Salad Table

[Hiedi]

I was just wondering if anyone has ever tried using a salad table? I think the salad table would be a neat way to grow certain vegetables that do not have a deep root like leaf lettuce and spinach, especially with limited space. Someone on another forum that I know was very successful using her version of a salad table.

One of my goals is to figure out how to keep growing lettuce and spinach as long as possible throughout the year. I love salad! We really enjoyed some great salads earlier when the weather was cooler. My problem now is the heat because I live in SC.

This spring, we built two platforms out of pressure treated lumber for my pots to sit on, which elevated the containers to about waist high. The platforms are sturdy but still small enough to be moved (with two people) to different parts of the yard as the weather changes. One of those platforms I have in full sunlight with jalapeno peppers growing in containers; they seem to be thriving in the heat. However, today we moved the other platform under a tree for more shade, but it will get some sunlight in the morning. I planted some more spinach, lettuce, and radishes in those containers. Hopefully this will work, and I will be eating fresh lettuce and spinach again that I have grown myself. I am using the same principle as the salad table but with containers instead, although I still want one of those salad tables. Here is the link:


Salad Table

 

[OkieAnnie]

Looks pretty neat. I think it sounds like a great idea. We are going to try a cold frame to grow spinich and a few types of lettuce through the winter. I have a few friends that have been successfull in growing all winter that way here.

 

[Hiedi]

I was looking around my house for some other things that I could use for a salad table. I remembered that we have a table that sits outside in the backyard that is made out of scrap lumber, and I also have some cat litter boxes that I bought at the Dollar Store. I used the litter boxes to hold my seedling containers. I am thinking about drilling holes in the bottom of some of those boxes (for drainage) and placing them on that table that sits outside in the shade, then planting some lettuce and spinach in them to see what happens.

We built two cold frames in the early spring, and that was how I was able to get some of my plants started early. It worked really well for what I was using it for. I carried my seedlings out in the daytime and placed them in the cold frame, which protected them from the cold and wind, but I brought them back in at night. I am also trying to figure out a way to incorporate the cold frame idea with growing lettuce and spinach in the colder months. Please let us know how the cold frame works out for you.

 

[big brown horse]

That looks really neat!

What about pallets? Turn them over, staple some screen to the bottom and sides and then fill with dirt. Put them up on homemade saw horses. I have all of those things hiding around my property right now! In the future I can attach wheels so I can move them more easily. No wheels right now tho.

Thanks for the idea!

 

[nightshade]

hugh that is a cool idea

 

[Wifezilla]

Ya know...I have this very large light table and the glass is cracked....hummmmmm

 

[FarmerChick]

Cool idea
I love not bending over to harvest some greens....just being up on sawhorses is a great idea!!!!

 

[Dace]

I think it is cool but my only thought is keeping it watered is gonna be a bear with only a few inches of soil.

 

[Hiedi]

From what I have read, it has to be watered daily. I am just curious to know if I can actually grow anything in such a shallow depth of growing media. I would like to make some salad boxes, which are smaller, so I can also fit them into my cold frames when the weather gets colder. Here is another link with more detailed instruction:

link

 

[Hiedi]

Here is a picture of the salad boxes that we made yesterday for leaf lettuce and spinach. I will let you all know what my results are. I do love to experiment around with new ideas.