How to Grow a Small Space Salad Garden
What could be easier than growing salad in a box? It’s one of my favorite ways to grow greens, herbs, strawberries, and any other shallow rooted kitchen garden veg — flowers included.
I’ve used the same set of pine, wine boxes as part of my container garden and they’ve held up beautifully for over 6 years! You would assume that, because they’re made of pine, they’d fall apart in one or two seasons, but they’re actually quite durable.
I currently garden in a 4 season climate, at the edge of USDA hardiness zones 9b and 10a, and leave my boxes out year round. They’re never weighted down with snow, but they do take a beating from winter rain, wind, and summer sun — and still my boxes push on. I stopped wondering when they’ll fall apart and now simply assume I’ll be planting in them for years to come. The best part is that I picked up my boxes at a garage sale for only $8 each. (Definitely one of the biggest returns on investments in my garden.)
If gardening in a cold climate and especially one with winter snow, I recommend bringing your boxes inside during colder months. If you have a sunny window or enclosed porch, you can easily continue growing your favorite edibles year round. Simply plant warm season greens like ‘Flashy Trout Back’ lettuce, mizuna, or even a mesclun mix in summer and switch to cool season greens such as tatsoi, mache, and mustards when temperatures drop.
Plant successionally every 3 to 5 weeks by direct sowing or use the steps in the video for a continual supply of greens. This works particularly well if you have 2 or 3 boxes or more.
Move them around as needed, shifting them out of intense summer sun, or moving them to the brightest, warmest spot in winter. Water them by hand, string them with irrigation, or place an olla in the center of the box before planting to make the job of watering carefree.
Watch the video for all you need to get started, check out the articles listed below for more helpful tips, and leave questions you might have below.
Other articles you might enjoy:
Transplanting Seedlings vs Direct Sowing
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About the Author: Emily Murphy
I do the same thing with three old apple crates now that the old wine crate I was using became an insect hotel in the corner of one of my gardens.
Hi Stan, great to see you on the blog! Thanks for writing! I have some old apple crates but have yet to plant in them. Do they get heavy? Please post a pic of your insect hotel on Twitter and tag me so I can see it. I actually have an insect hotel in a wine box but it’s waiting to be finished. Would love to see what you’ve done with yours for more ideas. Chat with you soon on Twitter. Happy Summer! Emily