving for the Lefroy teams backs. Thank you to Garry, Cameron and Daniel for your continued help and generosity.
The turnout across the week was excellent, and it was particularly pleasing to welcome growers from Leaderbrand, Southern Fresh, Fresh Herb and Salad, among others. Feedback from growers was extremely positive and enthusiastic, with strong interest in both established commercial material and the newer lines coming through the Lefroy Valley pipeline.
A highlight of the display was the chance to walk, look, feel and taste through the varieties in the field. Growers were able to compare the more buttery textures of new cos types with the fresh crunch of the cos lines, while also reviewing exciting multileaf material with oak-shaped leaves, strong volume and appealing presentation.
Lefroy is also known for high quality babyleaf spinach and with 39 varieties to showcase we have something to offer everyone. The spinach disease package for downy mildew resistance is rated from 1-20.
Paula’s favourite job is to taste the Diplotaxis rocket as the taste is exceptional.
Variety highlights
Above: LEG 4569 — High vigour Cos Crunch type for winter production which has a nice shape and good for sleeving
Above: LEG 3221 — An open mini Cos with exceptional uniformity and ability to hold in the field even under challenging conditions for Autumn, Winter, Spring growing.
Above: Flintstone — Provides a semi-savoy spinach with a very thick leaf and a very high leaf count for the shoulder period
Above: Amazonite — Provides a semi-savoy spinach with a very thick leaf and a very high leaf count slightly faster than Flinstone for the cool shoulder period.
Above: Diplotaxis HRD 5931— Had a fantastic taste, with a thick leaf and the ability for re-cuts
Above: LEM 4545— A vibrant red featuring a oak leaf shape and excellent volume
Above: Multired 187— Distinct red multileaf with high volume and uniform growth
The Field Days continue to provide an important opportunity for Lefroy Valley to meet growers in the field, understand what they are looking for in their businesses, and align variety recommendations with their production and market requirements. These conversations are invaluable, helping guide future trial work and ensuring the varieties being developed remain relevant to growers and their customers.
Paula
