Start your self-care journey with a healthy habit! Learn How to Make an Indoor Salad Garden and toss organic greens into your platter!
It is great to have a plant exclusively for its aesthetics, but how about an indoor garden combined with a flavorful, healthy treat? We’ll help you with just that. Learn How to Make an Indoor Salad Garden to enjoy fresh, homegrown straight from your windowsill or balcony and relish the fruit of your hard work!
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Pot Size for Indoor Salad Garden
The best part about an Indoor Salad Garden is that you don’t need a big space to grow these aromatic greens. With shallow roots and dappled sunlight requirements, these plants are small in size and can fit in 6-8 inches pots. However, you can also opt for 10-12 inches containers for salads with longer root growth, such as swiss chard or baby spinach.
There are plenty of potting options you can try to grow your Indoor Salad Garden. Ensure the containers have ample drainage holes to aid healthy plant growth. Some of the most feasible options are as follows:
- Terra Cotta Pots: Traditional clay pots are porous and allow for good air and water flow—crucial for healthy root growth.
- Plastic Pots: Lightweight, durable pots that come in various colors to complement your beautiful indoors.
- Stainless Steel Pots: Stylish, long-lasting containers to keep the soil warm during low temperatures.
- Self-Watering Pots: These pots have a water reservoir at the bottom that helps to regulate moisture levels, reducing the hassle of regular watering.
- Grow Bags: Medium-sized breathable fabric pots are well-suited for balconies and can grow vegetables and salads with longer roots as well.
- Seed Starting Trays: Small, shallow trays are pretty useful for growing microgreens as well as starting vegetable plants. Also, the plants can easily accommodate on windowsills.
How to Make an Indoor Salad Garden
Now that you know the ideal pots for an Indoor Salad Garden—Get them and fill them with a well-draining medium amended with a good amount of organic fertilizers. Next, sow the seeds and cover them with a thin layer of the medium. Mist the medium and keep the container at a location with dappled sunlight. Make sure the medium does not dry out completely, nor does it stay soggy.
And voila! You’ll find new seedlings sprouting out within a week. Sit back and watch your little plants grow!
Requirements for Growing An Indoor Salad Garden
Light
Salad greens require bright, indirect light to thrive. Place the pots near the Northern or Eastern windows that receive 3-4 hours of morning sunlight. However, ensure to keep your Indoor Salad Garden away from direct afternoon sunlight as that will scorch the leaves, making them bitter.
If your windowsill does not receive enough light, you can supplement it with artificial grow lights.
Soil
A well-draining, nutrient-rich soil with a pH of 6-7 is essential for a successful Indoor Salad Garden. Soil that is too heavy or dense can lead to waterlogging and root rot, so a light potting mix specifically formulated for indoor plants is recommended.
Adding compost, worm castings, or other organic matter will provide additional nutrients to the soil and promote healthy plant growth.
Water
Indoor salad plants require evenly moist soil but cannot stand soggy medium. Water the plants thoroughly, allowing the excess water to drain out of the bottom of the pot, and keep an eye on the top two inches of the soil to avoid letting the soil dry out completely.
To avoid water damage to the leaves, it is best to water the soil directly rather than misting the leaves.
Fertilizing
Most salads do just fine without an added fertilizer if grown in nutrient-rich soil. However, you can add a balanced, liquid fertilizer once in 4-6 weeks during the growing season to enhance their growth.
Ensure to dilute the feed to half its strength, as over-fertilizing is detrimental to their health. You can also use a vermicompost or fish emulsion to provide some beneficial nutrients to your plant.
Plants to Grow in Indoor Salad Garden
- Lettuce: It is a staple salad and is easy to grow as well. Choose the right variety well-suited to indoor growing, such as mesclun mix, butterhead, or romaine.
- Carrot, Redish: Use a container at least 10 inches deep and expose it to a spot in your balcony that receives 4-5 hours of morning sunlight.
- Spinach: A hardy green packed with nutrients, it grows best in bright, indirect light and well-draining soil.
- Arugula: Arugula has a bold, peppery flavor that thrives in bright, indirect light and well-drained soil.
- Kale: Kale is a nutritious green that can be grown in an indoor garden all year round under bright, indirect light and well-draining soil.
- Chard: A leafy green with bright stems that add color to your indoor salad garden.
- Microgreens: Microgreens are tiny sprouts that pack a big punch of flavor and nutrition. They are easy to grow in an indoor garden, requiring only bright light and consistent moisture.
- Herbs: You can garnish your salad with some herbs. Use a small container and grow parsley, mint, cilantro, and chives for a flavorful treat.
Harvesting
You can have your greens and other salads ready in under two months from the day of planting. Do remember that harvesting time depends on the variety you are growing. Once the leafy greens are about 5-6 inches long, start harvesting by snipping the leaves with scissors or a sharp knife.
Salad vegetables like carrots and radishes need to be uprooted as a whole and need their sweet time to nurture their taste. You can also enjoy their greens by snipping them before uprooting the veggie.
In case you want to enjoy the leafy greens as a recurring harvest, do not snip more than 3/4th of the leaves and keep nourishing the plants to boost their growth.
