Tossed-Salad Garden

With vegetables like scallions and radishes, thin them out as they germinate. The thinned baby vegetables are edible too! Not only does lettuce regenerate as you harvest it, but it also serves as a great decoration for your window sill. Certain vegetables are well-suited for container gardening. These 'Thumbelina' carrots need a pot that's only about six inches deep, whereas a standard carrot requires at least 16 inches in depth. Herbs such as sage and rosemary are a great addition to your salad, as well as your indoor garden. Here is the salad that our indoor vegetables helped decorate.

1. First, make a list of the vegetables that you use.
2. Now consider the light and space requirements of those plants as well as the amount of time you want to put in to growing them.
3. Remember there are some vegetables--such as broccoli--that cannot be grown indoors.

Conroy recommends starting plants from seed, using either a purchased seed tray or a cardboard egg carton to hold the soil. She outlines two methods intended to grow plants from seed, and one method for perfect sprouts:

Method 1:

1. Use seed-starting mix or potting soil to start seeds. Put soil in the containers, moisten and place a seed in each cell of the tray. (She uses English cucumbers, which are ideal for indoor growing.)
2. Spritz with water when finished planting, and cover loosely with plastic wrap or the seed tray cover to create a greenhouse environment.
3. Place the tray in a warm, dark place until seeds germinate. After plants start to grow, remove the cover and place the tray in bright light.
4. Watch for the plant to grow its first set of true leaves, then transplant to a larger container.
5. When the plant is about six inches tall, plant it into its final container (at least 8 inches in diameter). Tomatoes and peppers may need some support because fruit can be heavy. Water and fertilize plants well when they are fruiting

Method 2:

1. Use seed-starting mix or potting soil to start seeds. Put soil in a single large container that has drainage holes and a saucer to collect excess water.
2. Moisten the soil and broadcast seed (such as green onion, radish, lettuce, herbs or Thumbelina carrots) across the top. Cover with a thin layer of soil.
3. As seedlings grow, thin them out so that plants don't become overcrowded in the container.

Growing Sprouts:

1. Place about a tablespoon of seeds (Conroy used radish and alfalfa) in a clean glass jar.
2. Cover the jar opening with muslin or cheesecloth and screw on the lid.
3. Fill the jar with water and place in a warm, dark place.
4. Twice a day, drain the water off and replace with fresh water.
5. In about a week, you should have fresh sprouts ready for eating.