winter salad?

[chewie]

i have very wide window sills, and was wondering if it were possible to grow things like lettuce? i would love to grow some arugula (sp??)as well. can this be done and any advice? i am trying to grow herbs too, and they seem to do well for a while, then kinda so sprawly and then dry up and die. would sure love some help iwth this. even a very tiny greenhouse inside? thanks

[Danaus29]

What direction do your windows face?
Do you have heat right under the windows?
Do you have any plant lights over the plants?

I kept an ornamental pepper indoors over winter once. It produced little peppers all winter. I killed it in the spring, forgot to get it acclimated to being outside.

[MOgal]

Right now, I have several jalapeno and sweet peppers in a south facing window along with some lemon grass and lemon verbena. In a west facing window, I have some cutting celery, 2 bay trees, a small lemon tree and a small lime tree, and two tomato plants I started from cuttings after I lost my seed stock. I'm hoping to keep the tomato plants alive until spring so I can take more cuttings for next summer's plants. I also have a couple of sweet potato vines I started from cuttings as well. All of these things appreciate warmer temps but if you could come up with a cooler spot with good exposure to natural light, it might work.

Any chance you might have a sheltered spot where snow doesn't drift that you could put a cold frame? Check out Eliot Coleman's books on winter gardening. It's a bit late to get started now but it would give you an earlier "spring."

Good luck.

[Callieslamb]

From what I have read.....you can over nitrogen lettuce inside to get it to grow well, which isn't good for the body. So be careful with the fertilizer.

[ronbre]

i'm growing greens in my little greenhouse and totally love fresh salads daily

[ayleeann]

Try microgreens. www.sproutpeople.com

[chewie]

hey, i think i like this!! brenda, are you growing them inside or outside? a friend has a very tiny greenhouse, its more like a small 3tiered shelf with clear plastic over the frame. i can borrow it but dont' know what to do with it! i have such nice big sills tho., i'd love to grow there. i think if i use a few of those long window boxes, it would look nice too.

thanks for the links!

[jwal10]

If the window gets 4-6 hours of sun lettuce should do fine. Make sure the planters are deep enough. Take scissors to clip when small or pinch each leaf. Keep rotating plantings, each planting is good until root bound, about 3 cuttings. Make sure and keep water off the plant itself. Best to soak in a pan of water from the bottom or use a watering tray. I raise a lot of kitchen garden in my air lock entry with a big south facing window, no grow lights.....James

[Our Little Farm]

Can you use a cold frame outside for spinach and lettuce?

[jwal10]

Oh yea, I raise a kitchen garden under hoops over 4 raised beds year around. Just rotate and reseed every 3 weeks in the winter, 2 weeks spring and fall, when all frost chance is over just remove the hoop. I also cover 2 big raised beds over onions, cabbage and carrots....James

[chewie]

i think i'm going to try the window sill. it gets so cold here, a hoop hut isn't going to keep anything warm enough.

[hotzcatz]

I dunno if it would work in South Dakota since you are so far North, but some of the less severe winter climate areas might be able to keep a hoop bed warm enough if they put in a foot or two of fresh manure under their garden. The composting manure keeps things warm. Perhaps if you could find a supply of double pane windows and build a small glass enclosure out of those, there would be enough insulation to keep the plants warm enough. Maybe some earth berm on the sides, some double pane glass tops and a lot of fresh manure to make heat while composting.

[wogglebug]

As someone else suggested, try sprouts.
Mung bean sprouts and lemon juice is fine.
Adzuki beans as well.

Ordinary beans are poison until cooked, so not them.

Cereal sprouts - wheat is most available, but barley, rye, triticale, or even oats will work. Corn too. If older, snip the young leaves, then the leftover sprouted grain can go in soup or stew. Except oats - but it can be cooked and go for bird seed or pig food, or be cooked and even go in dog food. Not sorghum, because it can be poisonous when young. I'm not 100% sure, but I'd be careful of buckwheat as well, because that family can have oxalic acid in leaves.

[7thswan]

I'm growing lettuces in my greenhouse. We don't get much sun here. I use cat litter boxes for the soil. I would think you could do quite well.

[snoozy]

Bok choy makes an excellent salad green, and I believe it is quite cold tolerant.