Do you love the idea of eating home-grown salads from April through November? There are two types of container gardens that will enable you to produce fresh, flavorful greens close to your backdoor without the need to dig in the soil.
The University of Maryland Salad Table™ is essentially a shallow wooden frame with a large surface area and a mesh bottom that allows water to drain. You can attach legs of any length you desire or set it on saw horses or other supports. It is portable, versatile, easy and inexpensive to build, and terrific for gardeners of all ages, sizes, and abilities. The Salad Table™ can be moved to capture sunlight in spring and fall and avoid the sun and high heat of summer. Best of all, you can garden comfortably at waist level and avoid problems with rabbits and groundhogs.
The University of Maryland Salad Box™ is the baby version of the Salad Table™ and works especially well for kids and folks with small spaces.
Other uses: Some Master Gardeners with productive in-ground vegetable gardens use the Salad Table™ to grow fresh greens and herbs close to their back door. They also use the frames to grow transplants for their garden.
About in $35 in materials to construct (using un-treated construction lumber) and about $20 for seeds, fertilizer, and growing medium.
Salad Table on Wheels for easy placement in sun or shade. Pressure treated 4x4 legs, cross bars for stability in order to add a 4-6" bottomless frame to grow vegetables with deep root systems.
Typical growth cycles for salad greens are about 8 weeks (from sowing seeds to removing plants). Lettuce, arugula and other greens can be cut twice each growth cycle. Yields ranged from 1-2 lbs. per Salad Table™ per cutting. The store value of this amount of pre-cut, bagged salad greens @$.75/oz., was $24-$48 per table per 8-week growth cycle. It’s possible to plant one Salad Table™ 3 times each year in Maryland producing a store value of $72-$96.
Video: Salad Table Gardening Part 1
Photo Gallery: Salad Table Construction