How to Plant an Indoor Salad Garden

Some easy greens to grow indoors are Bibb lettuce, Cos lettuce, loose leaf, snap peas, chives, spinach, arugula, mustard greens and radish.

Steps

1. First, fill a seeding tray with soil-less potting soil or seeding mix, then pre-moisten.

2. Sow seeds in a tray at the correct depth. It will differ depending upon which seed you are planting. Read packets carefully for information on depth.

3. Place the tray in a south- or west-facing window provided it is warm enough and there isn't a cold-air draft. Seeds need to be warm enough to germinate. If not, you might need to place them on a seeding mat to reach the proper temperature of between 61 degrees to 65 degrees. Moisten the soil and label the seeds.

4. Once germinated, you may need to thin out the plants and repot them into 4-inch pots to give them room to grow.

5. Keep a grow light on young plants to prevent leggy growth. Spindly plants generally means there's not enough light or the light source is too far away. The grow light should be next to but not touching the young plants. Those with adjustable heights are a bonus.

6. Plants need 12 to 14 hours of light per day.

7. Be sure to use an organic fertilizer.

8. Harvest your fresh greens for a true home-grown salad. Pinch off the leaves as you need them, which will actually promote new growth. Lettuce will start to taste bitter when the growing cycle is complete. Replant as you harvest to have a continuous supply.