The Summer Salad Bowl

Salad in a bowl or basket.

The Summer Salad Bowl

I have wonderful friends who are always sharing great ideas. Last summer, one of those friends shared she was growing a salad bowl. She was not filling a salad bowl with greens instead, she was growing her salad in a bowl. A huge outdoor metal bowl, to be exact. Spinach, kale and a variety of lettuces filled her bowl.

The nice thing about growing your greens in bowls is that you can move them around the garden as needed. The greens are squeezed in the bowl and so there is less room for pesky weeds. When the lettuces bolted, she would cut them back and a new crop would grow.

I was so excited about this idea that I’ve decided to grow my own salad bowls this year. Here are some tips on getting started if you want to join me.

Leafy lettuce grown in container.

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Tips for starting your own Salad Bowl….

  1. Your bowl needs to be large enough so that the roots have room to grow, but not so large that it’s too heavy to move. I’ve been looking at galvanized containers that are normally used for ice and beverages.
  2. Drill a few holes in the bottom of your “bowl” so that excess water can drain out.
  3. Fill your container with potting soil/garden soil mix about two-thirds the way full.
  4. Choose the type of greens that your family enjoys, such as spinach, kale, red leaf and green leaf lettuces, chard, mesclun, or any other leafy varieties.
  5. Leafy greens are pretty easy to grow from seed so there’s no need to buy expensive plants. Just purchase a few seed packets. Then plant the seeds closer together than they normally would be.

Galvanized container filled with lettuce.

Growing leafy greens is a great way to add vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin A, C and K, calcium, potassium and even iron into your diet. Eating them fresh from your garden assures you they are high in nutrients and quality. Growing your greens in a salad bowl is a fun and easy way to add these healthy and nutritious vegetables to your family’s diet.