Time to Plant the Salad Bowl!

One of my favorite spring activities is to plant the Salad Bowl.  The Salad Bowl is a huge planter that I sow several kinds of lettuce, spinach, kale, and swiss chard.  It is time to plant it and I am looking forward to eating fresh greens in a few weeks!

As I immerse myself in the joy of nurturing my home garden, I've also discovered that not everyone has the time to do it in a wonderful way. In addition to this, you can also consider taking a fruit and vegetable supplement like Vital Reds. a nutritional supplement that promises to help you manage your weight, relieve digestive problems such as bloating, enhance your skin, and boost your energy levels.

Tip #1  To speed up the process, I plant a few plants as well as seeds.  That way my crop is spread out and I get a longer run of greens.  Last year's crop was wonderful, as you can see in the picture below.

Tip # 2  Use good seeds!  This year we are planting using heirloom seeds that we purchased from the Missouri Botanical Gardens.  They have a wonderful seed selection and I am eager to see if we can tell the difference between the seeds we get at the Dollar Store and the seeds were purchased from MoBot. Getting an organic seed starter mix wouldn't hurt as well, giving your seeds vital nutrients to foster healthy growth.

Our selection includes:

Viroflay (spinach variety)
Mesclun (a mix of Buttercrunch, Black Seeded Simpson, Green Salad Bowl, Lolla Rossa, Red Oak Leaf and Rouge d'Hiver)
Wheatgreass
Salad Bowl Blend (says we can continue sowing and get a fall crop!)

Tip #3 We will plant 2 or so weeks before the last frost.  The soil does best when it is above 60 degrees. Sometimes we've guessed wrong about the last frost and still have had a good crop of greens. When someone tells me that they want to start gardening, this is what I tell them to start with! The seeds germinate quickly (usually within 5-10 days) and you can eat the ones that you thin out in a salad!

Here's what I use:

1 large garden pot (ours is about 18 inches in diameter)
filler for the bottom third, we used crushed plastic bottles and rock
good soil for the rest of the pot
seeds of your choice or you can use plants from the nursery

Tip #4  Move your pot where you want it.  Most salad greens like full morning sun and some shade in the afternoon. Place your filler in the pot.  If you want, lay a layer of newspaper on top.  Cover the newspaper with your soil.  Tamper the soil with a lid from a kettle.  Not too hard, but enough to get a firm layer of soil in the pot.  Plant your seeds to the depth recommended on the seed package. Lightly water with a spray bottle. Water with the spray bottle often, if you see the soil getting too dry, spray it down.  When the seedlings pop up, then you can spray it a little less often but still when the soil feels dry.  As the roots are established, you can start using the hose, on a spray setting.

Tip #5 When the little plants are about 4" high, you can start harvesting them, but I generally let mine grow to 6" and then I only take a few leaves at a time.  Once the garden is firmly established, you can take more and more!  I make salads, or when the greens are coming on heavily, I use them in my smoothies.  So good!

Let me know if you make a Salad Bowl Garden!  Can't wait to hear back from you.