Grow a Salad:

Why Buy a Salad When You Can Grow a Salad

by Nicky Rogers

When most people think of salads, the last thing on their minds is fast food. And that's so right, in more ways than one! It's going to take most of the summer to get your salad after ordering (planting a seedling or a seed), but the wait is well worth it. Emplying only the most basic of tools, a little space in your back yard, and a pint of elbow grease, anyone can grow a fresh salad from scratch.

As the gardener, you can custom order your own salad through growing, making it as simple or complex as you'd like. So where do we start? The lettuce, of course! Any true veggie connouisseur will tell you that there is no such thing as lettuce. The leafy salad staple comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, tastes, and colors. Home gardeners can easily grow iceberg lettuce (the most common and also the least nutritious--it's mostly water), romaine, butterhead, and many other lettuces. The produce section of the local supermarket doesn’t scratch the surface of the varieties of lettuce out there. Check what grows in your region and plant whatever you think you'll like most.

Next on our salad order is the bright red tomato. Fortunately, tomatoes are robust plants and can grow in a variety of climates, ranging from temperate, tropical, and even arid. Stake the tomato vines to make sure that the tomato "fruits" don't touch the ground. A stake can be a simple wooden stake or an elaborate metal cage. Keep a close eye on them when they begin to flower. They’ll sprout up and ripen in what seems like overnight. Pick them when they are plump and red.

To add some more color to the salad, as well as some Vitamin A for good eyesight, shave fresh carrots over the salad, or chop them into small pieces. Like the tomato, the carrot is also a hearty vegetable. Instead of growing on a vine, the carrot grows into the ground, so it's best planted in loose soil. When you're ready to make your fresh, organic salad, simply yank out any carrot bigger than your finger and rinse it well in water.

One of the last things on our easy plant growing list is a few cucumber slices. Cucumbers grow rapidly -– most varieties are ready to pick in a couple months.

See how a simple hobby is turned into a delicious salad? Crisp, leafy greens, red, juicy tomatoes, crunchy carrots, and cool cucumbers. All easy to grow, and even easier to enjoy.