Not Just Lettuce: Other Salad Items You Can Enjoy Growing Indoors

Other salad items can add some variety and spice.

Growing your lettuce in shallow bowls or similar planting containers is a lot of fun. It’s also a great way to get more healthy greens into your diet. While most of us are perfectly happy with a side of salad greens with dinner most nights, it’s nice to have a little variety with them. Another plus is that adding other home-grown plants to your salads adds to the overall nutritional value as well.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at various other “salad items” that you can grow indoors, or on your patio. These suggestions make great additions to your salads, and also will come in handy in the kitchen to use in other recipes.

Herbs

If you enjoy fresh herbs, you can spent a small fortune on them at the grocery store. Why not grow your own instead? You can keep them in small pots or even old tea or coffee pots. Actual little planters are preferable since they have drainage holes, but use what you’ve got and just think of how pretty these little pots of herbs will look all lined up in your kitchen window.

Popular herbs to grow and use in your salads include:

  • Basil
  • Mint
  • Parsley
  • Cilantro
  • Chives
  • Rosemary
  • Oregano
  • Thyme

… plus more. Like lettuce you can either grow them from seed, or pick up small plant seedling at your local garden center. A lot of these herbs will be used in Joy of Sensual Cooking that we’re writing.

Sprouts

If you are wondering about what other salad items to grow, sprouts would make  a great addition to your salad. They provide a little crunch and a lot of extra nutrients. But like herbs, they can be pricey if you pick them up at the store each week. Instead, order some seeds online, then sprout your own in a shallow container lined with moist paper towels. Sprouting is surprisingly quick and easy. The biggest secret is that you have to keep the seeds moist and warm.

Common items to sprout include alfalfa, lentil, mung, rye, soy, and wheat. Start with the sprouts you like to eat, then expand your growing horizon from there. It’s fun to try new things and experiment with them in your salads.

Tomatoes And Peppers

Tomatoes and peppers may not be the first things that come to mind when you’re thinking about growing plants indoors, but there are small varieties that do surprisingly well in a sunny window. Of course if you have the room,  growing them outside on a patio or balcony, in larger containers, is also always an option.

In either case, look for varieties that don’t grow very large, and will supply a nice little harvest. You should be able to find varieties of tomatoes (mostly cherry tomatoes), and various peppers, from hot to sweet, that you can grow in a small space and then  add to your salad.

Not only do they add a nice burst of flavor and visual appeal to your salad, they also make surprisingly beautiful houseplants. And isn’t it more satisfying to grow a plant that also provides you with nourishment?

Onion and Garlic

If you’re feeling a little adventurous, try growing your own onion and garlic alongside your lettuce bowl. While regular onions don’t lend themselves to indoor growing, you can plant green onions and garlic  bulbs.  Both of these can be grown in fairly small containers on your counter. 

Ready to give growing other salad items a try? Head over to your local garden center, give it a whirl and start adding more variety to your salad bowls!

This is the 6th article in a series  if — if you haven’t read the previous one, click here to enjoy it!