Instead of growing lettuce in the garden I'll plant all the fixings I need for salads in pots or planters. This way I can get started earlier and be that much closer to an over flowing lettuce bucket.
Start with some good potting soil and start adding your fixin's....
First the celery...
Then some tiny basil that I started in trays...
These onions sets do great!
Green onions do great in planters - just pop a few in where ever you have room. I start these sets and can use them as "green onions" - even tho these are the red varieties.... or let them bulb out. This was one of my easiest and best strategies last year. You can also just cut the tops off the onions and let the bulbs get bigger - that works too.
I started these seeds in the planter because I just got them the other day.
And why not add some radishes! Have you seen this variety - Easter Egg Blend? They are absolutely lovely. I had in my notes from last year to get some - so I did.
Done! It doesn't look like much but once they are full they are beautiful. And tasty.
So why don't I just start seeds in the planters? A couple reasons... and all of them meow and hunt rats. Cats. I'm talking about cats. The barn cats think my planters are fantastic .... their own handy little litter boxes! Yep. And ew! So this early in the season I start everything in trays that I can cover and keep the barn cats out. As it was, yesterday our Shine, King of Barncats, was out there sitting on my trays. I gave him a scolding and sent him on his way.
Also if I start seeds in trays it's just that much easier to bring them inside if it gets too cold or too rainy - and if I need a bit of heat I can more effectively cover the trays then all my planters which are scattered around.
Here is one that I started last week - see how the onions are taking off and the lettuce is moving right along?
But does it work? Yep! Not only are they delicious they are absolutely beautiful have to have the garden. And no, it's not like everything is done at the same time - the radishes may or may not be ready when the lettuce is ready to be cut.... but it's fun to have everything in one place. I just go around to the different salad planters and get what I need.
Beautiful and tasty! And everything you need for a salad.
Having these little salad planters is really fun and handy. Sometimes it's quicker just to step outside into the kitchen garden to grab a handful of herbs or lettuce then to trudge all the way up to the upper garden where I'll have a bigger salad garden going soon. Anything to make it easier, right?
During the summer I'll just keep these salad planters going. I'll pop out the lettuce after several cuttings and start new ones... and then I'll make sure the basil doesn't go to flower. I just restart whatever I need. I think I had in my notes to get more onion sets to get some started for later towards the fall. I should get some today.
Happy Friday everyone - are you starting your kitchen gardens? Do you make salad bowl planters?
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3 comments:
I stop my cats from making a nice warm bed in my planters, by putting a few holly leaves on the top surface of the soil. Aren't I horrible? Works though!
no, not at all! i've heard of that - or rose clippings is supposed to work too - the stems with thorns on them.
:-)
This is a great idea, and one which I shall follow through with once the chickens are out of the courtyard otherwise they will rake up the planters, first to eat the seeds and then to use the soil as a dust bath. The chicken run is being started next week, and about time toooooo!!!
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